Gurung people
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The Gurung people, also called Tamu, are an ethnic group from different parts of Nepal. They are one of the main Gurkha tribes.[2] They believe that until the 15th century they were ruled by a Gurung king. When the British Empire came to South Asia, the Gurung people began serving the British in Army regiments of Gurkhas.[3]
| Languages | |
|---|---|
| Gurung (Tamu kwyi), Nepali, and Himachali | |
| Religion | |
| Majority Buddhism and Hinduism[1] |
Geographical distribution
At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, 522,641 people (2.0% of the population of Nepal) identified as Gurung. The frequency of the Gurung people was higher than national average in the following districts: Manang (52.4%), Lamjung (31.3%), Mustang (21.4%), Gorkha (19.7%), Kaski (16.6%), Tanahun (11.5%), Syangja (9.0%), Dolpa (7.1%), Chitwan (6.8%), Dhading (5.5%), Sankhuwasabha (5.4%), Taplejung (4.6%), Parbat (3.7%), Rasuwa (3.1%), Tehrathum (2.9%), Ilam (2.9%), Kathmandu (2.6%), Nawalparasi (2.4%) and Rupandehi (2.0%).[4]
Religion
Priestly practitioners of the Gurung Dharma include Ghyabri (Klehpri), Pachyu (Paju), and Bon Lamas.[5] Shamanistic elements among the Gurungs remain strong and most Gurungs often embrace Buddhist and Bön rituals in communal activities.[6][7]
According to the 2011 census, the majority of the Gurungs practise either Buddhism (62.72%) or Hinduism (32.18%). However, a small minority practises the original Bonpo religion (2.32%).
See also
References
- ^ Dr. Dilli Ram Dahal (2002-12-30). "Chapter 3. Social composition of the Population: Caste/Ethnicity and Religion in Nepal". Government of Nepal, Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
- ^ "Ethnohistory of Gurung People" (PDF). Retrieved 5 June 2013.
- ^ Barbara A. West, Ph.D. (2009). "Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania".
- ^ 2011 Nepal Census, Social Characteristics Tables
- ^ von Fürer-Haimendorf, Christoph (1985). Tribal populations and cultures of the Indian subcontinent. 2. Brill Publishers. pp. 137–8. ISBN 90-04-07120-2. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ^ Robert Gordon Latham (1859). Descriptive Ethnology. I. London: John Van Voorst, Paternoster Row. pp. 80–82.
- ^ Mumford, Stanley Royal (1989). Himalayan Dialogue: Tibetan Lamas and Gurung Shamans in Nepal. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 30–32. ISBN 0-299-11984-X.
Further reading
- P. T. Sherpa Kerung, Susan Höivik (2002). Nepal, the Living Heritage: Environment and Culture. University of Michigan: Kathmandu Environmental Education Project.
- William Brook Northey (1998). The Land of the Gurkhas, or, The Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 81-206-1329-5.
- Murārīprasāda Regmī (1990). The Gurungs, Thunder of Himal: A Cross Cultural Study of a Nepalese Ethnic Group. University of Michigan: Nirala Publications.
External links
- Gurung, Harka (1996-01-10). "Ethnic Demography of Nepal". Nepal Democracy. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
- "Gurung". Britannica Student Encyclopedia online. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2011-04-03.