Yambu : The Heartland of Tamang, Why they Chased Away From Kathmandu

Netra Tamang-

The Tamangs are the ethnic group of Nepal. According to the 2021 census, there are 1.6 million Tamang people in Nepal out of 29 million people in Nepal. They are spread out in Darjeeling, Sikkim, Asam, Nagaland, Burma, and Bhutan too. They love to sing, dance, and agriculture. Tamang people live in large groups near the Hindu community.

Historical Facts

It is believed that Tamang people arrived in Nepal long long ago from Altai Mountain, China, to Tibet via the Yellow River. First, they cultivated Tibet, and after fostering Tibet, that time Tibet was enriched by Tamang. But after the Buddha Era, they were chased away by Buddhist fellows because of shamanism practice. And they arrived in Yambu. Yambu is the ancient name of the capital city of Nepal Kathmandu. And they spread out nearby districts.

 Heartland of Tamang

There are seven provinces in Nepal, and Tamangs are mostly living in Bagmati province. 80 % Tamang  of Nepal lives in Bagmati. And others are thinly spread out around Nepal.

Bitter History: Being Masinya

One of the bitter histories of the Tamang people was being a Masinya. ‘Masinya,’ meaning a race that could be killed or enslaved for free. In 1854, Jung Bahadur Rana, the first Rana Prime Minister implemented the ‘Muluki Ain– Civil Code’, including Masinya. After That Most of the Tamang boys used to porter, building palaces, and girls were sold into prostitution from Rana Palace to India and China.

The Tamangs were barred from joining the British Army. The only rank for them in the Nepal Army was that of the PIPA, the menial workers at the lowest rungs of the army. They could never rise up the ranks.

And it is believe that they flew away around the jungle area far by the Kathmandu to save their lives.

Religion of Tamang

Most Tamang will say they are Buddhist, but I am strongly against it because the reality is complex. I found my argument true with Hofer Andras (1974). So the main religion of the Tamang people is Bon, but it is not unified. Every community has 3-4 Bombo among 40 houses. The Bombo is a ritual specialist who establishes his contact with the superhuman mainly by means of some ecstatic techniques. Bombo used to purify houses and worship nature, mostly using water resources. They used to go to the lakes by dancing and chanting in August after the closing monsoon towards pilgrimage. They practice shamanism. And they are the healers/doctors of the community.

Blending with Tibetian Buddhism, it is almost mutual among Tamang. They practice shamanism under the Lama, another spiritual leader. Lama is indispensable in funeral ceremonies.

There are Hindu and Christian Tamang in minor numbers.

Relationship with Nature

Tamang people believe that nature is everything. They worship the surroundings of the land and sky. Beginning farming, Bombo worshiped the rivers at beginning of the June. June is the beginning of the monsoon season and farming in Nepal.

After ending the plantation of Paddy, Lama worships and makes a Khorlo - an earthing - to save plants from heavy rainfalls and storms in July. By October Bombo gives thanks to nature for caring for the farm.

Clan system of Tamang

Tamang has more than 148 clans. The Tamang word for “Clan” is Rui. Inside them, they have a 'swange' system. It means the Brother Clan.

Tamangs are exogamous, which means they cannot marry within their own clan, even brother clan.

The marriage system of Tamang

A Tamang woman must leave her natal family and settle down with her husband’s family when she marries. Traditional Tamang marriages (Brelsaang) occurred between cross-cousins, thereby convoluting the distance between natal and marital families. In a system of such convention, that produces various possible elementary structures of kin in society, the generic terms Maiti (Wife Givers/Natal) and Kutumba (Patriclan), and their meanings, though maintained in Tamang parlance, bear an intricate structure that forges new ties between extended material kin. 

Holy Flower Ko Mhendo is the Signature of the Tamang People

Koko mhendo(Scientific name oroxylon indicum) is the holy flower of the Tamang people. They used to worship the ancestors and beginning of every significant function. Lungta is a prayer flag decorated near the monument And Darzo is a huge and tallest flag made by using bamboo.

Tamang festivals

Sonam Losar, Mhening(Dashain), La shoba(offering to ancestor)

Major occupation

Agriculture

Major Foods, Drinks

Dindo, Alum, Geng, Torma, Gee, Airak

Music of Tamang

Tamang people often spend their time getting entertainment. Selo is the foundation of Tamang and Faapare whai(Question-Answering style) is famous in village to urban. They sing the birth-to-death ceremony. They express their happiness and sorrows via song. Their main musical instrument are Damphu and Tungna. they used to double flute.

Tamang calendar

Tamang people use the Tamang calendar, which is similar to the Tibetan and Chinese Zodiac systems. There are 12 animal signs, each representing a specific year in a 12-year cycle. Each animal is believed to bestow certain traits on individuals born in its year, impacting personality, relationships, and even fortune. 

Your Tamang Zodiac

 Your Tamang Zodiac sign depends on your birth year. The chart below shows each animal and the corresponding years. For instance, someone born in 1980 was born in the Year of the Monkey.

 Tamang Script

Tamang is a member of the Tibeto-Burman family of the Sino-Tibetan phylum. Within the Tibeto-Burman family are several divisions.

Tamang does not own a script. so one of the groups uses Sambhota Tibetial script, which has 30 consonants and 4 vowels, another group uses Tamyig, the modified Tibetan script which has 25 consonants and 5 vowels and we are using Devnagari which has 34 consonants and 14 vowels.

Some experts believe that our script was rubbed by Lama Buddha followers and some experts claim that our script was burnt.