The Impacts of Modernization on the Traditional Sakawa Sili Festival in the Rai Kirat Community of Nepal: a Case Study of the Rai Community
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The impacts of Modernization on the traditional Sakawa Sili festival in the Rai Kirat community of Nepal: A case study of the Rai community Dik Bahadur Rai Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Master of Philosophy in Indigenous Studies Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education Norway Autumn 2012 The impacts of Modernization on the traditional Sakawa Sili festival in the Rai Kirat community of Nepal: A case study of the Rai community. By: Dik Bahadur Rai Thesis submitted for the degree: Master in Philosophy in Indigenous Studies Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education University of Tromsø Norway Autumn 2012. Supervised by: Associate Professor Torjer Olsen. DEDICATED TO ALL THE RAI KIRATI PEOPLE. To be aware of your past means to be strong for your future. I Acknowledgment. This thesis has been conducted under the enthusiastic supervision with my supervisor Torjer Olsen Associate professor of Sami center in Tromsø University. I would particularly like to thank him for his critical comments and valuable insights, which inspired me to write this thesis. Through Torjer’s critical guidance I am able to analyze my research questions in critical and multiple ways. I am always impressed by his supervision; he did not “give me a fish” but taught me ‘how to fish,’ which makes my analysis stronger and closer to my goal. My heartfelt gratitude also goes to the center for Sami studies for the financial support while I conducted my fieldwork in Nepal. This work would have been impossible without the marvelous co-operation of my informants. I am grateful for their answers to my numerous questions and participation in my fieldwork research. I will always remember their help, guidance and support. Especially my informants Mr. Chandra Kumar Hatuwali, Mr. Ganesh Rai, Mr. Padam Rai, Mr. Jay Kumar Rai and Mr. Natra Mani Rai. I would like to thank Mr. Atal Man Rai who helped me to meet my informants and suggested ways to collect numerous data. The original intention of this research endeavor was to study the traditional ‘Sakawa Sili’ festival, which is held in the Rai Kirati indigenous community in Nepal. This study focuses on the impacts of modernization on festival where the Sili dance is performed. To know more about Rai’s culture I received valuable support from Kirat Rai Yayokkha(KRY). This cultural organization is dedicated to protecting, preserving and promoting the Rai’s culture. I would like to thank the KRY central committee for providing me secondary data from their library. I have really enjoyed writing this master thesis, and I am grateful towards my class friends who provided their valuable feedback and comments after reading my chapters in class seminar. Particular thanks go to all professors and teaching staffs that taught various courses, which help us to know the knowledge of indigenous people in diverse ways. For that I am grateful towards Sami Center for providing me admission and giving me the opportunity to be student as a part of Tromsø University. I also appreciate Mr. Natra Mani Rai and Diwas Koyu Rai for providing me secondary data. I would like to thanks to Scott Meyer who helped proof reading of my thesis. I am grateful towards international student counselor Line Vråberg and Hege student advisors of international office. I really appreciated their valuable help and suggestions. I am forever indebted to my best friends in Tromsø I never forget their warm support and wonderful time along the way. Experiences of midnight sun, the darkness period, snow, beautiful nature and the northern light was a positive experience in my life and I consider myself as a lucky person. Finally I would like to thank my parents, sisters, relatives and friends who always encouraged me to write this thesis. Sincerely, Dik Bahadur Rai Tromsø University. September 2012. II Abstract. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the different aspects of the Sakawa Sili indigenous festival where the Sili dance is performed. Modernization and rituals theories are deeply observed to analyze my research questions. The main leading questions are: what is the importance of Sakawa Sili festival in Rai community? How it is celebrated? How is this festival affected by modernization and globalization? How do younger generations understand this festival? And how does this festival help to revitalizing the Rai’s culture? These questions will be addressed in this study based on research collected during fieldwork. Basically this traditional indigenous festival is a celebration of praying to the Goddess of nature for good crops and protection from the natural calamities. Its meanings lie in the movements of bodies and how the dancers respond. Viewer can feel its music, sounds, shapes and directions. Every movement has its own senses while performing the dance. This study focused on how these movements are influenced by modernization and globalization. It is visible during the festival period that participants move their body in different ways like fast, slow and mixed. However, the important thing is that it is a way of motions that is found in Kirati land from more than thousands years. Several questions are raised to question the knowledge about the festival such as history, origin, importance and its rituals values. Mainly in order to answers my research questions, several tools and techniques were implemented. Through qualitative data my research questions will be observed and the impacts of modernization in the festival will be analyzed. How the impacts of modernization and globalization could positively and negatively affect the ritual will also be observed from this thesis. Important aspects like its origin, types, importance, rituals values and cultural revitalization are also analyzed in this study. The study examines the impacts of modernization and the complex relationship with globalization. Research closely observed its impacts on the Sakawa Sili festival in multiple ways. This thesis also discusses the fundamental questions about rights of indigenous people, questions of self-determination, indigenous identity and power. However, this study focuses on the impacts of modernization on the festival and examines the impacts on cultural and rituals values in Rai Kirati indigenous community in Nepal. III Table of Contents Dedication……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….I Acknowledgements..............................................................................................................................II Abstract………………..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………III CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................ 1 1: Introduction. .................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Main focus of the study .............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 General background of the study. ................................................................................................. 2 1.3 Research questions and objectives of the study. .......................................................................... 5 1.4 Methodologies employed. ............................................................................................................ 5 1.4.1 Interviews, Conversations, Focus group discussion and participation observation. ................. 6 1.4.2 Data collection tools and techniques. ........................................................................................ 9 1.4.3 Sources of Secondary data. ........................................................................................................ 9 1.4.4 Challenges and difficulties in collection the data. .................................................................... 10 1.5 My role being an insider and outside researcher........................................................................ 11 1.6 Theoretical Discussions and Literature Review. .......................................................................... 12 1.6.1 Modernization. ......................................................................................................................... 12 1.6.2 The Sili dance as ritual. ............................................................................................................. 15 Chapter Two: Some important aspects of Rai Kirati people. .......................... 17 2.1 Introduction: ................................................................................................................................ 17 2.2 History of Kirati people: As an indigenous community of Nepal. ............................................... 17 2.3 Geographical settlement patterns of Rai Kirti community past and present. ............................ 21 2.5 The occupation of Rai Kirati people. ........................................................................................... 23 2.7 Rituals that exist in the Rai Kirati community. ............................................................................ 25 2.8 Establishment of traditional chula (Oven) and ways of worshiping............................................ 26 2.9 Life passage rituals in the Rai Kirati community. ........................................................................ 27 2.9.1 Birth. ........................................................................................................................................