Limbu

The Limbu (meaning: archer) are an ethnic group that belong to the Kiranti group or Kirat confederation that includes the Rai and Sunuwar ethnic groups. Their population of 400,000 is centered on the districts of Sankhuwasabha, Tehrathum, Dhankuta, Taplejung, Panchthar and Ilam, all within the zone of Mechi in Nepal, Sikkim, and a smaller number in the cities of Darjeeling and Kalimpong in West Bengal, India and in Bhutan. They speak a Tibeto-Burman dialect called Yakthungpan, which uses a script based on the Tibetan alphabet. They are divided between the Lhasa gorta (those from Lhasa), and Kashi gorta, those who come from the Benaras.

The Limbu are agriculturalists. Rice and maize are their principal crops. Although the abundance of land has made cultivation of new areas possible, productivity is greatly limited by insufficient technology. Excess crops are often traded for food that cannot be grown in the region or for necessary items.

In the past, marriages were either arranged by parents or resulted when a boy eloped with a girl. 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 - the irate family members of a girl who eloped would not exactly be in a celebratory mood. The Limbu have four types of legal marriages: adultery, arrangement, elopement and abduction. In the case of adultery, a compensation must be paid to the previous husband. Women are quite influential within the Limbu families, particularly when their husbands are away from home serving in the British and Indian army. The Limbu trace their lineage patrilineally.

The Limbu follow the Kiranti Mundum religion. However, like the Rai, their religion is influenced by both Hinduism and Lamaism, although Lamaist influence is more apparent in the case of the Limbu than with respect to the Rai. Their religion is enshrined in the evergreen Cynodondactylon (Dubo) grass the rocks. 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 (two-sided drum) and Yarakma (Paddy dance) as major events. Their priests include the Fedangba, Shamba and Yewa-Yema.

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 isolation.

See also

• Kiranti languages

References

• Limbu alphabet
• Limbu language