Posted by: JPEG June 18, 2009
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Chepang ni beauty.
One of the most backward indigenous nationalities of Nepal, the Chepangs inhabit in the remote and sparse contours, outback and rolling precipices of the districts of Makwanpur, Chitwan, Gorkha and Dhading. They claim that they belong to Kirati group of people. Hence according to the study so far, the scholars have agreed that Chepangs are the offshoots of Kirats.
Like the Kusundas, the Chepangs are mostly hunters and gatherers. Their subsistence economy is based on forest resources. They are emerging as horticulturists also. Being landless, 95 percent of them forage for tubers and for food. Today it is stated that they became landless mostly due to lack of documentary evidences to claim land ownership. They also had a system of kipat, communal ownership of land till the first half of the 19th century till this right was taken away during the 104-years of Rana rule. "The most devastating events in this period was confiscation of traditional Kipat land tenure and re-distribution of land to state elites, i.e the ruling class through, Birta and Jagir land tenures and exploitation of indigenous peoples and Dalits through forced free labor such as jahra, rakam, beth and begar."(Regmi 1999)
Less then 15 percent Chepangs are literates and almost 90 percent of them are leading life under utter poverty. Hence NEFIN has categorize them in Highly Marginalized Group. These days, there are some projects run for Chepangs, but are not becoming really effective so far. School enrollment ratio of school going children is still very low and drop out rate is very high. The census 2001 has revealed that the population of Chepand is 52,237.
The Chepangs have their own language, which belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family. According to Schafer and Toba, the Chepang language is close to the languages of Thami and Hayu (Dhungel, BS2051: 42). The naming ceremony among the Chepangs takes place nine days after the birth of the child. During the ceremony the Chepang shaman (Pande) reads sacred texts over a cock, a hen, thread coloured with turmeric, thin roti (bread) made of maize flour, totala flower, egg, etc and takes them outside for worship. The child and its mother are tied with the thread, and the child is given a name. Alcohol is required during marriage. The boy's side must obtain the consent of the girl's side before or after marriage.
The Chepangs mostly bury their dead. The dead body is bathed and new clothes and garlands of flowers are put on the body and wrapped with burial cloth. A box is made of the barks of sal, in which the dead body is kept and buried. Pollution is observed by some for three days and by some for nine and also thirteen days. The death rites are carried out by the shaman (Praja, BS2056). After the recitation of sacred incantations, Chepangs collectively go to hunt and fish. They worship the bows and arrows used in hunting once every year.
When i had a chance to meet this group, i found out that almost all the members of Chepang, an indigenous community in Makawanpur district are deprived of citizenship, their birthrights and the land ownership certificates despite their several attempts. In context to the national level, 85 per cent of the Chepangs do not possess citizenship cards, according to concerned sources.
Points to be taken:
Thami belongs to the Kirat family. It is believed that Thami was left behind when the Kirat people moved to the east of kathmandu after the end of Kirat dynasty. In the same way scholars argued that Chepang and many Newaris caste originated from Kirat people.
Regmi, speculates that the early Newars may have an ancestry connected with both the Kiranti and the Lichhavis.
Prof. Sudarshan Raj Tiwari(The Temple of the Kirata Nepal) states that some of the Newar Jaats of Kathmandu, particularly the Prajapatis(KumvahkaraKumharaKumhale), Maharjans, Dongols, Nayos, Tepehoys, etc., have been said to be descendents of the Kiratas.
The similarity in place names of Tistung-Palung-Chitlang to the south of Chandragiri hills, now inhabited by the Hale and Gwa caste groups of Newars, and Chepang area, as well as the linguistic relations between the Chepangs, Newars and Kirats indicate they could have common ancestry and could be descendents of the Nagas. The Newar name for Patan, Yala, is believed to originate from the Kirat king Yellung or Yalamba, the alleged founder of the dynasty and the city. (Tiwari,2001)
One of the most backward indigenous nationalities of Nepal, the Chepangs inhabit in the remote and sparse contours, outback and rolling precipices of the districts of Makwanpur, Chitwan, Gorkha and Dhading. They claim that they belong to Kirati group of people. Hence according to the study so far, the scholars have agreed that Chepangs are the offshoots of Kirats.
Like the Kusundas, the Chepangs are mostly hunters and gatherers. Their subsistence economy is based on forest resources. They are emerging as horticulturists also. Being landless, 95 percent of them forage for tubers and for food. Today it is stated that they became landless mostly due to lack of documentary evidences to claim land ownership. They also had a system of kipat, communal ownership of land till the first half of the 19th century till this right was taken away during the 104-years of Rana rule. "The most devastating events in this period was confiscation of traditional Kipat land tenure and re-distribution of land to state elites, i.e the ruling class through, Birta and Jagir land tenures and exploitation of indigenous peoples and Dalits through forced free labor such as jahra, rakam, beth and begar."(Regmi 1999)
Less then 15 percent Chepangs are literates and almost 90 percent of them are leading life under utter poverty. Hence NEFIN has categorize them in Highly Marginalized Group. These days, there are some projects run for Chepangs, but are not becoming really effective so far. School enrollment ratio of school going children is still very low and drop out rate is very high. The census 2001 has revealed that the population of Chepand is 52,237.
The Chepangs have their own language, which belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family. According to Schafer and Toba, the Chepang language is close to the languages of Thami and Hayu (Dhungel, BS2051: 42). The naming ceremony among the Chepangs takes place nine days after the birth of the child. During the ceremony the Chepang shaman (Pande) reads sacred texts over a cock, a hen, thread coloured with turmeric, thin roti (bread) made of maize flour, totala flower, egg, etc and takes them outside for worship. The child and its mother are tied with the thread, and the child is given a name. Alcohol is required during marriage. The boy's side must obtain the consent of the girl's side before or after marriage.
The Chepangs mostly bury their dead. The dead body is bathed and new clothes and garlands of flowers are put on the body and wrapped with burial cloth. A box is made of the barks of sal, in which the dead body is kept and buried. Pollution is observed by some for three days and by some for nine and also thirteen days. The death rites are carried out by the shaman (Praja, BS2056). After the recitation of sacred incantations, Chepangs collectively go to hunt and fish. They worship the bows and arrows used in hunting once every year.
When i had a chance to meet this group, i found out that almost all the members of Chepang, an indigenous community in Makawanpur district are deprived of citizenship, their birthrights and the land ownership certificates despite their several attempts. In context to the national level, 85 per cent of the Chepangs do not possess citizenship cards, according to concerned sources.
Then i remember this quote.
“timi afnai gharma afain baas namaga)â€
(“You don’t ask for a shelter in your own homeâ€) -- Bhupal Rai (2000:4)
“timi afnai gharma afain baas namaga)â€
(“You don’t ask for a shelter in your own homeâ€) -- Bhupal Rai (2000:4)
Points to be taken:
Thami belongs to the Kirat family. It is believed that Thami was left behind when the Kirat people moved to the east of kathmandu after the end of Kirat dynasty. In the same way scholars argued that Chepang and many Newaris caste originated from Kirat people.
Regmi, speculates that the early Newars may have an ancestry connected with both the Kiranti and the Lichhavis.
Prof. Sudarshan Raj Tiwari(The Temple of the Kirata Nepal) states that some of the Newar Jaats of Kathmandu, particularly the Prajapatis(KumvahkaraKumharaKumhale), Maharjans, Dongols, Nayos, Tepehoys, etc., have been said to be descendents of the Kiratas.
The similarity in place names of Tistung-Palung-Chitlang to the south of Chandragiri hills, now inhabited by the Hale and Gwa caste groups of Newars, and Chepang area, as well as the linguistic relations between the Chepangs, Newars and Kirats indicate they could have common ancestry and could be descendents of the Nagas. The Newar name for Patan, Yala, is believed to originate from the Kirat king Yellung or Yalamba, the alleged founder of the dynasty and the city. (Tiwari,2001)