This category has the following 6 subcategories, out of 6 total.
The following 21 pages are in this category, out of 21 total. This list may not reflect recent changes (learn more).
1. Chepang people – The Chepang are an indigenous Tibeto-Burman people group numbering around fifty-two thousand mainly inhabiting the rugged ridges of the Mahabharat mountain range of central Nepal. The severe topography, however, has made permanent farming difficult, Chepang men and women are basically egalitarian and no social ranking exists as it does in caste Nepalese society. Many Chepang cannot read and write due and deprived of school beyond elementary, despite that the nation has been making great gains in reducing illiteracy. According to the 2001 Nepal Census, there are 52,237 Chepang in the country, of which 67. 63% were Hindu,23. 38% were Buddhists,7. 49% were Christians, and 1. 25% others. They are mostly located in Dhading District, Chitwan District, Gorkha District, Makwanpur District, the Chepangs themselves follow Animism, although they are strongly influenced by both Hinduism and Buddhism, which came from the Tamangs just north of them. They observe all the Hindu festivals of Dashain, Tihar and Sakrantis besides their own tribal festival Nwagi or Chhonam, Chhonam is the auspicious day for eating a new crop. Before the celebration of festival, there is prohibition for eating certain agricultural products. In in 5th National Gathering of Chepang,2004, it was stated they practiced Prakriti and they worship many deities including Bhumi, Aita Bare, Gaidu, Namrung etc. etc. They also observe other different festivals like, Maghe Sakranti, Saune Sakranti, Dashain, the language is also known as Chepang but is called Chyo-bang by the people themselves. Some Bahun Chettri castes call these people the Praja meaning political subjects, the people speak 3 different dialects of this Tibeto-Burman language that is closely related to Raute and Raji, two undocumented languages spoken in western Nepal. Chepang language is one of the few languages which uses a counting system rather than the decimal. Chepang communities were already suffering from severe malnutrition before the blockade, due to historic discrimination and neglect and remote communities, Chepang have suffered discrimination even at the hands of the Nepali Food Corporation in charge of emergency food distribution. Social activist KP Kiran Sharma said Chepangs compulsorily eat rice during Dashain, where meat is eaten by more wealthy groups. Hence they are among the most vulnerable ethnic groups facing potential population bottleneck in the winter of 2015/16 despite their small numbers. The Nepal Red Cross has stepped in providing them with relief when left to rot by the government, in turn, Chepangs in Lothhar fight cold with donated clothes Kathmandu Post
2. Ghale – Ghale is one indigenous group of Nepal. They are found in Gorkha, Lamjung, Manang, Bhojpur, Nuwakot, Dhading, the Gurung have more than 175 divisions of cast system. The Ghaleys were the class of Gurung tribes during prehistoric times of modern Nepal. So all Ghale carry their surname as Ghale rather than Gurung, however majority of Gurungs simply choose to write Gurung as their surname. The sub-cast system has a significant role in marriage arrangement
3. Gurkha – The name may be traced to the medieval Hindu warrior-saint Guru Gorakhnath who has a historic shrine in Gorkha. The word itself derived from Go-Raksha, raksha becoming rakha, rakhawala means protector and is derived from raksha as well. Ethnically, Chhetri or Khas, Thakuri, Gurung and Magar mainly were the Gorkha tribes who united erstwhile Gorkha kingdom, but today, Gorkha soldiers mostly belong to the Gurung, Chhetri, Magar, Rai, Limbu, Sunuwar there is no ethnicity based restriction to join. There are Gurkha military units in the Nepalese, British and the Indian army enlisted in Nepal, United Kingdom and India. Although they meet many of the requirements of Article 47 of Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions regarding mercenaries, Gurkhas are closely associated with the khukuri, a forward-curving Nepalese knife, and have a well known reputation for fearless military prowess. The former Indian Army Chief of Staff Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, once stated that If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or he is a Gurkha. During the Anglo-Nepalese War between the Gorkha Kingdom and the East India Company, the Gorkhali soldiers made an impression on the British and their war cry was and is to this very day, Jai Mahakali, Ayo Gorkhali. In the peace treaty the parties agreed that Gorkhalis could be recruited to serve under contract in the East India Companys army, once more I hear the laughter with which you greeted every hardship. Once more I see you in your bivouacs or about your fires, on forced march or in the trenches, now shivering with wet and cold, now scorched by a pitiless and burning sun. Uncomplaining you endure hunger and thirst and wounds, and at the last your unwavering lines disappear into the smoke, bravest of the brave, most generous of the generous, never had country more faithful friends than you. Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab started recruiting Gurkha soldiers in his army, the elite wing of his Sikh Khalsa Army, the Fauj-i-Khas had one rajman of Gurkhas. The rajman was known for its excellent morale, gallantry, discipline, the well-known Gurkha freedom-fighter Balbhadra Kunwar was an officer in the Gorkha rajman. One of the best battles in which the Gurkhas served was the Battle of Nowshera, even though the Sikhs were losing in the beginning, Maharaja Ranjit Singh launched a decisive charge at the Afghan positions. The Gurkhas climbed the Pir Saibak hill, and together with their Sikh comrades, after the battle, Ranjit Singh personally met and awarded the Gurkhas, and promoted Balbhadra Kunwar into the captain of the regiment. The Gurkhas served also during the Sino-Sikh War, where they were praised for their excellent skirmishing at the Tibetan Hills and they also fought the First Anglo-Sikh War, where the Dogra commanders of the Sikh Khalsa Army, betrayed their forces and delivered battle plans to British. After the Treaty of Lahore, this regiment was added into the Bengal Army, the Anglo-Nepalese war was fought between the Gurkha Kingdom of Nepal and the British East India Company as a result of border disputes and ambitious expansionism of both the belligerent parties. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Sugauli in 1816, david Ochterlony and the British political agent William Fraser were among the first to recognize the potential of Gurkha soldiers in British service. During the war the British were keen to use defectors from the Gurkha army and his confidence in their loyalty was such that in April 1815 he proposed forming them into a battalion under Lieutenant Ross called the Nasiri regiment
4. Gurung people – The Gurung people, also called Tamu, are an ethnic group from different parts of Nepal. Priestly practitioners of Gurung Dharma include Ghyabri, Pachyu, and Bon Lamas, shamanistic elements among the Gurungs remain strong and most Gurungs often embrace Buddhist and Bön rituals in all communal activities. Nepal, the Living Heritage, Environment and Culture, university of Michigan, Kathmandu Environmental Education Project. The Land of the Gurkhas, Or, The Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal, the Gurungs, Thunder of Himal, A Cross Cultural Study of a Nepalese Ethnic Group
5. Kirati people – The Kirat or Kirati or Kiranti or Kirant people are indigenous ethnic groups of the Himalayas extending eastward from Nepal into India, Bangladesh, Burma and beyond. They migrated to their present locations via Assam, Burma, Tibet and their languages belong to the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. The original inhabitants of the Dooars region of India, the Koch Rajbongshi and Mech and they derive their titles from the original place of their dwelling, Koch from the Koshi river, Mech from the Mechi River and Kachari is derived from Kachar, which means river basin. The basis of these claims relies on the fact that they are Mongoloids, the source of the word Kirat or Kirati is much disputed. One school of thought says that it comes from the Sanskrit word Kirata found in the Yajurveda, they are described as the mountain people. It is also described as Chinese in the Mahabharata, Kirtarjuniya, there are four different groups of Kirati tribes, including Himalayan Kiratis, Tibetan-Himalayan, Khas-Kiratis and the Kacharis of South Asian region. Their populations are such largest comparing to any ethnic groups of South Asia. C. According to Gopalvansavali,32 Kirat Kings ruled in the Kathmandu valley for 1963 years 8 months, the Lichhavi dynasty dethroned the Kirat rulers in 158AD. This means that Kirat King Yalambars reign started BC1779.8, if we calculate current 2017 +1779.8 =3796 is the Kirati new year in Maghe Sakranti in AD2017. New year is celebrated in Maghe Sakranti which is around mid-January, kirātas are mentioned in early Sanskrit literature as hunter tribes from the Himalayas. They are first mentioned in the Yajurveda, and in the Atharvaveda and they are often mentioned along with the Cinas Chinese. Hindu myth also has many incidents where the god Shiva imitates a married Kirati girl who later become Parvati. In Yoga Vasistha 1.15.5, Rama speaks of kirāteneva vāgurā a trap by Kiratas, so about 10th century BCE, they were thought of as jungle trappers, the ones who dug pits to capture roving deer. The same text also speaks of King Suraghu, the head of the Kiratas who is a friend of the Persian King, another wave of political and cultural conflict between Khas and Kirat ideals surfaced in the Kirat region of present-day Nepal during the last quarter of the 18th century. A collection of manuscripts from the 18th and 19th centuries, till now unpublished and unstudied by historians, have made possible a new understanding of this conflict. For over two millennia, a portion of the eastern Himalaya has been identified as the home of the Kirat people, of which the majority are known today as Limbu, Newar, Sunuwar, Rai. In ancient times, the entire Himalayan region was known as the Kimpurusha Desha and these people were also known as Nep, to which the name Nepala and Newar are believed to have an etymological link. The earliest references to the Kirat as principal inhabitants of the Himalayan region are found in the texts of Atharvashirsha and Mahabharata, for over a millennium, the Kirat had also inhabited the Kathmandu Valley, where they installed their own ruling dynasty
6. Limbu people – The name Limbu is an exonym of an uncertain origin. They call themselves Yakthumba (IPA, or Yakthungba, in Standard Tibetan, they are referred to as Sikkimese people and in Sikkimese as Shong or Tsong Tsang people. Portions of the Limbu population are located in the east and west districts of Sikkim. Limbu clans and tribes are divided into two gotras indicating their origin, Lhasa and Yunnan, the Limbu are known as Yakthung Thibong or Ten Limbu, from which thirteen Limbu subgroups have emerged. According to legend, five of the came from Yunnan. The Chinese text Po-ou-Yeo-Jing translated in 308 AD refers to the Yi-ti-Sai, accounts with Sirijunga Limbu, Lepcha and Newar are the only Sino-Tibetan languages of the Central Himalayas to possess their own pre-20th century scripts. Vowels, ʌ, ɑ, i, u, e, ɑi, o, ɑu, ɛ, ɔ Consonants k, kh, g, gh, ŋ, c/ts, ch/tsh, j/dz, jh/dz, t, th, d, dh, n, p, ph, b, bh, m, j, r, l, w, sh, s, h, tr 1. Sleep, imma, kiratism or Kirat Dharma Limbus practice many of their own life cycle rituals and they believe that lineage is not transmitted patrilineally. Rather, a woman inherits her mothers gods, and when she marries and lives with her husband she brings with her the deities that will then be recognized as the household deities, Limbu bury their dead and observe for two-to-three days through practiced death rituals. The length of the period varies depending on the gender of the deceased. Dancing parties are arranged for visitors to the village and these affairs give the young Limbu girls and boys a chance to meet and enjoy dancing and drinking. The traditional dress of the Limbus are mekhli and taga, while performing mangsewa IPA, Yakthung IPA, people wear mekhli and taga in white colour as it symbolizes purity. Dhaka is the fabric of the Limbus which are made by weaving it in geometric patterns in a handloom. The art of making dhaka is taught by one generation to another and you will always see a Limbu man clad in dhaka topi and scarf, and a Limbu lady in dhaka saree, mekhli, blouse and shawl. In the olden days, the Limbus were skilled in silk farming, the Kiratis were also known as silk traders. According to JB Subba and Iman Xin Chemjong, the Kirat is a form of kereta. Mekhli- Long dress worn with a strip of cloth with collars crossing over or in a Vneck style. Chunglokek/sunghamba- Blouse Chaubandi Cholo- Blouse with collars overlapping each other Sim- gunyo in Nepali, a long strip of cloth wrapped around like a skirt