The Limbu (meaning: archer) or Yakthumba are an ethnic group that belong to the Kiranti group or Kirat confederation that includes the Rai and Sunuwar who are believed to be the descendants of the ancient Mongolian people and are still known as "Mongolians" in Nepal. Their population of 400,000 is centered on the districts of Sankhuwasabha, Tehrathum, Dhankuta, Taplejung, Panchthar and Ilam, all within the Mechi and Kosi zones in Nepal, as well as the East and West districts of Sikkim. A smaller number are scattered throughout the cities of Darjeeling and Kalimpong in West Bengal, India and also in North and South Sikkim and Bhutan. Kirant or Kirat refers to the Kiranti group or Kirat confederation that includes the Rai, Limbu and Sunuwar ethnic groups of Nepal. ... The Rai, also known as the Khambu, are one of Nepal’s most ancient indigenous ethnolinguistic groups. ... Mechi is one of the fourteen zones of Nepal. ... Kosi Zone is one of the fourteen Zones of Nepal, a landlocked country of South Asia. ... Sikkim (Hindi: सिक्किम) is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas. ... The Toy Train approaching Darjeeling Darjeeling is a town in the Indian state of West Bengal and headquarters of Darjeeling district, situated in the foothills of the Himalaya at elevations of between 2,000 and 3,000 metres above sea level. ... Kalimpong is a hill station (a hill town) nestled in the Shiwalik Hills (or Lower Himalaya) in the Indian state of West Bengal. ... West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিম বঙ্গ, Hindi: पश्चिम बंगाल, Poshchim Bôngo) is a state in the eastern region of India. ... Sikkim (Hindi: सिक्किम) is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayas. ...

Limbus speak a Tibeto-Burman language called Yakthungpan, literally "language of Limbus", also called simply Limbu. It uses the "Kirat Sirijonga" script based on the Tibetan alphabet. Limbu clans are divided between the Lhasa gorta (those from Lhasa) and Kashi gorta, those who come from the Benaras. The Tibeto-Burman linguistic subfamily of the proposed Sino-Tibetan language family is spoken in various central and south Asian countries: Myanmar (Burmese language), Tibet (Tibetan language), northern Thailand (Mong language), Nepal, Bhutan, India (Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and the Ladakh region of... The Limbu alphabet is a Brahmic script used to write the Limbu language of northern India and Nepal. ... The Tibetan language is typically classified as member of the Tibeto-Burman which in turn is thought by some to be a branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. ... Lhasa prefecture-level city in Tibet Autonomous Region Lhasa (Tibetan: ལྷ་ས་; Wylie: lha-sa; Simplified Chinese: 拉萨; Traditional Chinese: 拉薩; pinyin: Lāsà), sometimes spelled Llasa, is the traditional capital of Tibet and the capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

Yakthungma: A Limbu Lady

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (432x640, 244 KB)I recieved this file from Chumlung wikipedia page. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (432x640, 244 KB)I recieved this file from Chumlung wikipedia page. ...

Limbu Economy

The Limbus traditionally practiced subsistence farming. Rice and maize comprised their principal crops. Although there is an abundance of arable land, productivity is greatly limited by insufficient technology. Excess crops are often traded for food that cannot be grown in the region.

A sizable number of Limbu youths used to enlist in the British and Indian Gurkha armies, providing their families with a steady stream of income. Thanks to the Gurkha revenue, the Limbu community as a whole were lifted considerably in terms of health and education. They have good living standard compared to others. Gurkha, also spelt as Gorkha, are people from Nepal who take their name from the eighth century Hindu warrior-saint Guru Gorakhnath. ...

Wedding Practices

The marriages are mostly arranged by parents or resulted when a boy eloped with a girl. Asking for a girl's hand, that is the most important ceremony. The boy's family members have to visit the girl's house with a piglet and some alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks depending upon the financial standard of his house. In that system, the girl can ask for anything and unlimited amount of gold, silver, etc. This confirms to the girl's family that the boy is financially secure enough to keep their daughter happy. The prevalence of the latter practice meant that the key ceremonies of a Limbu wedding take place in the bridegroom's house rather than that of the bride's because girl has to stay with her husband. There is a special dance in this ceremony, it is called dhan nach (Wheat dance). Anyone can join the dance. In this ceremony everyone is so happy that they continue dancing and singing till the next day morning.

Limbu Religion & Festivals

The Limbus follow the Kiranti Mundhum oral 'scripture'. However, like the Rai, their religion is influenced by both Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism, although the Buddhist influence is more apparent in the case of the Limbu than with the Rai. They have many different classes of ritual specialist, of which phedangma, yema/yeba, and shamba are some. Their religion is enshrined in the evergreen Cynodondactylon (Dubo) grass. Traditionally, they buried their dead but thanks to the influence of their Hindu neighbours, cremating is gaining in popularity as well. They celebrate the dance festivals of Kelangma popularly known Chyabrung (two-sided drum) and Yarak (Paddy dance) as major events. Their priests include the Fedangba, Shamba and Yewa-Yema. Kirant or Kirat refers to the Kiranti group or Kirat confederation that includes the Rai, Limbu and Sunuwar ethnic groups of Nepal. ... The Rai, also known as the Khambu, are one of Nepal’s most ancient indigenous ethnolinguistic groups. ... Hinduism (Sanskrit - Sanātana (eternal) Dharma also known as Vaidika (Vedic) Dharma) is a religion that orginated from the Indian subcontinent. ... Tibetan Buddhism is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, the Himalayan region (including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim), Mongolia, Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia (Russia), and northeastern China (Manchuria: Heilongjiang, Jilin). ...

Limbus & Hindu Caste System

Nepal's pre-eminent sociologist, Professor Dor Bahadur Bista, asserted that, of all the proverbial thirty-six caste and ethnic groups of Nepal, the Hindu caste system made the least impact on the Limbu. In part, this reflected not only their geographical distance from the seat of power in the capital city of Kathmandu but also their cultural independence. Kathmandu (Nepali: काठमाडौं) is the capital city of Nepal and it is also the largest city in Nepal. ...

See also

• Kiranti languages

The Kiranti languages form a sub-group of the Tibeto-Burman language family, which is itself a branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages. ...

References

• Limbu alphabet
• Limbu language
• Limbu culture
• The Kirat Rai Association's Web Portal

links

• a perfect place for all kiratis