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Limbu Indigenous Knowledge and Culture Limbu Indigenous Knowledge and Culture Ramesh K Limbu National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities Jawalakhel, Lalitpur Limbu Indigenous Knowledge and Culture Author : Ramesh K Limbu Copywrite © : Author Publisher : National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities, Government of Nepal Executive/Managing Editor : Dr Lal-Shyãkarelu Rapacha (including cover) Cover Designer : Winesh Shrestha Edition : June 2015 Publication Copies : 300 Copies ISBN : 978-9937-2-9573-4 Dedication To my parents, family members and my community, for always instilling in me the value of education and for teaching the important lessons in life that encouraged me to involve in this area of study. Publisher's Note Nepal's socio-political upheavals of the post-1990 era witnessed a new paradigm shift from partyless Panchayat to multi-party people's democrary and later in 2007 from monarchism to republicanism. In addition, debates are going for identity-based federalism too. In order to address such new phenomena for integrated, inclusive and equitable participatory development of the age-old manarginalized indigenous nationalities/ citizens of remote rural and urban areas in contribution to Nepalese State Building, the Government of Nepal established the National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities (NFDIN) through its 2002 Act. Since then, NFDIN has been focusing on overall developmental efforts of inidgenous nationalities mainly funded by the government and through occassional collaborative partnersship with UN, I/NGOs and IPOs. One of its main objectives for the development indigenous nationalities is to promote, preserve, document and develop the languages, literatures, scripts, cultures, oral histories, folklore, indigenous or ethnoscience or knowledge, skills, indigenous technology, ethnobotany, ethnomusicology, ethnoecology, ethnomedicine etc by funding genuine research projects and publications in each fiscal year. The present work Limbu Indigenous Knowledge and Culture (2015) by a young and potential ethnoscholar Ramesh Ijam Limbu, is a seminal edifice funded by NFDIN, Government of Nepal. Categorically, Limbu's work in current terminology or study trends falls under indigenous science and technology in general and Limbu science and tec hnology in particular from the land of reclaimed and proposed Limbuwan state in recent polical debates of indentity-based federalism which means that a new Limbu paradigm has been emerging for the Neaplese State Building. His work mainly based on field work in two villages viz. Tiringe and Yangnam of Limbuwan state captures areas such as food grains and plants as ethnomedicine, herbs, food technology, farming technology, folklore, ethnoidentity, shamanism and culture, livestock, ethnoecology. However, this work instead of being an exhaustive one, is a beginning to pave its way to a theoretical and comprehensive readings like Native Science: Natural Laws of Interdependence (2000) by Gregory Cajete and Indigenous Aesthetics: Native Art, Media and Identity (1998) by Steven Leuthold. Funding such new research and publication for the first time in Nepal's history of the present unique work implies that one “small step” has been accomplished in preparation for a “giant leap”. Let us be hopeful that NFDIN constantly continues such small steps to accomplish its giant leap mission. Dr Lal-Shyãkarelu Rapacha June 2015 Chief Research Officer (First Class) and Humboldt Fellow Academic and Research Cell NFDIN, Government of Nepal Acknowledgements I am specifically thankful to the National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities (NFDIN) for providing me with research grant and guidelines to carry out this work. I am also very much thankful to Dr. Lal-Shyãkarelu Rapacha for his insightful guidance and needed support in the act of accomplishing this work. I am also highly grateful to the key informants, namely, Bom Limbu, Lila Limbu, Amrit Limbu, Shaktikala Limbu, Bibindra Limbu, Man Limbu, Prem Kumari Limbu of Tiringe VDC and Dilliman Limbu, Brijahang Limbu, Prem Singh Limbu, Asar Singh Limbu, Tham Maya Limbu of Yangnam VDC, and all Limbu and non-Limbu people of the both VDCs for their kind cooperation, friendly as well as responsive behavior, and their indigenous knowledge and skills. Likewise, words fail to express my gratitude to all the herbalists, phedangma, yeba, yema, samba and yuma of those areas. I owe much to them all for they had invariably helped me at my convenience. Thanks are also due to Prem Limbu, my research aide; Tika Ram Nepal of NIIGP, all staff and members of TU Central Library, Martin Chautari, Social Science Baha, National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities (NFDIN), NFDIN’s Academic and Research Cell Head Dr. Lal-Shyãkarelu Rapacha and all my colleagues, friends and family for their distinctively invaluable supports. I am deeply shocked to hear about the demise of Man Limbu (age 95) in month of February 2012 with whom I had obtained several kinds of Limbu IKS during my fieldwork. I pray to the almighty Tagera Ningwaphumang for his departed soul rest peacefully in Heaven (khemaso khedukso pangbhe). Ramesh Ijam Limbu Table of Contents Publisher’s Note V Acknowledgements VII List of tables, figures and maps XI List of Abbreviations/Acronyms XII Chapter 1 Limbu Indigenous Knowledge in Nepal 1- 24 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Indigenous Knowledge System 1.2.1 Recognition and Protection of IKS 1.2.2 Intangible Cultural Heritage in UNESCO Convention 2003 1.2.3 Practices and Activities of IKS 1.3 Culture and Identity 1.4 Rhetoric of Ethnicity 1.5 Indigenous Ethnic Identity Chapter 2 Indigenous People and Culture 25-44 2.1 Indigenous Nationalities of Nepal 2.2 Limbu Nationalities 2.3 Culture and Belief System 2.4 Interim Constitution of Nepal 2007 on Issue of Equality 2.5 Challenges of IKS and Identity Chapter 3 Taking on Limbu Culture and Indigenous Knowledge 45-49 Chapter 4 Situating the Study 50-54 4.1 Area of the Study 4.2 Data Collection and Methodology Chapter 5 Representing Limbu Community 55-108 5.1 IK Practice in Tiringe and Yangnam VDC 5.1.1 Medicinal Knowledge and Healthcare Practice 5.1.2 Indigenous Food and Beverage 5.1.3 Life-activities and Recognition 5.2 IK as Cultural Heritage Chapter 6 Conclusions and Recommendations 109-111 Endnotes 111 References 112 About the Author 120 About the Executive/Managing Editor 121 List of tables, diagram and maps/figures Tables Table 1: Indigenous Nationalities of Nepal Categorised by NEFIN Table 2: Population and Household of Limbu and non-Limbu Table 3: Technique for Data Collection Diagram Diagram 1: Limbu Intangible Cultural Heritage Figures Figure 1: Map of Limbu Residing Region Figure 2: Map of Tiringe VDC Figure 3: Map of Yangnam VDC Figure 4: A Limbu House Storing Maize Figure 5: IK Informants, Tiringe Figure 6: Growing Millet Figure 7: Maize Preservation Figure 8: A Limbu shaman & herbalist Figure 9: Calvatea Gigantea Figure 10: Mangza Herb Figure 11: Khesung (Yeast-cake) Figure 12: Kennema paste Figure 13: Yangben lichen on the tree Figure 14: Warumchuruk Figure 15: Distillation Process of sejangwa Figure 16: Tongba Figure 17: Animals’ shed Figure 18: Stone Water Tap Figure 19: Sappo (Wicker basket) Figure 20: Plough Figure 21: Dhinki Figure 22: Grinder (Lumsum) Figure 23: Handloom (Weaving dhaka cloth) Figure 24: Honey from Beehive Figure 25: Traditional Plant Conservation System Figure 26: Kelang Dance Figure 27: Ya?lang Dance Figure 28: Phamuk (Limbu musical instrument) Figure 29: Yeba performing Tongsing Figure 30: A host performing Aja kakma ritual Figure 31: Si:lam Sakma Figure 32: An actant officiating to deities Figure 33: Phungnawa samlo during wedding ceremony Figure 34: Informants at Historical Fort Figure 35: IK Informants, Yangnam Figure 36: Ke (Chyabrung/Drum) Figure 37: Limbu ornaments Figure 38: Limbu warrior List of Abbreviations/Acronyms CBS: Central Bureau of Statistics NEFIN: Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities NFDIN: National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities EIA: Environmental Impact Assessment ICH: Intangible Cultural Heritage IK: Indigenous Knowledge IKS: Indigenous Knowledge System ILO: International Labour Organization IPs: Indigenous Peoples LICH: Limbu Intangible Cultural Heritage PIC: Prior and Informed Consent PRA: Participatory Rural Appraisal TK: Traditional Knowledge UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization VDC: Village Development Committee WIPO: World Intellectual Property Organization Chapter 1 Limbu Indigenous Knowledge in Nepal 1.1 Introduction In size, Nepal is a small country but rich in natural and cultural resources due to the blend of diverse caste and native cultures, variegated bio-natural landscapes, snow- capped mountains and indigenous wonders. It is a diverse nation landlocked between the world’s two most populous and rapidly progressing countries, China and India. Along with its own diversified socio-cultural and political historicity, Nepal has in the long run evolved as a country that implicitly characterizing a nation state. Within the area of 147,181 sq. km., about 26.6 million populations (CBS 2011) following different religious beliefs such as Hindu, Buddhist, Kirat, Muslim, among others inhabit. And so, a variety of people fraternize this country making it a home for different caste and indigenous ethnic people by cultivating distinctive culture, language, religion, history, tradition and mythology. Observing the very
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