Shared words, shared history? The case of Thangmi and late classical Newar Mark Turin To cite this version: Mark Turin. Shared words, shared history? The case of Thangmi and late classical Newar. (Newâh Vijñâna) The Journal of Newar Studies, International Nepal Bhasha Sewa Samiti, 2000, 3, pp.9-17. halshs-03083397 HAL Id: halshs-03083397 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-03083397 Submitted on 27 Jan 2021 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. (Newfih Vijiifina) The Journal Of Newar Studies Shamkhadhar Siikhwiih (The Famb4r of Nepal Sambat ) Number-; NS 1120 Shared Words, Shared History? The Case of Thangmi and Late Classical Newar Mark Turin Himalayan Languages Project Leiden University The Netherlands sizeable Thangmi population. In 1970, the 1.Introduction: Thangmi French linguist Genevii.ve Stein spent upwards Ethnography and Language of a year in remote Thangmi villages in Dolakhi (particularly Alimpu), but she never published Thangmi is a Tibeto-Burman language her findings. Secondary materials on the spoken by upwards of 30,000 people inhabiting Thangmi ethnic group, such as Dor Bahadur the districts of Dolakhi and Sindhupscok in Bista's People of Nepal (1967), Gautarn and centraleastem Nepal. The Nepali name for this Thapa-Magars Tribal Ethnography of Nepal ethnic pup and their language is ThZmi, an (1994), and Marc Gaborieaus Le Nkpal et ses Aryan-inspired term which the Thangmi populations (1978) often repeat factually themselves are eager to shake off. Just as incorrect suppositions on the lines of: They Newar scholars have time and time again [Thangmi] number only a few thousand and insisted that they and their language be known practice similar social, religious and economic as Newar and not Newari, so too have customs to the Tamangs (Bista, 1967 119961: culturally-active members of the Thangmi 55). In short, then, when I started fieldwork, community requested that they be referred to by there was a scarcity of published ma_terial. the term Thangmi and not Thami. dealing with Thangmi culture. When I started working on the Thangmi While anthropologists have paid little language four years ago, there was little to go attention to the Thangmi in their ethnographic on. Few scholars had worked in the area, and accounts of Nepal, the same should not be said there was a scarcity of fieldwork-based for linguists. Since the birth of Tibeto-Burman published material on the Thangmi people and linguistics, scholars have been intrigued by the their language. The most notable contributions genetic position of the Thangmi language. A are Father Casper J. Millers Faith-Healers in brief account of the language, written by Sten the Hinzulayu (1979), which offers some solid Konow on the basis of Brain Houghton ethnographic observations on Thangmi Hodgsons fieldwork of 1901, appeared in the shamans; Sueyoshi Toba's unpublished ~in~uisticSurvey of India (1909), and almost manuscript entitled Thami-English Dictionary half a century later, Robert Shafer included (lm),a word list based on a few weeks of Thangmi in his own family tree of Titeto- work with Thangmi speakers; and Creighton Burman. In both accounts the conclusion was Peets PhD dissertation from Columbia the same: Thangrni (then Thami) shared a University, Migrution, Culture and Community special and close genetic relationship with (1978), an in-depth study of a village with a Barb (then blown as BhrAmfi), a near-extinct Newrih VijErina No. 3 Rrrin/Shared Words, Shared Hklov?... 9 language spoken in the district of Gorkhi. the Thangmi and Newar of Dolakh5 Despite the scanty empirical basis for this The Thangmi and Newar populations of classification (nine lexical similarities shared by Dolakhti district have been in close cultural the two languages), it appears from more recent contact for some time. The Thangmi origin research (van Driem, forthcoming) that Shafers story (see Turin, 1999b, and Shneiderman & suspicions may indeed have been correct. While Turin, 2000a) features a Newar king who first the Bargm system of verbal agreement has all imprisons a Thangmi man and then later but decayed, the verbal morphology of Thangmi impregnates a Thangmi woman. One of the is complex and reminiscent of the Kiranti male exogamous clans within the Thangmi model. For a fuller discussion of this issue and kinship descent structure is known as roimi rati the data involved, see Turin (1998). or roimi jati, from Thangmi roimi, Newar and After Bark, Thangmis closest genetic Nepali jZt, caste, ethnic group. The story of relatives are the Kiranti languages of eastern how the Thangmi ethnic group came to have a Nepal and most probably Newar. Whilst the Newar clan has been fully described in an link between Thangmi and Kiranti is well- earlier article, so suffice it to say that the attested and can be demonstrated through original roimi rati brothers are said to have comparison of the pronominalised verbal royal Newar blood (see Turin & Shneidennan, agreement system, the proposed inclusion of in press). Newar in the MahZkirCnt or Para-Kiranti The above examples demonstrate that the grouping is a contentious and much-debated Thangmi have incorporated the Newar into their point. Newar and foreign scholars alike have own socio-cultural world, as might be expected challenged the hypothesis, arguing that there are of a relatively small, low-status ethnic group insufficient data to prove the point. Over the faced with the dominant Newar culture of the past four years, both in conference papers and area. There are, however, also many examples publications, I have . argued that Thangmi of the more surprising reverse situatiorr in occupies a half-way house between a canonical which the Newar have incorporated the Kiranti-style verbal agreement system and that Thangmi into their social paradigm. The most of the less inflecting Tibeto-Burman languages. notable of these inclusions is the essential role Moreover, I have shown evidence that the the Thangmi play in a number of festivals Thangmi language has a numeral classifier celebrated by the Newar in the bazaar town of system (not a common feature of the Tibeto- Dolakhi. These calendrical festivals, such as Burman languages of Nepal) which is largely khadgajCtrC, the Sword Festival held on the cognate with the numeral classifiers used in the eleventh day of Mohani (Nep. Dasai), and Dolakhg dialect of Newar. From this, two key matsyendrunZthjCtrC are explicitly Newar and questions have arisen. First, are the Thangmi are: also celebrated in other Newar-dominant and Newar languages close genetic relatives? areas, such as the Kathmandu valley. In Second, and if not, how can one then explain Dolakhi, however, active participation in the degree of shared lexical items in the two specific rituals by certain members of the languages, and in which direction did this surrounding Thangmi community is required. borrowing take place? Should the Thangmi fail to perform their duties fully, or worse still, not show up at all, the 2.Cultural Interdependence between Newar festival is effectively cancelled. The Newah VijEiina No. 3 Turin/.Shared Words, Shared History? ... 10 precise details of the Thangmi-Newar ritual being approximately 879-1482 AD and Late relationship as outlined above are beyond the being the Newar of 1482-1768 AD. As Tamot scope of the present discussion and will be himself points out, the implications of this published in an article by Shneiderman later this linguistic distinction are important: Jorgensens year. In brief though, the most salient features dictionary is now seen as covering only the Late of Thangmi ritual involvement are twofold. Classical and Early Modem period of the First, ritual offerings and implements must be Newar language (from 1675 AD to 1859 AD). assembled to precise specifications by Thangmi It is likely that Jorgensen was unaware of the villagers and then brought to Dolakhii. Second, existence of an older form of the language, Thangmi shamans and ritual practitioners are namely Early Classical Newar. It is Tamots required to participate in the festivals otherwise well-reasoned assertion that Early Claqsical officiated by Newars. These duties must be Newar exhibits pre-Aryan features which were performed by Thangmi from specific villages: latex replaced by Sanskritic vocabulaq in the the dmiht and Madgajfitrfiduties are perform- Late Classical and Early Modem periods. ed exclusively by Thangmi from the village of At the 9th Seminar of the International Durnko!, while the matsyendranfith jfitrr? Association of Tibetan Studies (IATS) at Leiden involves only Thangmi from the village of University, in June, 2000, Kashinath Tamot Liiplls. This division by village suggests that presented a paper entitled Some Characteristics the imposition of ritual duties in Newar festivals of the Tibeto-Buman Stock of Early Classical may have originated as a form of taxation on the Newari. During his presentation, I was most Thangmi by the local Newar rulers. Whether or interested to find cognates between certain Early not this hypothesis is correct, the required Classical Newar words (to be replaced by presence of the Thangmi has now become Sanskritic loans in Late Classical Newar) and internalised by the Newar of Dolakhi as well, modem Thangmi as spoken in Dolakha and who view the Thangmi as essential to the SindhupUcok. A day after his lecture, Sara efficacy of these rituals. Father Miller describes Shneiderman presented a paper on Thanbi in detail the happenings that led to the Thangmi death rituals.