Tamang
Encyclopedia
In Nepal, Tamangs are predominately found in the districts of Sindhupalchowk, Rasuwa, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Dhading, Makwanpur, Nuwakot, Ramechhap, Dolakha, Chitwan and Kavreplanchowk. A small number of Tamang who migrated from Nepal can also be found in the hilly regions of India. Living mainly in the north and east of the country, they constitute 5.6% of 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...
's population, which places their population at 1,280,000, slightly higher than the Newar
Newar
The Newa , Newār or Newāl) are the indigenous people and the creators of the historical civilization of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley. The valley and surrounding territory have been known from ancient times as Nepal Mandala, its limits ever changing through history.Newas have lived in the Kathmandu...
s.
Tamang are rich in socio-cultural perspectives. They are the only indigenous nationalities who are least affected by the process of Nepalization. As a result of their success to maintain their distinct identity despite the state sponsored process of Nepalization they are highly marginalized and exploited by the state. Extensive poverty and illiteracy are found in large scale. They are very rich in their culture but their economic condition is worse. Even after the restoration of Democracy in 1990, their economic status has not been changed.
Many Tamang clans do not permit intermarriage with other ethnic groups, although some clans do permit intermarriages with the Gurung
Gurung
The Gurung people, also called Tamu, are an ethnic group that migrated from Mongolia in the 6th century to the central region of Nepal. Gurungs, like other east Asian featured peoples of Nepal such as Sherpa, Tamang, Thakali, Magar, Manaaggi, Mustaaggi, and Walunggi, are the indigenous people of...
, Magar
Magar
The Magars are an indigenous ethnic group of Nepal whose homeland extends from the western and southern edges of the Dhaulagiri section of the high Himalayas range south to the prominent Mahabharat foothill range and eastward into the Gandaki basin. In Nepal, there are a good number of people who...
, Kiats, and Sherpas. Their descent is traced patrilineally.
History
The Tamanga are a very ancient tribe of Nepal and are the original people of Yambu (Kathmandu ValleyKathmandu Valley
The Kathmandu Valley , located in Nepal, lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of Asia, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several places of pilgrimage for the Hindus and the Buddhists. There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites within this valley.-Etymology:The city of...
). Nepalese history states that the Enlightened Manjushree made an ancient abode of Tamang in Yambu. The ancient Tamang song - “Gyanaka Gyamse Phepkaziam" or "Appeared from China” says that the oldest tribe of Yambu is Tamang. There are dense Tamang settlements around Yambu even today.
According to the version of the Dynasty of Nepal and Dr. Shetenkoko, Tamangs are the oldest tribe of Nepal. Dr. Anatoly Yakoblave Shetenko visited Nepal on an archaeological study programme under an agreement between Nepal and USSR. He discovered that the tools, weapons and artifacts that date back to the Stone Age (about 30,000 B.C.) at Budhanilkantha were the same as those found in Govy of Mongolia, Asia, and America. Presently such Mongolian artifacts dating back to the Stone Age are found in Yambu (Kathmandu, Budhanilkantha) which prove that the Mongolians (Tamangs) came by way of Tibet and the Himalayas to Nepal. It is evident that the Mongols were settled in Yambu (Kathmandu Valley
Kathmandu Valley
The Kathmandu Valley , located in Nepal, lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of Asia, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several places of pilgrimage for the Hindus and the Buddhists. There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites within this valley.-Etymology:The city of...
) from the north more than 30,000 years ago. According to Janak Lal Sharma, "those Mongols that came from the north are today’s Tamangs."
Earlier Tamangs were known by various terminologies. Among these, ‘Murmi’ is a popular term. Hamilton in 1802, Hudson in 1847, and Macdonald in 1989 have used the term ‘Murmi’ for Tamang people. Some scholars are of the opinion that during the regime of King Tribhuvan the then Prime Minister Bhim Shumsher had formally used the term ‘Tamang’ for the very first time under the request of Sardar Bahadur Jungabir, who was also from the Tamang nationality. In 13th century, King Boom Degon (1253-1280), who had ruled the present Mustang region of Nepal, has scriptured the word ‘Tamang’ in his genealogy. This is the oldest written document ever found about the usage of the word ‘Tamang’ that exclusively refers to the Tamang nationality of Nepal.
There still prevails differences about the origin of the word ‘Tamang’. A common belief is that the word ‘Tamang’ has been derived from a Tibetan word "Tamag” which means ‘Ta’ referring to ‘horse’ and ‘Mag’ referring to ‘rider’. So Tamang are the ‘horse-riders or soldiers riding on horse. It is believed that after the Nepal-Tibet War some of the horse-riding soldiers of King Tsrong Tschong Gampo permanently settled in the Himalayan Hills of Nepal who were later recognized as the “Tamang” nationalities. But many scholars have opposed the above perspective that the Tamangs are the descendants of the horse-riding soldiers of King Tsrong Tschong Gampo. A foreign scholar Alexander MacDonald is one among them. According to him, Tamangs are the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal who were here before the state formation. He disagrees that Tamangs are the horse-riding soldiers of King Tsrong Tschong Gampo who were left behind after the Nepal-Tibet War. He puts forward his reasoning that there should be some mention of King Gampo in the genealogy of Tamang nationality if it was so. But nothing has been found yet.
In their language, the Tibetans call Tamang people ‘Rongpo’ which means 'foreigners'. Obviously, it also justifies that Tamangs are the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal, not the horse-riding soldiers of King Tsrong Schong Gampo. A young scholar Ajitman Tamang redefines the Tibetan perspective of the word ‘Tamang’. He is of the view that in Tibetan ‘Ta’ means ‘entrance/gateway’ and ‘Mang’ means ‘large public or common people’. So, ‘Tamang’ in Tibetan means presence of large number of people at the entrance or boundary, which signifies the settlement of Tamang people in the border of Tibet i.e. in Nepal. It is also supported by the Tibetan usage of the word ‘Rongpo’ to Tamang, which means the foreigners, inhabited beyond the border of Tibet. Now it is obvious that the Tamangs are the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal, not the descendants of the horse-riding soldiers of King Tsrong Tschong Gampo as Tamang themselves do not possess the characteristics of a horse rider nor there a sign of their history directly associated with horses. Usage of the word ‘Tamang’ It is still in the root of the research from when the word ‘Tamang’ has been in use to refer to the Tamang nationality of Nepal.
Population Distribution
Tamang are one of the largest indigenous ethnic groups of Nepal. Tamang indigenous peoples comprise 5.6% of the total population of the country. The census of 2001 has traced a population of 1,282,304 Tamangs in Nepal, ranking the fifth position in the country and the third among the indigenous nationalities. They are found mostly concentrated in the districts of the central region such as Dhading, Rasuwa, Makwanpur, Nuwakot, Kavrepalanchok, Sindhupalchok, Dolkha, Sindhuli and Ramechhap. Tamang are the largest population in all of the aforementioned districts except in Ramechhap and Dolkha, where they are the second largest. The other parts of the country from Mechi to Mahakali regions observe a sparse distribution of the Tamang population.Religion
The Tamangs are the largest population to follow Buddhism in Nepal. According to the census of 2001, 90.3% of the Tamangs follow Buddhism, which makes up 47.3% of the total in the country. Among the others who follow Buddhism in Nepal 16% are Magar, 15% are Gurung, 8% are Newar, 6% are Sherpa and the remaining are others.The Tamang people originally practiced Bonism, or ancestor worship, but living in proximity to the Tibetans, became Buddhists when Buddhism spread in Tibet and were one of the earliest communities to do so. The findings in Mustang of viharas (Buddhist monasteries) and caves, known as the Ajanta Caves, also prove this point. Ancestors and many deities and guardians are worshipped there, - the deities of khappa soong, foopshang, mraap soong, family deity, clan deity, place deity, etc...
Festivals
BUDDHA JAYANTI/ SAGA DAWA
Buddha Jayanti is the most important religious festival for Buddhist Tamangs. This festival is held on the full moon of the 4th month of the Buddhist calendar. On this day in different years of his life, Lord Buddha took birth, achieved enlightenment and attained nirvana. These three important events are celebrated in this festival. Tamangs pay a visit to the monasteries and offer khatag to Lord Buddha. A procession carries the holy scriptures of the teachings of Buddha from the monasteries. Tamangs in Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar and all over the world celebrate Buddha Jayanti in similar ways.
LHOCHHAR (New Year)
Lhochhar is is a combination word in the Tamang language, lho means year and chhar means new. It is generally called New Year in English (Lho Chhar).
TIHAR
Tihar is the Festival of Brothers and Sisters. Children make small groups and go from door to door saying "deusi re" and receive blessings. Sisters organize special celebrations of Tihar for their brothers.
DESHAIN
Deshain is also celebrated by Tamangs. They buy new clothes and visit the house of the senior mist people of the family, where they drink, dance, celebrate and enjoy each others' company.
Language
Tamangs have their own distinct language. Their mother tongue is Tamang, which falls in Tibeto-Burman language group. According to the census of 2001, 92% of the Tamang people speak in their own mother tongue i.e. Tamang. Their script is known as Sambhota, but one of the leading Tamang organizations, Nepal Tamang Ghedung, has been using a script known as Tamyig well known as a modified version of the Sambhota script.Music
The Tamangs are a music loving people. Their favorite musical instrument is the damphuDamphu
Damphu, or Damfoo, is a double-sided disk-shaped drum topped with leather and with a long wooden handle.This is a very rare musical instrument belonging to the indigenous Tamang Community. Damphu is a percussion instrument similar to a big tambourine...
(tambourine). It is a small round drum where one side of the circular wood is covered by the skin of a goat and is joined with thirty two small bamboo pencil-like pieces.
Legend has it that in ancient times when the Tamangs moved from place to place in search of food and shelter they lived by eating wild fruits, yams and the meat of wild animals. It was a communal kind of life where they shared food in their temporary shelter.
Once, the leader of a group named Peng Dorjay went hunting with some of his men. The whole day passed without any kill, and while heading back to their shelter, disheartened, Peng Dorjay's eyes fell on a mountain goat grazing on a high, stony cliff. He moved forward cautiously, aimed his arrow at the goat, and let it go from the bow. It flew at high speed and struck the body of the goat in the right place, and the dead goat came rollong down the cliff. He skinned the animal and let the skin dry on the open ground. When the skin was dry he created the small, round drum called the damphu. He offered his first prayer of thanks giving to god by playing the damphu. This small drum still exists in the same form to this day.
Tamang songs are known as Tamang selo. There are songs of humor and wit, philosophical thoughts, and of life's joys and sorrows. Tamang Selo has transcended the boundaries of linguistic, cultural and social limits. All other Nepali communities have adopted Selo into their music.
The different kinds of Wohioi songs are:
Fabar Wohoi - light songs expressing day to day sorrows and joys
Tambala Wohoi - songs containing philosophical thoughts, generally sung by the Tamba
Sangla Wohoi - a kind of obscience offered to gods and goddesses of different regions and directions
Sayr Geymla Wohoi - sung while offering sacrifices to god
Moibala Hai Wohoi - a prayer asking for the blessings of the gods and goddesses to sing properly
Damphu Sengba Wohoi - the song of the creation of the musical instrument, the damphu
Sacjoua Nam Chiya Wohoi - the song of the creation of the universe
Nela Wohoi - a song of the various places
Guudni Chayala Wohoi - the song of the origin of the sacred Ganges
Raoichen Chyopghy Wohoi - the song of the different clans and sub-clans of the Tamangs
There are also duet songs which are sung between two parties in the form of questions and answers, one party puts out some riddles which the other party has to answer in time.
External links
[www.TamangFamily.com], Tamang Society of America, Tamang Friendship, World Tamang's Social Network- Tamang Samaj, Biggest Tamang Portal around the World. Get All Information about Tamang from these site.
- Lesson 10: The Newars and the Tamang
- General Profile about the Tamangs
- http://www.ambedkar.org
- Tamang People
- http://www.tamangs.com
- http://www.magarstudiescenter.org/pop-tamang.php