Rai people
Encyclopedia
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
's most ancient indigenous ethnolinguistic groups. They were Raya meaning king. Once someone was recognized as a ruler then Hindus awarded the title Raja, Rai, Raya, Malla etc. When the king Pritivi Narayan Shah couldn't defeat Kirant
Kirant
Kirat or Kirati are indigenous ethnic groups of the Himalayas extending eastward from Nepal into India, Burma and beyond. They migrated to their present locations via Assam, Burma, Tibet and Yunnan in ancient times...
king , he somehow took them in cofidence that the land is theirs forever and gave them the title Rai in around B.S. 1832 . The title of Rai instead of Raya to all khambu kirant people who used to live in wallo kirant and majh kirant for particular reason. The Rai are the Khambu (people of Khumbu region). Then the the post Rai was provided to the topmost leaders of the region.They were given the power to collect land tax.That's why sometime Rai people are called jimmi or jimma-wal. The Rai belongs to the Kirati group or the Kirat confederation that includes Limbu
Limbu people
The Yakthung or Limbu tribes and clans belong to the Kirati nation or to the Kirat confederation.They are indigenous to the hill and mountainous regions of east Nepal between the Arun and Mechi rivers to as far as Southern Tibet, Bhutan and Sikkim....
, Sunuwar, Yakkha
Yakkha
Yakkha is an indigenous ethnic group of Nepal . It is one of the progenies of Nepal's prehistoric Kirat dynasty of around 100 BC.-Etymology:...
and Dhimal
Dhimal, Nepal
Dhimal is a village development committee in Makwanpur District in the Narayani Zone of southern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 4568 people living in 742 individual households....
ethnic groups.
According to the anthropologist Dor Bahadur Bista of Tribhuvan University
Tribhuvan University
Tribhuvan University [त्रिभुवन विश्वविध्यालय] is a public university located in Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal. Established in 1959, TU is the oldest of the five universities in Nepal...
and late Professor Suniti Kumar Chatterji (linguist and kiratologist, Calcutta University), Kirats migrated from the east via north Burma and Assam along the mid-hills (lower mountains) with their pigs in ancient times. (ref.30,31). Specially it is referring to Limbu
Limbu
-Limbu people:*Limbu people a Tibeto-Mongoloid ethnic group in Asia, an indigenous ethnic group of Nepal.*Limbu language*Limbu script*Kirati nation.-Limbu History:*Limbuwan*History of Limbuwan*Limbuwan Gorkha War*Limbuwan-Gorkha Treaty of 1774...
and Dhimal
Dhimal
Dhimal or Dhemal is a little known indigenous community of the Terai. They mainly reside in Morang and Jhapa districts of Nepal and Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India...
who used to call themselves Yakthumba or Yoktumba. According to Imansing Chemjong they migrated from the Assam valley to Pallo kirant in around 600 AD.
According to Chatterji and other prominent linguists, the Rai, Limbu, and Dhimal languages are pronominalised (Austric/Kol influence) strongly indicating earliest migratory wave of these peoples compared to other Tibeto-Burmans whose languages are non-pronominalised. (ref.31)
The traditional homeland of the Rai extends across Solukhumbu, Okhaldhunga
Okhaldhunga District
Okhaldhunga District of 156,702.Okhaldhunga is part of area traditionally called Wallo Kirat,home to indigenous ethnic groups Rai and Sunuwar...
(Wallo Kirat or Near Kirat), home of the Nachhiring
Nachhiring
"Nachhiring" is one of the indigenous clan of Kirat Rai people of Nepal, after the Kirat dynasty was over, Kirat dynasty is the longest ruler of Nepal from pre-historic to historic period that ruled 1225 years, all the Rai people relocated to the eastern part of Nepal and begun to reside in many...
, Bahing
Bahing
The Bahing are a subset of the Rai ethnic group, located widely in Solukhumbu District , in some of the villages like Bulaadi, Chisopani, Manebhanjyang, Ratmaate, Lekh Kharka of Okhaldhunga District, and in some other districts of eastern Nepal. Their language, also named Bahing, belongs to the...
, Wambule subgroups); Khotang
Khotang District
Khotang District, a part of Sagarmatha Zone, is one of the seventy-five districts of Nepal, a landlocked country of South Asia. The district, with Diktel as its district headquarters, covers an area of 1,591 km² and has a population of 231,385. Khotang is part of the area traditionally called...
, Bhojpur and the Udayapur District
Udayapur District
-Village Development Committees :*Aaptar*Balamta*Baraha*Barre*Basabote*Bashasa*Beltar*Bhumarashuwa*Bhuttar*Chaudandi*Dumre*Gaighat*Hadiya*Hardeni*Iname*Jalpachilaune*Jante*Jogidaha*Katari*Katunjebawala*Khanbu*Laphagaun*Lekhani*Lekhgaun...
s (Majh Kirat or Central Kirat), home of Bantawa, Chamling, in the northeastern hilly region of Nepal, west of the Arun River
Arun River (Nepal)
The Arun River is a trans-boundary river and is part of the Kosi or Sapt Koshi river system in Nepal. It originates in Tibet Autonomous Region of People's Republic of China where it is called Bum-chu.-Name:...
in the Sun Kosi
Sun Kosi
The Sun Kosi or Matsang Tsangpo is a trans-boundary river and is part of the Kosi or Sapta Kosi river system in Nepal. It originates in Tibet Autonomous Region of China.-Etymology:...
River watershed. Rais are also found in significant numbers in the Indian state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
and in the northern West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
towns of Kalimpong and Darjeeling.
Description
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
's 2001 census, there are 635,751 Rai in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
representing 2.79% of the total population. Of this number, 70.89% declared themselves as practicing the traditional Kiranti religion and 25% declared themselves as Hindu. Yakkha were measured as a separate ethnic group of which 81.43% were Kirant and 14.17% were Hindu.
The Rai are divided into many different sub-groups - Bantawa
Bantawa language
The Bantawa language is an endangered language group. It is a Tibeto-Burman language, Eastern Kiranti languages family, spoken in the eastern Himalayan hills of eastern Nepal by Rai ethnic groups. Bantawa speaking Population estimates vary between 20,000-60,000, though 35,000 speakers may be a...
, Chamling, Sampang
Sampang
Sampang on Madura Island is a regency of East Java, Indonesia....
, Dumi
Dumi language
Dumi is a Kiranti language spoken in the area around the Tap and Rava rivers and their confluence in Khotang district, Nepal.-External links:**-References:...
, Jerung, Kulung, Khaling
Khaling language
Khaling is a Kiranti language spoken in Khotang district, Nepal-References:*Hale, Austin, editor. 1973. Collected papers on Khaling, Kulunge, Darai, Newari, Chitwan Tharu. Nepal Studies in Linguistics, 1. Kirtipur: Summer Institute of Linguistics and Institute for Nepal and Asian Studies. vii, 87...
, Lohorung, Mewahang, Rakhali, Thulung, Tamla, Tilung, Wambule, Yakkha
Yakkha
Yakkha is an indigenous ethnic group of Nepal . It is one of the progenies of Nepal's prehistoric Kirat dynasty of around 100 BC.-Etymology:...
, Yamphu, Jero (Jerung). Some groups number only a few hundred members. The language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
s together with the traditional religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
of the Rai is known as Kirant
Kiranti languages
The Mahakiranti or Maha-Kiranti languages are a proposed intermediate level of classification of the Tibeto-Burman languages. They are the languages most closely related to the Kiranti languages proper, which are spoken by the ethnic Kirat...
.
More than 32 different Kiranti languages and dialects are recognized within the Tibeto-Burman languages family.Their languages are Pronominalised Tibeto-Burman languages, indicating their antiquity. The oral language is rich and ancient, as is Kiranti history, but the written script remains yet to be properly organised as nearly all traces of it were destroyed by the next rulers of Nepal, the Lichhavis and almost eradicated by the Shah dynasty
Shah dynasty
The Shah dynasty was the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Nepal.-The Rajput Lineage :The former royal family of Nepal claims descent from the Parmar Rajput dynasty of the Narsinghgarh state in Malwa . The famous kings of the Malwa region were Raja Bhrathari, Samrat Vikramaditya, and Raja Bhoj....
.
The traditional Kiranti religion, predating Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
and Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, is based on ancestor-worship and the placation of ancestor spirits through elaborate ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
s governed by rules called Mundhum. Sumnima-Paruhang are worshipped as primordial parents. A major Rai holiday
Holiday
A Holiday is a day designated as having special significance for which individuals, a government, or a religious group have deemed that observance is warranted. It is generally an official or unofficial observance of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations...
is the harvest
Harvest
Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper...
festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
, Nwogi, when fresh harvested foods are shared by all. The Bijuwa and Nakchhung (Dhami) or Priest plays an important role in Rai communities.
They do not truly belong to the caste system. The majority of Rai have never accepted casteism and never adopted a caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
. The Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities and the Nepal government have recognised this fact.
Because of the fiercely independent nature of the Rai community and its location at the eastern end of the consolidated Nepalese nation-state, they were given exceptional rights of Kipat autonomy
Autonomy
Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
and land ownership in their homeland of Majh (middle) Kirant.
Subsistence agriculture
Subsistence agriculture
Subsistence agriculture is self-sufficiency farming in which the farmers focus on growing enough food to feed their families. The typical subsistence farm has a range of crops and animals needed by the family to eat and clothe themselves during the year. Planting decisions are made with an eye...
of rice, millet, wheat, corn and cotton is the main occupation of the Rai although many Rai have been recruited into military service with the Nepali army and police, and the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Gurkha
Gurkha
Gurkha are people from Nepal who take their name from the Gorkha District. Gurkhas are best known for their history in the Indian Army's Gorkha regiments, the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas and the Nepalese Army. Gurkha units are closely associated with the kukri, a forward-curving Nepalese knife...
regiments and Singapore Police Force.
Rai women decorate themselves lavishly with silver and gold coin jewelery. Marriage unions are usually monogamous
Monogamy
Monogamy /Gr. μονός+γάμος - one+marriage/ a form of marriage in which an individual has only one spouse at any one time. In current usage monogamy often refers to having one sexual partner irrespective of marriage or reproduction...
and arranged by parents, although "love marriage", bride capture in the past and elopement are alternative methods. Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
with traditional drums and string instruments such as yele, binayo, murchunga, dhol and jhyamta, dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
such as Sakela
Sakela
Sakela is the main festival of Kirat which is celebrated twice a year distinguished by two names Ubhauli and Udhauli. Sakela Ubhauli is celebrated during Baisakh Purnima and Sakela Udhauli is celebrated during the full moon day in the month of Mangshir.-Characteristics:The main characteristic of...
or Sakewa dance, and distilled spirits
Distillation
Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
(alcohol) called aaraakha, ngashi, or waasim are central to Rai culture.
Sakela
Sakela
Sakela is the main festival of Kirat which is celebrated twice a year distinguished by two names Ubhauli and Udhauli. Sakela Ubhauli is celebrated during Baisakh Purnima and Sakela Udhauli is celebrated during the full moon day in the month of Mangshir.-Characteristics:The main characteristic of...
or Sakewa dance is the greatest religious festival of Kirant Rai people in Nepal.
Kirat history and culture in Nepal
Nepal is a very ancient country, which has been ruled by many dynasties. Among them, the Kirat rule is taken as a very significant one, being the longest period that extended from pre-historic to historic period. In ancient Hindu scriptures, Nepal is referred as the "Kirat Desh" or "the Land of Kirats".When the 28th Kirat King Paruka was ruling in the valley, the Sombanshi ruler attacked his regime many times from the west. Although he successfully repelled their attacks, he was forced to move to Shankhamul from Gokarna. He had built a Royal Palace called "Patuka" there for himself. The Patuka Palace is no more to be seen, except its ruins in the form of mound. "Patuka" had changed Shankhamul into a beautiful town. The last King of the Kirat dynasty was Gasti. He proved to be a weak ruler and was overthrown by the Sombanshi ruler Nimisha. It brought to the end of the powerful Kirat dynasty that had lasted for about 1225 years.
After their defeat, Kirats moved to the eastern hills of Nepal and settled down divided into small principalities. Their settlements were divided into three regions; namely, "Wallo-Kirant" or "near Kirant" that lay to the east of Kathmandu, "Majh-Kirat" or "central Kirat," and "Pallo-Kirat" that lay to the far east of the Kathmandu valley. These regions are still heavily populated by Kirats. Khambu are the inhabitants of near and central Kirat. Although, they are also quite densely populated in "Pallo-Kirat".
By religion, Kirats were originally nature worshippers. They worshipped ancestors and nature such as rivers, trees, animals and stones etc. Their primeval ancestors are Paruhang and Sumnima. Hinduism was introduced to and imposed on the Kirats only after the conquest of Gorkhali rulers whose root was in India. Kirats were quite tolerant and liberal to other religions. That was why Buddhism flourished during the Kirat rule in Nepal. Buddhism had rekindled a new interest and attitude among the people. Kirats had also built many towns. Shankhamul, Matatirtha, Thankot, Khopse, Bhadgoan and Sanga were prosperous cities with dense population. Thus, it can be safely said that the Kirat period had paved the way for further development and progress of Nepal in all sectors in future.
Renowned Rai people
- Two senior cabinet ministers - Narad Muni Thulung and Bal Bahadur Rai - acted as Prime ministers of Nepal
- Indian Chief Minister of Sikkim - Pawan Kumar Chamling
- Indian Member of Parliament - Prem Das Rai
- Former Chancellor of the Royal Nepal Academy - Lain Singh Bangdel (Nachhiring)
- Former Government Secretary and Chairman of Public Service Commission - Santa Bahadur Rai
- Former Ambassador, Diplomat and scholar Professor - Dr. Nobel Kishor Rai
- Writer and literary critic - Indra Bahadur Rai
- Writer and poet - Pradip Rai wrote the national anthem of Nepal
- Plastic surgeon - Shankar Man Rai
- Artist (Singer & Musician) - Sambhu Rai
- Artist (Singer) - Dhiraj Rai
- Artist (Singer) - Rajesh Payal Rai
- Artist (Singer) - Sabin Rai
- Vice-chairman of UML party - Ashok Rai
- Chief of Kathmandu Metropolitan Office - Ganesh Rai
- AIGP - Durja Kumar Rai (Nepal Armed Police Force)
- AIGP - Ram Kaji Bantawa
- DIGP - Ganesh Raj Rai (Traffic Department)
- DIGP - Gyanendra Rai
- Chief of Intelligence Department - Chand Bahadur Rai
- Scholar of Vedas - Dr. Swami Prapannacharya
- Assam Assembly Government Speaker - Tanka Bahadur Rai
- Vishal Rai
- First King of Kirat Dynasty - Yelamber