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WALUNG briefely....
The Walung
stronghold is the Olangchungola area at the top of the Tamor River
in the district of Taplejung. Olangchungola is locally known as
Walung, which is comprised of the five major settlements of
Olangchungola, Yangma, Ghunsa, Lungthung, Lelep and other six or
seven minor inhabitations. Trade is the major occupation of Walungs.
Their religion, language, dress and social patterns are Tibetan in
derivation. Walung has a great monastery. The Futuk festival relives
the scenes of the battle between the Gyabo of Maksum and the Gyabo
of Thudam. Walungs celebrate with great fervor the social and
religious festivals of Lhosar, Neso, Futuk, Sakadawa, Dhukpachhesi
and Ngyungnay. Their population, according to Census 2001, is 1,448.
The inhabitants of Olangchung Gola and the villages surrounding it
are known as Walung. The region of upper Tamor valley near the
source of the Tamor River is called by outsiders Olangchung, while
the Walung themselves call it Holung or Walung. Gola means a market.
As those living in Walung are slightly different as a group from the
inhabitants of the adjoining areas of Nepal and Tibet, they have
been regarded as a separate indigenous people. Although much of the
culture and way of life of Walung are similar to those of the
inhabitants living to the north of them, they also have their own
specialties.
The Walungs live in five large villages of Olangchung Gola, Yangma,
Ghunsa, Lungthung and Lelep as well as in six or seven other small
villages. Among these villages, the largest settlement is Olangchung
Gola itself. The villages are in the northernmost region of
Taplejung district, and to the west of the villages are Thudam and
Topke Gola. The population of Olangchung Gola itself, however, was
1,292 in the 1991 census. The people of the region estimate that
there are altogether 500 houses of Walung.
The language and script of Walungs like the other inhabitants of the
northern region resemble those of the Tibetans, and the Tibetan
language and script are prevalent among the Walungs. The birth,
death, marriage and other ceremonies of Walungs are similar to the
indigenous peoples living around them. The Walungs do not practice
polygamy nor do they have the practice of polyandry. They, however,
have the practice of the youngest brother marrying the widow of the
eldest brother. As the Walung intermarry with the inhabitants living
to the north of them in Tibet, the practice of polyandry is not a
necessity among them. There is the practice of the son-in-law living
in his in-laws' house among Walungs. The ceremonies following death
like the lama reading sacred text over the dead body for three days,
beautifying the body, cremating (burning) it and other related
customs of Walungs are similar to those of other indigenous peoples
of the Himalayas. The houses of Walung are made of stone and wood.
The ground floor is used for keeping things, and the upper floor is
used for living purposes, with a separate guestroom. The dress and
food habits of Walung are similar to those of the Sherpas.
The Walungs traditionally had a local administrative post of Gobha
to look into the various local administrative affairs of society,
including the paying of the stipulated amount to the government. The
practice of having the post of Gobha began two hundred years ago.
The Gobha had an assistant called Majhiya to help him in his
affairs. The post of Gobha is no longer found today. There are three
kinds of people in Walung society: the earliest inhabitants, Shiwa,
and those who came after them, Phedajma, and the low class Longme.
The Shiwa have traditionally wielded the highest authority among
Walung. However, all the three subgroups of Walung adhere to the
same religion (Sharma, BS2045:?). The Walung follow the old Buddhist
religion. They worship the Avalokiteshwara, who is known as Cherisi.
The Walung also revere Padmasambhava. Along with a 90-ft tall
monastery, there are many monasteries in villages. The Walungs
celebrate Lhosar, and they also celebrate the festival known as
Phutuk. During the Phutuk festival, masked dancers enact various
scenes, including a scene depicting a battle between the local
Maksum Gyabo and the Gyabo of neighbouring Thudam area. Neso,
Sakadaba, Dhukpachhesi, Ngyungne, etc are some of the other
festivals celebrated amidst much merrymaking (Ukyab and Adhikari,
BS2057:60). The fire in a local monastery that has been burning
uninterruptedly for the last four hundred years is a specialty of
Olangchung Gola.
Although in the northern mountainous region, the area inhabited by
Walungs is not an area without physical facilities; so, the Walungs
are engaged in business and trade as well as farming and they lead a
comfortable life. As the area is on the trade route to Tibet, the
main occupation of Walung is business and trade. Business and trade
are carried out from here with the Sar, Riyu and Tingse settlements
and markets of Tibet (Thapa, 1998), which are just at a distance of
10 km. The Walungs are also skilled in business and trade with third
countries. They raise livestock like yak, horse and sheep and grow
crops like barley, wheat and potato in the areas of Lungthung,
Yangma, Ghunsa, etc. There is a special hold over land of the upper
class Shiwa (seven families), followed by the Phedajma and Longme.
There is, however, no corresponding monopoly of any particular
subgroup over trade and business.
extracted from Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities website
(NEFIN) |
Dikyi Ukyab
(daughter of Tenzing Ukyab and Basanta Ukyab) - - an
aspiring Nepali singer, a couple of albums released. here's
a link to read more about her
Tenzin Dolkar
(daughter of Dicki Yangzom and Kyilela) - received full
scholarship to Bowdoin College in Maine.