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Limbu people
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Limbu (meaning: archer) or Yakthumba are an ethnic group that belong to the Kiranti group or Kirat confederation that includes the Rai and Sunuwar who are believed to be the descendants of the ancient Mongolian people and are still known as "Mongolians" in Nepal. Their population of 400,000 is centered on the districts of Sankhuwasabha, Tehrathum, Dhankuta, Taplejung, Panchthar and Ilam, all within the Mechi and Kosi zones in Nepal, as well as the East and West districts of Sikkim. A smaller number are scattered throughout the cities of Darjeeling and Kalimpong in West Bengal, India and also in North and South Sikkim and Bhutan.
Limbus speak a Tibeto-Burman language called Yakthungpan, literally "language of Limbus", also called simply Limbu. It uses the "Kirat Sirijonga" script based on the Tibetan script. Limbu clans are divided between the Lhasa gorta (those from Lhasa) and Kashi gorta, those who come from the Benaras.
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The Limbus traditionally practiced subsistence farming. Rice and maize comprised their principal crops. Although there is an abundance of arable land, productivity is greatly limited by insufficient technology. Excess crops are often traded for food that cannot be grown in the region.
A sizable number of Limbu youths used to enlist in the British and Indian Gurkha armies, providing their families with a steady stream of income. Thanks to the Gurkha revenue, the Limbu community as a whole were lifted considerably in terms of health and education. They have good living standard compared to others.
The marriages are mostly arranged by parents or result when a boy elopes with a girl. Asking for a girl's hand, that is the most important ceremony. The boy's family members have to visit the girl's house with a piglet and some alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks depending upon the financial standard of his house. In that system, the girl can ask for anything and an unlimited amount of gold, silver, etc. This confirms to the girl's family that the boy is financially secure enough to keep their daughter happy. The prevalence of the latter practice meant that the key ceremonies of a Limbu wedding take place in the bridegroom's house rather than that of the bride's because girl has to stay with her husband. There is a special dance in this ceremony, it is called dhan nach (wheat harvested rice dance). This dance is characterized by men and women dancing in a slow circle, often for many hours. Anyone can join the dance. It celebrates the harvest season in addition to being a feature of social occasions including weddings. In this ceremony everyone is so happy that they continue dancing and singing till the next day morning.
The Limbus follow the Kiranti Mundhum oral 'scripture'. However, like the Rai, their religion is influenced by both Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism, although the Buddhist influence is more apparent in the case of the Limbu than with the Rai. They have many different classes of ritual specialist, of which phedangma, yema/yeba, and shamba are some. Their religion is enshrined in the evergreen Cynodondactylon (Dubo) grass. Traditionally, they buried their dead but thanks to the influence of their Hindu neighbours, cremating is gaining in popularity as well. They celebrate the dance festivals of Kelangma popularly known Chyabrung (a two-sided drum [more] often more than four feet in diameter) and Yarak (Paddy dance) as major events. Their priests include the Fedangba, Shamba and Yewa-Yema. According to the Nepal Census of 2001, out of the 359,379 Limbu, 86.29% were Bon and 11.32% were Hindu.
Nepal's pre-eminent sociologist, Professor Dor Bahadur Bista, asserted that, of all the proverbial thirty-six caste and ethnic groups of Nepal, the Hindu caste system made the least impact on the Limbu. In part, this reflected not only their geographical distance from the seat of power in the capital city of Kathmandu but also their cultural independence.