Gurung
The Gurungs of Nepal are an oriental people who migrated to the foothills of the Himalayas many centuries ago. The first Gurung village south of the Himalaya is said to be Khhol, the ruins of which are high in the forest of northern Larjung. The highest Gurung villages were originally at an altitude of 3,500 metres. These high villages have mostly now been abandoned in favour of newer villages which lie at a lower altitude, between 2,500 metres and 1,000 metres. History : The Tamu (Gurung) Pye refers to the very beginning of civilization, more than eight or nine thousand years ago. They tell the origin of human beings and of the materials that they used. Tamu Priests still use some of these primitive utensils in their rituals. The Pye do not seem to have changed substantially over time. They refer to the ancestors of the Tamu, their Aji-khe (Khe-ku, nine male ancestors), Aji-ma (Ma-i, seven female ancestors), and Aba Kara Klye, spiritual master, lords, ghosts etc. Gurungs predominantly practice their ancient Bon religion, which is Shamanistic and animistic in nature. Gurungs later came to adopt Tibetan Buddhism. Some Gurungs of eastern Nepal have also been influenced by the Hindu religion. The main occupation of the Gurung people is aggriculture but some breed animals like sheep. There are roughly 450,000 Gurungs in Nepal totaling about 2.43% of the population |
Anyone who has travelled among the Gurung people will know that they are good company. They are known for good fun and teasing. This good nature may have its origins in the 'Rodi' institution. Gurung teenagers are prepared for adulthood and marriage in youth associations known as Rodi. It is a girls' institution based in a semi-permanent dormitory, organised by sponsoring parents with a daughter of Rodi age. The couple are known as the Rodi father and mother. The members are Rodi friends. Boys are not left out of this, they are equal participants, and are invited by the girls. The Rodi members take part in group entertainment. Rodi is a time to have fun and for finding affection, love and marriage. The Rodi also work as a team to help with farm work.
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Language - Gurungs have their own mother tongue called Tamu Kai, which is similar to the Tibetan dialect. Most of the Gurungs still converse in that language. Gurungs are predominantly Buddhist, but small numbers of Hindu and Shamanist communities exist. Although Gurungs don't have written records, they passed on their culture through oral tradition.
Religious Beliefs - The Gurungs practice a form of Tibetan Buddhism strongly influenced by the pre-Buddhist religion of Tibet, and they also observe major Hindu festivals, such as Dasain. They believe in some tenets of Buddhism and Hinduism, such as karma, yet they have a set of beliefs about an afterlife in the Land of the Ancestors and in local deities that are peculiarly Gurung. Gurungs believe their locale to be inhabited by supernatural forest creatures and by a variety of formless wraiths and spirits. Some of these exist in and of themselves, while others are believed to be the spirits of humans who have died violent deaths. Gurungs believe in the major Hindu deities and in the Buddha and bodhisattvas. Particular villages have their own deities, which are felt to be especially powerful in their immediate surroundings. |
Religious Practitioners - Practitioners of the pre-Buddhist Gurung religion, called Pachyu and klhepree, are active in the performance of exorcisms and mortuary rites. Buddhist lamas are also important in funerary rituals, as well as performing purification rites for infants and some seasonal agricultural rituals. Wealthier Gurungs occasionally call lamas in to perform house-blessing
Ceremonies - Brahman priests are summoned to cast horoscopes and perform divinations at times of misfortune. Dammis from the local service castes are believed to be particularly potent exorcists and are often called in cases of illness. Arts - Gurungs make nothing that they would identify as art. The goods that they produce, such as baskets and blankets, are useful and tend to be of a conventional plain design. The artistry of Gurungs is expressed in their folk music and dance and especially in the evanescent form of song exchanges between young men and women. |
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