POPULATION OF MAJOR ETHNIC GROUPS

Nepal is a multi cast, multi cultural country. I want to describe major Ethnic groups are as follows:-

Brahmans

Brahmans are the members of the highest social caste. Two different categories of Brahmans viz. 'Kumai Brahmans' and 'Purbiya Brahmans' are present. They only differ in their derived homeland. The 'Kumai Brahmans' are supposed to have come from the mountainous regions of Kumaon in the northern India west of Nepal. They are mainly confined in the western and central Nepal and the capital city of Kathmandu. The 'Purbiya' Brahmans derive from the eastern part of Nepal and are found scattered across the country with the greater concentration in the eastern part of Nepal and Kathmandu. The Brahmans are priestly caste. The priests in all Hindu temples are exclusively Brahmans.

Chepang and Kusundas

These backward ethnic communities belong to a well defined traditional area in the south of Dhading, the west of Makawanpur and east of Chitwan along the steeper slopes of Mahabharat range of the mid-Nepal. Very few of these hunting tribal people have started deriving subsistence from agriculture. Otherwise, hunting, wood collection etc. have been their foremost living subsistence. Though, they are economically backward, they have a rich and unique cultural tradition. With the increasing encroachment of the forest (their main living recourse) by themselves and other communities alike, these people lately started working in the development projects in the areas as hard labors.

They observe all the Hindu festivals of Dashain, Tihar and Sakrantis besides their own tribal festival Nwagi, which is performed on a Tuesday during third week of Bhadra (some day in August and September).

Chhetris and Thakuris

In the caste hierarchy, the Chhetris and Thakuris come second to Brahmans. They are rulers, leaders and warriors. The Brahmans are their teachers and family priests. Like Brahmans, they are orthodox Hindus. Thakuries are believed to have originally come from the northern part of India mainly from Rajasthan. They could have migrated to Nepal in the 12th and 13th centuries.

In Nepal, Chhetris and Thakuris are among the most influential and well-to-do social classes. They are mostly in the government services, in high ranked positions in the army and the police. Some of them have remained farmers and are relatively poor and live like any other ethnic group.

Gurung's

In the middle hills and valleys along the southern slope of the Annapurna Himalaya in the mid-western Nepal; the Gurungs live together with other ethnic groups like Magars, Brahmins and Chettris. These sturdy, hardworking people are Mongoloid physionomically. They extend their living territories from Gorkha in the east through Lamjung, Manang and Kaski to Syangja district.

The Gurungs are very colorful, happy and flirtatious people. A caste hierarchy divides the Gurung community into 'char jat' and 'sor jat', group of four and sixteen clans respectively. They are distinctly endogamous groups. Traditionally they prefer cross-cousins marriage. The parallel cousins marriage is, however, strictly prohibited. They also have a tradition of 'Rodi', a club of boys and girls of similar age group where dancing and singing is performed. This institution gives them ample opportunities to know, understand each other and develop love and affection. The environment in the Rodi is very flirtatious.

The Gurungs have very interesting dance tradition. They perform Sorathi, Ghado, Ghatu and others on one or many occasions. The dancing season generally starts on Shri Panchami day (On the fifth day of bright lunar fortnight some day in January or February) till the day of Chandi purnima (some day in May or April).

Magars

Along the Gurung and Khas counterparts, the Magars form an integral constituent of British and Indian Gurkha regiments and the Royal Nepal Army. They speak a dialect derived from Tebeto-Burman group of languages. Their religion is Buddhism. However, there are also some Hindu Magars. The Magars celebrate the festival dedicated to the goddess Kali in great pomp (a Hindu festival). Especially in Gorkha, they sacrifice a lot of goats during the occasion. Those who live in the vicinity of Brahmans and Chhetris have their cultural rituals similar to theirs. Magar villages are typical with their round and oval houses. One comes across many of these Magar settlements in the Annapurana round trekking.

Newars

The natives of Kathmandu, the Newars, are mainly traders. With a purpose to trade, they are scattered across the country; with greater concentration in the Kathmandu Valley, Banepa, Dhulikhel, Bhojpur, Bandipur and Tansen. Despite the small percentage numerically, they contribute significantly in the history, art, architecture and business activities in the country.

Newars speak their own language, 'Newari' better known as Nepal Bhasa which belongs to Tibeto-Burman family of languages. It has its own scripts and has no linguistic connection to Nepali, Hindi or Sanskrit. The Newari script, the 'Ranjana lipi' is exceptional. The Newari literature is also very rich.

There are both Buddhist and Hindu Newars. Like elsewhere in the country, religious syncretism is blended into the culture and tradition. They celebrate numerous feasts and festivals throughout the year. Besides their rich cultural heritage, festivals, the Newars are impeccable artists and architects.

To put it in a nutshell, the Newars, though small in numbers, have a very strong and dominating influence in Nepal's economy, politics and society in general.

Rais and Limbus

The Rais come from surrounding hills in the north-eastern Nepal; mainly near Dhankuta, Terhathum, Bhojpur and Arun and Dudh valleys. Likewise, the Limbus come from the extreme east of Nepal; mainly from the region of Taplejung, Khotang and Arun Valley.

The Rais are neither purely Hindu nor Buddhist. They have their own deities and beliefs. Tibetan lamaism has, however, great influence in their rites and rituals. The Limbus follow a mixture of Shivaism, Buddhism and Animism. Among the Rais, marriages are monogamous. The marriages are held by arrangements, captures and elopements. The Limbus follow the same marriage tradition. Both the Rais and Limbus bury the deceased and place a tombstone on the grave, bearing the name and date.

Sherpas

The most famous among the Himalayan people are the Sherpas because of their impeccable mountaineering skills which has made them an indispensable part of mountain expeditions as leaders, guides and porters. As an individual or in groups, they have set records of many 'firsts' in the mountaineering world. They live in the Khumbu region of eastern Nepal, in the vicinity of Mt. Everest, along the Arun Valley, the Dudh Koshi River and its tributary areas. Fraternal polyandry is found among the Sherpas, that is two brothers may marry one common wife. However, if there are three brothers in a Sherpa family, the middle brother has to serve the monastery as a monk and for a family with four brothers; the group of two may marry two common wives.

Sherpas observe a number of festivals during the year. The important ones are losar and dumze. Losar is the new year's celebration according to the Tibetan calendar. It occurs sometimes in the end of February. This singing, dancing, feasting time is rejoiced by all families. Dumze is interesting festival observed in the village 'gomba' or the monastery for seven days, sometimes during the month of July. The village lama conducts the rituals by worshipping Guru Rimpoche, Phawa Cheresi, Tsanba and other deities. There are many of Sherpas who have set records in the mountaineering world. Tenzing Norgay Sherpa with Sir Edmund Hillary, was the first to climb the highest mountain of the world in 1953.

Tamangs

The Tamangs live mainly in the high hills in the east, north, south and west of Kathmandu Valley in the central part of Nepal. These Tibeto-Burman speaking ethnic group derive their subsistence mainly as porters for the traders and trekking expeditions. The Tamang community is divided into several exogamous clans. A Tamang may marry any other except from his or her own clan. Cross-cousin marriage is preferred.

The Tamangs are Buddhists. The religious activities are based on Jhankrism. There are several ghyangs (Buddhist temples) in every Tamang settlement. All their festivals and ceremonies are performed in Buddhist fashion. On the first day of Magh (some day in January and February), they celebrate Chho in these ghyangs.

Another feasting ceremony, Nara is observed on the full moon day. Altogether, the Tamangs represent a community greatly exploited and poor in general.

Tharus

The Tharus are the indigenous ethnic group who live in the northern part of Terai and inner Terai with a concentrated population in the middle and west of the country. Most of the Tharus have Mongoloid features with dark and semi-dark colors. They are aboriginal Terai settlers. Some also believe that Tharus came to Nepal from India during the Muslim invasion in the 12th and 13th century. The Tharus have their indigenous dialect, known as 'Naja'. But they speak a mixture of local dialects, such as Prakriti, Bhojpuri, Mughali, Nepali, Urdu and Maithili.

The Tharus believe in Animism. They also celebrate Hindu festivals. There are normally two clans; Pradhan and Apradhan. The former is considered superior. Each village has its own local gods and goddesses protecting the people. Marriages among the Tharus, are monogamous. It is, however, strictly endogamous. Polyandry and polygamy are practiced sometimes. Rites and rituals linked with Tharu marriages are elaborate and complex.

Thakali

Physiognomically Mongoloid featured 'Thakalis' are believed to have originated from Thak Khola, the valley of the Kali Gandaki river in western Nepal. These people are famous for their neatly tended kitchens and derive their subsistence from hotels, inns, and restaurants income. They are encountered mainly in the Annapurana round trekking, one of the most famous trekking routes in the country.

Thak Khola lies in Mustang district of Dhaulagiri zone of Nepal. Thak-sat-se is the traditional area of the Thakali community, which lies in the salt trading zone on the south of Tukuche mountain.

A Thakali has to marry none other than Thakali, but the marriage has to be outside his or her own particular clan. The four clans are equal in status socially or ritually. However, on the basis of precedance in the worship, Gauchan clan comes first, followed by Tulachan, Sherchan, and Bhattachan. They have their particular clan gods as animal representative of dragon, elephant, lion and yak for Gauchan, Tulachan, Sherchan and Bhattachan respectively.

The religion of the Thakali is a mixture of Buddhism, Jhankrism, Bonpo and Hinduism, but they are close to Jhankrism, a kind of Shamanistic cult as their original religion. Lha Feva is the most significant festival for the Thakalis. It is observed some day in the month of November of every monkey year of the twelve year cycle according to the Tibetan calendar.

Culture

The diversity in Nepal in terms of ethnicity again makes room for various sets of customs. Although some customs have merely been converted to habits without thought, ancient texts justify them with far-fetched reasons, sometimes making sense and sometimes not.

Most of these customs go back to the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Among them, the rules of marriage are particularly interesting. In traditional families marriage deals are arranged by parents after the boy or girl come of age. Child marriage and polygamy that were once upheld and accepted with glee are not allowed by the law anymore.

Nepalese do not eat beef. There are several reasons for this, one being that the Hindus worship cow. Cow is also the national animal of Nepal. Buffalo meat is a good substitute but is only eaten by a certain section of the population.

Another interesting concept among Nepalis is the division of pure and impure. 'Jutho,' referring to food or material that contains another's saliva, is considered impure by Nepalis. Nepalis consider cow dung to be pure for cleaning purposes. During menstruation women are considered impure and hence, are kept in seclusion until their fourth day purification bath.

Marriage

The marriageable age has been legally set as 18 for girls and 21 for women. Even today, most people do not have love marriages, the decision is usually made by the parents. Yet, the divorce rate is considerably low.

Pasni

The pasni (rice - feeding) ceremony is the child's next important occasion. In the presence of family and priests, the seven month old child is dressed in finery and fed rice presented on a coin by all members of the family. He is shown several objects on a tray: a heap of earth, paddy (unhusked rice), bricks, toys, rings, a pen and ink-pot, and a book. It is said his parents can tell the child s future profession from the object he first picks up.

Costumes

Since Nepal is a country rich in ethnicity, there are different costumes worn by different ethnic groups. But generally, the men wear Daura suruwal s and women wear saris.

Tika and kohl lined eyes

Tika, a mark on the forehead, symbolizes the blessings of god. The colours of the tika varies according to the occasion and type of temple one visits. The black gajal or kohl is used to line the eyes of children to keep away evil eyes.

Language

Nepali is the official language of Nepal, with over 30 other languages spoken as mother-tongues in different parts of the country, and as well there are many regional dialects. Nepali is of the Indo-Aryan family of languages brought from central Asia by the Aryans about 1500 BC. The original Old Indo-Aryan language gave rise to Sanskrit from which Nepali derives. In common with Hindi, Nepali uses the Devanagri script (the script of the city of the gods, sometimes known as Nagari) which derived from the Brahmi script of ancient India.English is spoken, with much of the schooling in the cities in the English medium. As well many in the travel and tourism industry speak German, Spanish, Japanese, French and Italian. In Kathmandu at the Bishwa Bhasha Campus (at Bhrikutimandap) of Tribhuvan University foreign students can study Nepali (spoken and Devanagari script), Newari, Sanskrit and Tibetan languages. At Tribhuvan University in Kirtipur there is the Department of Nepali Studies, where BA and MA studies in Nepali language can be pursued. Sanskrit is also taught in the medical colleges, as many of the texts for natural medicines (ayurvedic and homoeopathic) are written in Sanskrit.