MYTHOLOGIES OF THE LIMBU TRIBES

The Limbu nation is made up of hundreds of clans. Each Limbu clans are classified under their Tribe or subnational entity or according to their place of origin. Almost all the Limbu clan names are unique, therefore it is not necessary to specify the Tribe or the place of origin every time the clan name is said. The most Limbu (Yakthung) tribes are the original inhabitants and descended from the ancient Kirata mentioned in such Hindu epics as the Mahabharata. Although, some of the clan names may not be unique for example: Chongbang or Maden. They are divided by listing their tribe name before or after their clan. Chongbang can be Sireng-Chongbang or Hukppa-Chongbang or Chongbang Kyak, similarly Maden clan can be specifically Tilling-Maden or Thokleng-Maden or Tunglung-Maden or Phendua-Maden. Listed Chaobisia, Mawakhola, Tambarkhola, Charkhola, Maiwakhola, Panthar, Tinkhola, Phedap and Yangrok are the names of the places where the respective clans belong to. Chaobisia refers to present day Dhankuta and Morang districts, Tambarkhola area is in present-day Taplejung district, Mewakhola area refers to present day Taplejung and Sankhuwasabha districts, Charkhola is a present-day Ilam and Jhapa districts, Maiwakhola area is in present-day Taplejung district, Tinkhola is in Panchthar district, Panthar is Panchthar district, Phedap is the north-central area of Terhathum district, Athraya is in northeastern Terhathum district, Chethar is in southern Terhathum, Sankhuwasabha and eastern Dhankuta district. Yangrok area is in present-day Southeast Taplejung, Northeast Panchthar districts and west Sikkim. All of these areas make up Limbuwan.

The Limbu (exonym; Nepali: लिम्बु जाति) or Yakthung (endonym) are a Tibeto-Burman indigenous tribe of the Himalayan region of eastern Nepal, Sikkim, and western Bhutan. The original name of the Limbu is Yakthung (ᤕᤠᤰᤌᤢᤱ) or Yakthum. Limbu males are called Yakthungba or Yakthumba and Limbu females are called “Yakthumma” or “Yakthungma”. Ancient texts state that “Yakthung” or “Yakthum” is a derivative of Yaksha and some interpret its meaning as the “Yaksha winner”. In the Limbu language it means “heroes of the hills” (Yak – hills, thung or thum – heroes or mighty warriors), which connotates with the ancient Kiratis. Subba is a title given by the Shah Kings only to Limbu village chiefs. Subba was not an indigenous Yakthung terminology, but now the two terms are almost interchangeable. People often debate about the use of term “Subba” as their surname in Limbu tribe. It is important to note that only the village chiefs were allowed to use the term Subba in their name. It was how the village chiefs were distinguished from other villagers in Limbu tribe. Family lineage of the village chiefs are often found with their surname as Subba.

Limbu, the second most numerous tribe of the indigenous people called Kiranti, living in Nepal, on the easternmost section of the Himalayas east of the Arun River, and in northern India, mostly in the states of Sikkim, West Bengal, and Assam. Altogether, the Limbu numbered some 380,000 in the early 21st century. The Limbu are of Mongolian stock and speak a language belonging to the Kiranti group of Tibeto-Burman languages. It has its own alphabet (the Kirat-Sirijonga script), believed to have been invented in the 9th century. Limbu villages are found 2,500 to 4,000 feet (800 to 1,200 metres) above sea level and consist of 30–100 stone houses surrounded by dry-cultivated fields. Divided into patrilineal clans, the families are led by a headman, or subba, who is often a returned Gurkha soldier.

The Limbu nation is made up of hundreds of clans. Each Limbu clans are classified under their Tribe or subnational entity or according to their place of origin. Some of the Tribes are Aakwajungo/Awajung, Phombo, Singthaba, Kurumbang, Kedem, Khajum, Nalbo, Huukpa, Samba etc. Almost all the Limbu clan names are unique, therefore it is not necessary to specify the Tribe or the place of origin every time the clan name is said. Although, some of the clan names may not be unique for example: Chongbang or Maden. They are divided by listing their tribe name before or after their clan. Chongbang can be Sering-Chongbang or Huuppa-Chongbang or Tilling-Chongbang, similarly Maden clan can be specifically Tilling-Maden or Thokleng-Maden or Tunglung-Maden. Listed Chaobisia, Mawakhola, Tambarkhola, Charkhola, Maiwakhola, Panthar, Tinkhola, Phedap and Yangrok are the names of the places where the respective clans belong to. Chaobisia refers to present day Dhankuta and Morang districts, Tambarkhola area is in present day Taplejung district, Mewakhola area refers to present day Taplejung and Sankhuwasabha districts, Charkhola is a present day Ilam and Jhapa districts, Maiwakhola area is in present day Taplejung district, Tinkhola is in Panchthar district, Panthar is Panchthar district, Phedap is the north-central area of Terhathum district, Athraya is in northeastern Terhathum district, Chethar is in southern Terhathum, Sankhuwasabha and eastern Dhankuta district. Yangrok area is in present day Southeast Taplejung, Northeast Panchthar districts and west Sikkim. All of these areas make up Limbuwan.

The Limbus, an ancient tribe, trace their ancestry to the Kham region of Tibet, known to them as Muna Khamna. When Langdarma, the king of Tibet (Lasa King), their father who suppressed Buddhism, was murdered by a monk in 839 CE, they were forced to migrate to Limbuan (Wangchuk & Zulca, pp.67-68). Their oral tradition, the mundhum, records their creation myths, lore about their gods and goddesses, and the ideas and thoughts that guide them to this day. The word mundhum translates into ‘the power of great strength’ and is the most important heritage for the Limbus because it records all their stories and beliefs. It was recited by sambas, the Limbu folk poets and phedangmas, the religious priests of Yuma Samyo, the chief deity of the Limbus and was passed down orally from generation to generation (Wangchuk & Zulca, pp.63). Uba Hang, one of the sons of the murdered king, and the heir apparent, under the spiritual guidance of the guardian deity, Yumasam, led a campaign southwards and carved out a new kingdom of Limbuan. It is because of this that the Limbus get the name of Lhasa Gotra or the line of Limbus who came from Lhasa. The campaign is believed to have lasted for three years, having started in 846 CE and ended in 849 CE. The victory banquet, called Tong-Sum-Tong-Nam, given first by Uba Hang is still observed every three years in the month of April.

The Limbu, one of the largest tribal aggregates in Nepal, live in the most easterly part of Nepal between the Arun River and the border of Sikkim District, India. The Limbu are of Mongolian descent and speak a Tibeto-Burman dialect. In 1970, the population was estimated at 245,000. In the latter part of the eighteenth century Nepal was formed by uniting various ethnic groups and numerous principalities under a high-caste Hindu dynasty. This conquest resulted in a number of migrations of high-caste Hindu groups into eastern Nepal, causing an ethnic and cultural split with the Limbus. Limbus are considered the first settlers of east Nepal and are thought to be descendants of the Kiratis. Limbus became known to history in the eighteenth century, at a time when a number of small chiefdoms in Limbuan were under the authority of the kingdom of Bijayapur. The Limbus were expected to grant land to the immigrants for their support. The Nepalese government brought all tribal lands (with the exception of certain Limbus) under raikar, “a system of landlordism under which the rights of an individual to utilization and transfer of the land are recognized by the state as long as taxes are paid.” Before this system was enforced all Limbu groups held land under the system of kipat, in which “an Individual obtains rights to land by virtue of his membership in a series of nesting kin groups.” This change of land tenure caused Limbus to lose lands to the Hindu immigrants, who were mostly of Brahman caste. There were two reasons for this change.

Limbu (Limbu: ᤕᤠᤰᤌᤢᤱ ᤐᤠᤴ, yakthuṅ pan) is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Limbu people of Nepal andNortheastern India (particularly Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Sikkim, Assam and Nagaland) as well as expatriate communities in Bhutan. The Limbu refer to themselves as Yakthung and their language as Yakthungpan. Yakthungpan has four main dialects: Phedape, Chhathare, Tambarkhole and Panthare dialects.[2] Among four dialects and/or many dialects, the Phedape dialect is widely spoken and well understood by most Yakthungpan speakers. However, as there are some dominant Panthare scholars who have role to create knowledge and control knowledge in the Limbu communities, Panthare dialect is being popularised as a “standard” Limbu language. As Panthare Yakthungs are much more engaged in central political position and administrative positions, they are trying to introduce Panthare dialect as a Standard Yakthungpan.

The Limbu nation is made up of hundreds of clans. Each Limbu clans are classified under their Tribe or subnational entity or according to their place of origin. Some of the Tribes are Aakwajungo/Awajung, Phombo, Singthaba, Kurumbang, Kedem, Khajum, Nalbo, Huukpa, Samba etc. Almost all the Limbu clan names are unique, therefore it is not necessary to specify the Tribe or the place of origin every time the clan name is said. Although, some of the clan names may not be unique for example: Chongbang or Maden. They are divided by listing their tribe name before or after their clan. Chongbang can be Sering-Chongbang or Huuppa-Chongbang or Tilling-Chongbang, similarly Maden clan can be specifically Tilling-Maden or Thokleng-Maden or Tunglung-Maden or Phendua-Maden. Listed Chaobisia, Mawakhola, Tambarkhola, Charkhola, Maiwakhola, Panthar, Tinkhola, Phedap and Yangrok are the names of the places where the respective clans belong to. Chaobisia refers to present day Dhankuta and Morang districts, Tambarkhola area is in present day Taplejung district, Mewakhola area refers to present day Taplejung and Sankhuwasabha districts, Charkhola is a present day Ilam and Jhapa districts, Maiwakhola area is in present day Taplejung district, Tinkhola is in Panchthar district, Panthar is Panchthar district, Phedap is the north-central area of Terhathum district, Athraya is in northeastern Terhathum district, Chethar is in southern Terhathum, Sankhuwasabha and eastern Dhankuta district. Yangrok area is in present day Southeast Taplejung, Northeast Panchthar districts and west Sikkim. All of these areas make up Limbuwan.

Despite the many unfavorable conditions created by the state about 250 years ago, the number of castes and communities in Nepal that can keep their language, culture, and traditions alive is small, the Limbu caste being one of them. The districts of Taplejung, Ilam, Panchthar, etc. under Province 1 of Eastern Nepal are the traditional home of Limbu. At present, Morang, Jhapa, and Sunsari also have a significant Limbu population. Apart from that, the settlement of the Limbu caste is also noteworthy in the capital Kathmandu Valley. Limbus are nature worshipers. The Limbu people have been living their social and cultural life according to the Mundhum which has been in the oral tradition since time immemorial. Limbu people are considered to be self-respecting, honest, and sure of speech. The Limbu people, who do not like to eat for free but prefer to give to others, take great care of hospitality. Tongwa is the main sign of the Limbu people for hospitality. Alcohol and jaundice are considered to be the main beverages of the Limbu people. The traditional occupation is agriculture. Agriculture is also important in agriculture and animal husbandry is helpful. Under livestock, cows, goats, and black pigs are reared by the Limbus with special attention. Male and female chickens are essential in marriage. It is customary to look at the fate of children for marriage from Fedamba. Both Magi and Bhagi marriages are in vogue. Paddy dance is the main culture. There is also a tradition of running away if the children like each other during the dance.

“Jhakri” is the Nepalese word for shaman; in Nepal it refers to practitioners of the ethnic groups of the Tamang, Magar, Rai, Limbu and Gurung people. Shamans believe that they will gain power or energy from God if they are able to dance barefoot over the burning coals. After the completion of this first test, shaman practitioners must go to a holy river for meditation. Half submerged in the river waters, they have to chant mantras and meditate for more than three hours. This ritual is meant to build confidence and provide energy to become a shaman, but not everyone can pass this test. Limbu mundhum not only describes about the creation and social order, but also explains the reason about why rituals are performed. Yapon Pokma mundhum , narrates that when Mujikna Kheyongna descended to the visible world from the invisible world to pay visit to her off springs, she found everyone starving for survival from the grip of hunger and famine caused by the drought. When she saw such sufferings and problems faced by her grand-children in the visible world, she felt so sad and disgraced. So to save them from such social phenomenon, immediately returned to the invisible world to seek blessing and suggestion from Tagera Niwaphuma for the protection of her off springs from such grip of famine and starvation. After seeking the advice from Tagera Niwaphuma, she once again descended to the human world with the handful of food grains. She advised each and every grand-child to sow the grains in their fields in different seasons. Following her instruction, the grand-children sown the food-grains in the fields and when seasons changed, every food grains were ripened in bumper. The grand-children harvested and started consuming. These food grains ripened in their respective fields saved everyone’s life from starvation and hunger. Due to this reason, ritual for offering newly harvested food-grains to the household deity, “Yuma Mang” is still carried out in Limbu community in every harvesting seasons.

The original name of the Limbu is Yakthung (ᤕᤠᤰᤌᤢᤱ) or Yakthum. Limbu males are called Yakthungba or Yakthumba and Limbu females are called “Yakthumma” or “Yakthungma”. Ancient texts state that “Yakthung” or “Yakthum” is a derivative of Yaksha and some interpret its meaning as the “Yaksha winner”. In the Limbu language it means “heroes of the hills” (Yak – hills, thung or thum – heroes or mighty warriors), which connotates with the ancient Kiratis. Subba is a title given by the Shah Kings only to Limbu village chiefs. Subba was not an indigenous Yakthung terminology, but now the two terms are almost interchangeable. People often debate about the use of term “Subba” as their surname in Limbu tribe. It is important to note that only the village chiefs were allowed to use the term Subba in their name. It was how the village chiefs were distinguished from other villagers in Limbu tribe. Family lineage of the village chiefs are often found with their surname as Subba.

The Mundhum (also known as Peylan) is the ancient religious scripture and folk literature of the Limbu people. It is an ancient, indigenous religion of Nepal. Mundhum means “the power of great strength” in the Limbu language. The Mundhum covers many aspects of the yakthung (Limbu) culture, customs and traditions that were followed since before the rise of the Vedic civilisation in the Indian subcontinent. The Mundhum is organised into two parts: Thungsap and Peysap. The Mundhum extends beyond religion, serving as a guide for culture, ritual and social values. The Mundhum is written in ancient Limbu and versions vary among the various Limbu tribes, serving as each tribe’s distinctive culture and framing their social identity and unity in relation to other tribes and peoples.

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