Posted by: JPEG June 1, 2009
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A forgotten beauty of Thami ni
Introduction to Thami
There is no idea about the origin of the Thami community or the term 'Thami'. Their history is indeed obscure. Neither the scanty literature that is available on them nor their own traditions speak enough about their history and culture … the Thamis speak Nepali among themselves and with outsiders. It is not known whether or not they had any dialect of their own. — Singh (1993: 184)
The above quotation, taken from K. S. Singh's People of India: Sikkim, is sadly indicative of the state of research on one of South Asia's most interesting and least-known ethnic groups. The Thangmi are a Tibeto-Burman community most likely indigenous to the districts of Dolakha and Sindhupalcok in Nepal, and with small immigrant communities in 16 other districts of Nepal as well as Darjeeling and Sikkim in India. Over the past several years, scholars whilst working and living with the Thami, have slowly beginning to unfold the mystery for it has struck time and time again that there was next to nothing written in English about them. Whilst the scholars own research is largely academic, in the fields of descriptive linguistics and comparative ethnography, they felt that it was time to set the record straight and to locate the Thangmi in their socio-cultural context within the nation. This short article is a start in rectifying the lack of published work on one of Nepal's important and overlooked ethnic groups. Although the scholars addressed every aspect of Thangmi culture in detail, they had focus on the defining characteristics of the group as a whole, dealing with such issues as population size, language, religious practice and cosmology.
Thamis are mainly found in Suspa, Chhemawati, Khopachagu, Alampu, Bigu, Kalinchok, Lapilang and Lakuri Danda villages of Dolkha District. Numbering about 30,000 in all, the Buddhist Thamis are considered the original people of these places. The Thami language is similar to the language of the Sunuwars, which again conforms to the Rai language originating in the Tibeto-Burman family. Tamang influences are also quite prominent on the Thamis. Labor and farming are the Thamis' main occupations. In religious matters, Thamis are much closer to the Tamangs. Almost 90 percent Thamis are surviving below poverty line and 78 percent are illiterate. Their population, according to Census 2001, is 22,999(NEFIN).
According to their mythology, based on their oral tradition or on their religious texts, ‘Paloke', they are the successors of Yapati Chukku and Sonari Aaji who reached the head of Tamakoshi, while travelling in ancient times, from Simangadh (Simroungadh). They scattered all round from Rangrangthali of Suspa in Dolakha (Thami and Others, BS2057). According to one mythology they often relate, of the successors of Kiratis entering the Koshi area, those tracing along the Tamor river became Limbus, those tracing along the Arun became Rais, those tracing along Dudhkoshi became Sunuwar, those tracing along Sunkoshi became Hayu and those tracing along Tamakoshi became Thamis. A notable number of Thamis are found in Sindhupalchowk and Ramechhap disticts today. Although they are found in small numbers in other districts of the country, their numbers are significant in districts, including Ilam, Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Bhojpur, Udayapur, Khotang, Sindhuli, Chitwan, Bara, etc. Thamis call themselves Thangmi. Thangmi means ‘people of pastureland' or ‘people living in borderlands' (Turin, 2000). Thamis have their own language called Thangmi Kham, which belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family of languages. While there is slight difference between ‘Paloke' language and their spoken language, there are some subbranches in the Thangmi Kham spoken in Dolakha and Sindhupalchowk.
The culture and tradition of Thamis is unique. A newborn is christened in seven days if it is a boy and in five days if it is a girl. The Jhankri conducts the whole process of the naming ritual. Marriage is done by asking the girls parents and the practice of elopement is also prevalent. In any case certain customs need to be observed. Jhankris or Dhamis complete the rites of marriage by citing the texts of ‘Paloke'. The dead ones are cremated in hills or mounds. The death rites called ghewa is performed after three days. A larger ghewa is performed with special arrangement after sometime. The death rites are officiated by Jhankris. Thamis are the followers of neither Hinduism nor Buddhism in complete sense. They are rather close to the followers of Kirat religion and are worshippers of nature (Thami, et al, ibid). Their sacred book, Paloke, is based on verbal traditions. The performers of religious rites are Jhankris and Dhamis. Bahrara Dewa (family diety), Bhume, etc are some of the several other deities of Thamis.
There are evidences of Thamis having Kipat land which ended with the process of unification of Nepal. Today they have only an insignificant amount of land with them. Majority of them have become landless. Although their main occupation is agriculture, most of them are dependent on wage labour. Besides agriculture, animal husbandry, masonry, carpentry, bamboo work, weaving bhangro (a coarse woolen cloth) and cotton clothes, wool work, collecting herbs are their occasional occupations.
Thangmi, Thami, Thani? Remembering A Forgotten People
Introduction to Thami
There is no idea about the origin of the Thami community or the term 'Thami'. Their history is indeed obscure. Neither the scanty literature that is available on them nor their own traditions speak enough about their history and culture … the Thamis speak Nepali among themselves and with outsiders. It is not known whether or not they had any dialect of their own. — Singh (1993: 184)
The above quotation, taken from K. S. Singh's People of India: Sikkim, is sadly indicative of the state of research on one of South Asia's most interesting and least-known ethnic groups. The Thangmi are a Tibeto-Burman community most likely indigenous to the districts of Dolakha and Sindhupalcok in Nepal, and with small immigrant communities in 16 other districts of Nepal as well as Darjeeling and Sikkim in India. Over the past several years, scholars whilst working and living with the Thami, have slowly beginning to unfold the mystery for it has struck time and time again that there was next to nothing written in English about them. Whilst the scholars own research is largely academic, in the fields of descriptive linguistics and comparative ethnography, they felt that it was time to set the record straight and to locate the Thangmi in their socio-cultural context within the nation. This short article is a start in rectifying the lack of published work on one of Nepal's important and overlooked ethnic groups. Although the scholars addressed every aspect of Thangmi culture in detail, they had focus on the defining characteristics of the group as a whole, dealing with such issues as population size, language, religious practice and cosmology.
Thamis are mainly found in Suspa, Chhemawati, Khopachagu, Alampu, Bigu, Kalinchok, Lapilang and Lakuri Danda villages of Dolkha District. Numbering about 30,000 in all, the Buddhist Thamis are considered the original people of these places. The Thami language is similar to the language of the Sunuwars, which again conforms to the Rai language originating in the Tibeto-Burman family. Tamang influences are also quite prominent on the Thamis. Labor and farming are the Thamis' main occupations. In religious matters, Thamis are much closer to the Tamangs. Almost 90 percent Thamis are surviving below poverty line and 78 percent are illiterate. Their population, according to Census 2001, is 22,999(NEFIN).
According to their mythology, based on their oral tradition or on their religious texts, ‘Paloke', they are the successors of Yapati Chukku and Sonari Aaji who reached the head of Tamakoshi, while travelling in ancient times, from Simangadh (Simroungadh). They scattered all round from Rangrangthali of Suspa in Dolakha (Thami and Others, BS2057). According to one mythology they often relate, of the successors of Kiratis entering the Koshi area, those tracing along the Tamor river became Limbus, those tracing along the Arun became Rais, those tracing along Dudhkoshi became Sunuwar, those tracing along Sunkoshi became Hayu and those tracing along Tamakoshi became Thamis. A notable number of Thamis are found in Sindhupalchowk and Ramechhap disticts today. Although they are found in small numbers in other districts of the country, their numbers are significant in districts, including Ilam, Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Bhojpur, Udayapur, Khotang, Sindhuli, Chitwan, Bara, etc. Thamis call themselves Thangmi. Thangmi means ‘people of pastureland' or ‘people living in borderlands' (Turin, 2000). Thamis have their own language called Thangmi Kham, which belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family of languages. While there is slight difference between ‘Paloke' language and their spoken language, there are some subbranches in the Thangmi Kham spoken in Dolakha and Sindhupalchowk.
The culture and tradition of Thamis is unique. A newborn is christened in seven days if it is a boy and in five days if it is a girl. The Jhankri conducts the whole process of the naming ritual. Marriage is done by asking the girls parents and the practice of elopement is also prevalent. In any case certain customs need to be observed. Jhankris or Dhamis complete the rites of marriage by citing the texts of ‘Paloke'. The dead ones are cremated in hills or mounds. The death rites called ghewa is performed after three days. A larger ghewa is performed with special arrangement after sometime. The death rites are officiated by Jhankris. Thamis are the followers of neither Hinduism nor Buddhism in complete sense. They are rather close to the followers of Kirat religion and are worshippers of nature (Thami, et al, ibid). Their sacred book, Paloke, is based on verbal traditions. The performers of religious rites are Jhankris and Dhamis. Bahrara Dewa (family diety), Bhume, etc are some of the several other deities of Thamis.
There are evidences of Thamis having Kipat land which ended with the process of unification of Nepal. Today they have only an insignificant amount of land with them. Majority of them have become landless. Although their main occupation is agriculture, most of them are dependent on wage labour. Besides agriculture, animal husbandry, masonry, carpentry, bamboo work, weaving bhangro (a coarse woolen cloth) and cotton clothes, wool work, collecting herbs are their occasional occupations.