is is is

to of

of

de

the

for

are

the the

the

will

The

who than

men.

to

more

I

in

Patoul

district neither

district

village.

all

largest

figure suitably

need

of

as

suitable

Thangmi language

there

de

collating

to

Access Stc,tisuiccil

Charikot—

containing

population

the

profiles

as

living Nepal Philippe

number conducting years.

data grassroots

as Whilst

Integrated

the

the

Population

suggests.

each

the

as

times

for

.000

the

nor of

children,

in

task.

programmes.

Development

then,

lèw The

According

II

well

been

The

to Dolakha

53).

there Nepali

population

Nepal.

this

with

NGO,

as

census

in

people

correct,

detailed

has

data

Thangmi

and

Microsoft of

area. that

past

three with

knowledge breakdown

houses

statistical

for is Dolakha

facilitate

both

Thangrni sociologist,

page

districts

understood

figures

underestimate

below.

the

it

on

the to

the

another.

n

VDCs

Nepal official

largest

According

The Dolakha

Nepal

vast

titer—relational

Yearbook

live

one women Dolakha.

and focus above the Patoul, common almost in Thangmi Thangmi eastern of (1999. Movement of Thangmi show extremely Belgian the registered the Realising Community a area software modified i accurate make over accurate development

compatible

or

or

of

by

the

My

and

two and

knit

200

that

with the

This

great

quite

is

small

Some

six

a

in

is official

to

Morang from

natural

eastern it the

Meghraj

the

ofcourse

Thangmi

the

from is

editor

1997-99%

tightly

Fig.l)

people)

figures.

the

this

provided in like

1997).

ibr

contact the

to

Kartik

157

Mr.

the

may miscalculated

are

Dolakhareng

to

seen

there in

150

(See

by that

Rcsults

of

50

too

those hetwcen

Thami.

160 150

close 221 200

is

possible of

to

be

Population

growth

Dolakhareng.

C 3,000

4,081 districts

account

Nepal

(from

in

Moreover,

between

and because

(1991

in

2054, population

of

as

129

38-44).

figures.

can

years

difference

Survey

well

Nepal

Rishmi

Dolakhareng,

feeling attributed

months

ournal

total

of

As

well

this

Thangmi

Phagun

Simi publisher thej increase the (pages above disparity be Bhojpur statistics population seven (from course unlikely of surveys Dolakharcnç’ could people). the on as communities districts

is

ty to

as

of

Total

the

the

the Aug.OO-OcI.OO

the

Districts

iii

first

page

1991

most it

of

NGO

of

14.440

the

(1999, yearly and

official

district.

Statistics,

by

eastern

official

Below hctcen

54 57 21

however.

Thangmi

of 1991

52

toni

129 148 162

Thangmi

715

by

the the

are

the

Thangmi

1,386

according

comparative

(1999,

Co

VoLII,Na4

Eastern

the

the

inaccuracy

the

data.

to

Nepal.

page

19.103

of

the

Official total

there then

in

breakdown the Figures

interest,

Movement

double

to

is

spoke

of

conducted

provided

in

Estimates

tongue

and

and

the

population

Dolakhareng (from

showing

(CITIZEN)

where

equal show

who

alec!

nearly

volume

official

52)

is

I

Of

survey

governments

egr

According

fact

the

mother

table

District

Ldayapur Thud:

Alorang Bhojpur k’hotang Ilani ournal

1S’z,nsari .Jlnrpa

Diffcrcnt g,q/* figure. Yearbook) Disparity in

page is first people tnt Fig. population 22). material Development the Charikot-based census, Thangmi population a This districts according the a statistics clearly

to

is

in

by an

the

the

By

the

the

the

the

and

Turin

total data

much

by

group

article

record

figures Nepal

and

official

in

present

this, a

and

Tibeto

Nepal

regard

Planning

statistical

difficult that

the

accurate

Statistics the

Mark explained

of

from

the

in

Majesty’s

population

of -

Statistical

short

said

population

presented

will

ethnic Secretariat,

of

by set

be

with

published

I

as

and

Nepal.

provided

realistic

show

to

this

National

Thangmi.

population

individuals

In

process

involved

between

Having

aim

will

by

figure Thangmi population government Introduction: which topography. cannot Yearbook solely 1991 more Bureau straight the oppressed Burman overlooked statistics of contrasting census the (1999) His

Census:

I

Thangmi

careful

demanding recording. workers

disparity

Government, Commission Central with grassroots collected

NGO, Thangmi

a

of

of

task.

field

Nepal

and

support

Thami)

to

accurate

like

present

an

would

remoteness

Nepal

I (Nep.

infrastructure,

challenging

the of

a

Population country

circumstances?

0

of

challenge

India

a

Miscounted

with

districts

in

criticisms.

lack

Thangmi

Conducting

admittedly

the population these Northeast

Mitigating

is

census The coupled some veritable

the

True

Aug.OO-Qct.OO

my

a

was

His

of

been

been

being

on

among

Census

He

by

has

linguistic

has weighted

Thangmi dominant

for

a

a

at is

in oi as of in

be

he

I-fe for

the

Voi.I4No.4

and

Based

I-I

is

and 1996.

the

2001

at

Asian

list

findings

Social heavily

various

well

member

Case

Nepal’s

UK,

Population

by

which

Project

a

on

aspects Thangmi

conducted

Turin should since

as

and

in

of

other Government

preparing

Himalayan

University,

word

criticised

on

(CITIZEN)

publish

is 1991

of

hierarchy.

ethnographical

research

he

Netherlands.

the

published

Thangmi-Nepali

Time

(Mark

Nepal

The favour

presently

The

‘imfl’i”

language anthropologist working

is Leiden Anthropology University Languages Cambridge, trained the of has language

short articles the communities. grammar full English studies Devanagari Preamble: will completed Majesty’s and inaccurate of in widely Nepal.)

1-lindu

own C. __ ginf, (CITIZEN) VoLll,No.4 Aug.OO-Oct.OO ruq)Rq,(CITIZEN) VoLI4No.4 Aug.OOOct.QO data from various villages. The specific need0 (namely accurate district has not yet been Whilst the number of Thangmi Sindhupalcok. According to the populations. As a conservative result is a self-standing software ëensus statistics) and has made established, three VDCs with people as a percentage of the Statistical }‘eurhook of Nepal, estimate, let us take Chokati to package named I’emus (Nepal a serious step in the direction of substantial Thangmi total \‘DC population varies there were 3.173 Thangmi in be a VDC with a high Thangmi Census), and four profiles of rectifying the abundant populations have been widely, one thing is Sindhupalcok during the 1991 population density, and posit VDCs in the misinformation in Nepal. For meticulously studied and the unmistakably’clear: in just three census (1999. page 53). Whilst that the six other VDCs have no have been completed to date: this alone. if not for more, the profiles made available. The VDCs there are 5.656 Thangmi accurate and detailed more than 800 Thangmi each. namely . . NGO should he applauded. following table displays the men, women and children. The population statistics are not in this scenario, we still arrive and Orang. To these More important for my own salient information from these implications ofthese figures for available for Sindhupalcok in at a figure of 6,000 Thangmi in four should be added the 1998 research however, is the direct respective village profiles. the total Thangmi population of the way they are for Dolakha or Sindhupalcok, once agan Village Profile (V.S. application this has for the The findings summarised in Nepal are crucial. 2054), conducted before the Thangmi. Whilst the total the table (Fig.2) are of At a rough estimate. establishment of the NGO, the Thangmi population of Dolakha considerable importance. let us sa that thure are JOVDCs in the Fig. 2 Population Statistics from three Village Profiles in I)olakha district Do lakha district have a Alampu Sundrawati Lapilang Total ;hich sizeable population I’ear Conducted 1999 1999 1998 ofThangmi people. Thin! Population 2.228 3.424 5.025 10,677 Moreover, based on Thangnii Population 2.025 1.177 2.454 5,656 the above figures 0/ i/IL/fl ,gnu aS zo of / hich range from Tofu!Population 90.9% 34.4% 4X.9% 58% 1,177 to 2,454 Thangmi per VDC. success of which let its lake an convinced the average oi’2.000 hr concerned parties 0] , our esti mated the need for calculations. i.ith complete statistical these figures. then. inlhrmat ion. arrive at a total My detailed I of 20.000 l’hanumi Iiuiiuini (‘hildrcn at ok;iti siinIIitipaIchok - P/ui,, - Sun: ,SI,,,’idcrnuz,, description of the just ithiii l)olakha origins and district (2.000 people in each of lorthe eastern districts of Nepal. double the official number. establishment of the the 10VOUs = 20.000). already I believe that the ligure of little NGO Integrated more than the oflicial ligure of over 3.000 ‘l’hangmi in Why this I)isparity? 0 /77 U? LI II i I •i the total 1‘hangmi population Sindhupalcok is also a vast In my opinion, there are two D c i’ e 1o p Ui C ii I within the whole of Nepal underestimate. During my long main reasons for the Movement is (19,103 iwople). The official stay in Chokati VDC in 1998. 1 discrepancy between the official intentional. Unlike figure is clearlv no longer nutnaged to ascertain ibm the and the non—official figures. many of’ the other convincing. local authorities that there were First. ethnic Thangmi and NGCs which The Siw’hupalcokThangmi at least 1.200 Thangrn i men. speakers of the Thangmi r 0 I i f e r t e p a Population women and children in this language usually li e in remote throughout Nepal. After Dolakha. the district in VDC alone, and I know of at and inaccessible areas where this locally-based Nepal in which the most least a further six VDCs in the populalon surveys are dilhcult group has isolated_af___ /h,w”,,,, :pc,e:,,/,jflnbflf\JflL;fl;,,,,, Thangmi are found is district with sizeable Thangrni to conduct with any real I * .n’,,R*(CITIZEN)VoLII,No.4Auq.UO-OcLOO cE* ndiq (CITIZEN)VoL!I,No.4Aug.OO-OcLOO accuracy. It is likely that many native, told The adds a good 5.500 people. The who suspect03.000 to be a little movement is for accurate which they are not West Bengal. Sikkim Thangmi were not included me that when they first applied population data is not so official census of Nepal did not on the high side. I would urge population figures fbr the ethnic because of this, thereby forjobs, they claimed to belong accurate, but there are many include these people. however. them to consiLItthe SloTh/icc:! and tribal peoples olNepal. and resulting in a lower total to one of the aforementioned Thangrnilhmiliessettledinand so in my effort to compare like Vearhook of Nepal. pages 52- we can but hope that the with like, [ have offered two 56. where they will find that forthcoming census will come Fig. 3 Estimate of Total Thangmi Population (non-official figures) totals in the table below, one there are 465 recorded Thangmi close to meeting this need. Area Population including and one excluding the in Sindhuli. 1334 in Ramechap, Failing that, the oppressed Dolakha 20,000 +1- Indian Thangmi population. 159 in Kathmandu and 94 in ethnic groups of Nepal. such as Sindhupalcok 6,000 +1- The second point of Sarlahi. not to mention under a the Thangmi. will once again ‘,r Eastern DLctricts 4,081 clarification I should add is to hundred in each of 20 other misrepresented and belittled. the category I named Other (.5cc Ut/wi’ Districts (Kathmandu, Rwnechap, etc.) 3.000 +7- districts. Fig.3) Referen ces Districts. Thangm i inhabit Conclusion W.ct Bengal & Sikkirn (India) 5,500 +7- Central L3ureauolSiatistics. 999 many districts in Nepal, As has become apparent in Total (including Indian Thangmi population): 38,500 +1- .S’iatistical Yea,/,ook of Nepal although they are indigenous this short article, there is a great 33,000 +1- Kathmandu: Nepal. Total frxcluding Indian Thangnd pop idation,): and autochihonous to no more disparity between the official de PaLouI. Philippe 998. I999 population figure. Second. and ethnic groups and did not admit around Gangtok. My informed than two or three, and I have population statistics as provided 2000. Pro/lIe of the i’iIlag De,elop,ne,n C‘an??;?incas a/A lamput, perhapsmoreimportantly,many to being Thangmi. In brief then, estimate, based on estimated that around 3.000 by the government and the more Thangmi live in non-specified likely and significantly higher flu Inng. LUfi flung, Urn ng U nfl Thangmi pass themselves off as these are the two most likely conversations with people from S’unha;i’uii. tinpiibl shed reporis. districts in Nepal. including belonging to other more reasons for the disparity the area as well as a field visit figures. One ol’ the first Iliami. Mc1Ilrnj Sirni Rishmi. Kathmandtr. For those readers o I’ demands the I prom nent ethnic groups such as between the figures. in March 2000. is of around lana/cu! 999. Dolakh Or? . ihapa: Nepal. Thuutug. and less frequently, as 1,000 Thangmi in the area. This Gutting or Rai. The reason that Darjecling and Sikkim brings the total Thangmi they give for this is simply that Although not within Nepal’s population in India tojust under since few people in national borders, both 5,500. administrative positions have Darjeeling and Sikkim have ever heard of the ethnic group. sizeable Thangmi populations. A More Realistic Total Figure admitting to being Thangmi The details of the migration to I3asedon the data as outlined QIIPI 31l’sflhcl may unwittingly result in a these areas are interesting and above. I would propose 33.000 u4 rm 3P-1l’14I ñiiii q-t stream of questions about who complicated, and will be the to 38.500 as a more realistic they are and where they come substance of a later article. For (albeit estimated and non- t4rtg ?PTLoo’3 tIc1tl tViItl lr-d4l ‘u1.ifr SlltlHfrl from, such as inquiring whether the present, the population official) total Thangmi Thangmi are low caste Hindus statistics should suffice. Based population figure. The figure (41ri) t , ‘o,\a tilelNi Pnm itq1 iTct1 31IrNlt1 or indigenous Kiranti people. on data collected by the Thami requires two points of Moreover, when Thangmi societies in the area in the early clarification. First, the total rklIR14 c-tIPI irsic{I ?flTI iiictc1 tñ©ti tirciLci introduce themselves to I990s. we can confidently state population depends on whether strangers. they are often that there are more than 4,400 one counts Thangmi residing txfk i1ci’ t1N’4’1I 9d mistaken for undesirable groups Thangmi in the whole of West permanently or semi- such as Kwni hlacksmiths’ or Bengal and Sikkim. The permanently outside of Nepal. DhanuJolk—healer’. due to the breakdown is as follows: ‘the Thangmi population of nature of their similar soundinu Darjeeling 2,732: Kurseong Darjeeling and Sikkim is 11”(Icl GI( t14-IM Nepalifled name tThami). All 1.208: Kalimpong 105: and sizeable. not to mention the 1hangrni men whom I have Siliguri and Dooars 383. leading economically influential, and cjv-q tiF#iFi, interviewed working in areas in to a total of 4.426 Thangmi in adding them to the total figure ii