Saturday 29 November 2014

WHY there is NO history of Tamang community in Nepal?

"History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon."
- Napoleon Bonaparte

"History is a gallery of pictures in which there are few originals and many copies."
- Alexis de Tocqueville  (1805-1859),  French political thinker and historian

“History is always written by the winners. When two cultures clash, the loser is obliterated, and the winner writes the history books-books which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe. As Napoleon once said, 'What is history, but a fable agreed upon?”
― Dan Brown, a renowned American author

Ex-Gurkha Army, Mr. Tenzing Limbu enquired me asking question, "WHY there is NO history of  Tamang in Nepal ?"

I also wondered WHY there is NO Tamang history in Nepal written by Nepalese historians and I came to realise from the Civil Code "Muluki Ain"  written in 1854 AD by Prime Minister Janga Bahadur Rana Tamang has been classified under the category of  "Enslavable Alcohol Drinkers" (Masinya Matwali). It is said that it codified social codes in practice for several centuries in Nepal that was rooted in Vyavahāra (traditional Hindu legal procedure), Prāyaścitta (avoidance and removal of sin) and Ācāra (the customary law of different castes and communities).

According to renowned historian of Nepal Mr. Janak Lal Sharma (Himal year 5, number 1) says that the Tamangs are ancient people who are living in the surrounding of Kathmandu valley and its neighboring districts.

Earlier Tamangs were known by various terminologies. Among these, Murmi is a popular term. Hamilton in 1802, Hudson in 1847, and Macdonald in 1989 have used the term Murmi for Tamang people. Some scholars are of the opinion that during the regime of King Tribhuvan the then Prime Minister Bhim Shumsher had formally used the term Tamang for the very first time under the request of Sardar Bahadur Jungabir, who was also from the Tamang nationality. In the 13th century, King Boom Degon (1253–1280), who had ruled the present Mustang region of Nepal, has scriptured the word Tamang in his genealogy. This is the oldest written document ever found about the usage of the word Tamang that exclusively refers to the Tamang nationality of Nepal. There still prevails differences about the origin of the word Tamang.

From Nepal's historical evidences it has proven that Tamang community has been attempted to Genocide by Nepal's past rulers because they were very much aggressive towards Gorkha rulers. As mentioned by Neupane, Govinda in his article  titled "Nepalko Jatiya Prashna (Ethnic Question of Nepal)" published in 2000 that "The Tamangs revolted twice against King Rana Bahadur Shah and King Girvan Bikram Shah in 1873, but they could not succeed."

However, Magar, Gurung, Rai and Limbu had agreement and support to Gorkha's king. Thus they became their troops and later sold to the East India Company as a Gorkha Soldier whereas Tamang were forbidden to join to deprived them socio-economically. Thus kept them as a slave of royal families and palace in the Kathmandu valley exploiting their male's physical strength and women as a sex slave of a royal families. It is just a common sense to understand if you have BRAIN to think in our head, heart to feel and hands to do.

As I said Tamang community was attempted to GENOCIDE here the Genocide Convention adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 9 December 1948 defined Genocide and considered Crime of Genocide in international law in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide.

In the Article II: In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

Article III: The following acts shall be punishable:

(a) Genocide;

(b) Conspiracy to commit genocide;

(c) Direct and public incitement to commit genocide;

(d) Attempt to commit genocide;

(e) Complicity in genocide.

Therefore, to expect writing of history about Tamang by Nepalese rulers is almost impossible because those community which has been attempted to Genocide by rulers how they can think of writing about them.

Anyway, I love reading history to understand the root cause and reason of WHY some people and communities are so much deprived, marginalised, discriminated, dominated, and disadvantaged and others are very much advantages and feel so much proud of being belong to such groups of advantage. Besides, I love studying history because

“If you don't know history, then you don't know anything. You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree. ”
― Michael Crichton, an American best-selling author, physician, producer, director, and screenwriter

"Study history, study history. In history lies all the secrets of statecraft."
- Winston Churchill

"Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it."
- Edmund Burke (1729-1797), an Irish statesman, political theorist, and philosopher

“Study the past if you would define the future.”
― Confucius

15 comments:

  1. so lets make a tamang history, lets get united, take interviews of oldest living tamang people and agree upon the facts. after all, the process is such, and the trend is such, doesn't make sense?

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  2. Our elderly people are the living history. Do not underestimate what they have seen, experienced and gone through in life, that are very important to the generations to come. We must know from where we come, and thus we know where to go. We know history is only written of those who win, it means our people were always in the loosing side. We know Tamang people are one of the most socially marginalized groups in Nepal, that is why we do not have our histories. What ever we have are mostly the negative and those of the struggles. So I totally agree with Laxmi Tamang to involve in doing such an wonderful work. Fyafulla!

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  3. HI LAXMI NICE TO SEE U IN TAMANG HISTORY

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  4. laxmi jee can you send me your email address ? my email is tekabc123@gmail.com

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  5. Like the quote ‘“History is always written by the Victors. When two cultures clash, the loser is obliterated, and the winner writes the history books-books which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe’. As the Gorkhali kingdom expanded and Nepal became a Hindu state ,the Tamangs ( Mongoliod and Buddhists) found themselves on the fringes of that society (governed by Manu Smriti) and when this is so it is but difficult to write and preserve your own history.

    Tamangs are decendants of Tibet's great emperor Songtsen Gampo's army from the 7th Century.
    ). The origin of the word ‘Tamang’ cannot be explained in Nepali can only be attributed to and explained in Tibetan . And the most obvious translation is as :
    Ta in Tibetan – means Horse and Mang (short for Mang mi or Mag-mi ) - means Army which militarily translates into ‘The Cavalry’ .


    Tshering Jorden
    jordenelvis@gmail.com

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  6. I'm not good in English but it it good to know about the history of my own caste. I'm very greatful to Laxmi tamang and hoping in the future you will update more on it.

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  7. that's great task.
    let's all of us join a hand by hand to enrich our history.
    let's alarm the world by ours history.

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  8. Happy to know our people concerns about our origin. Now Creating history is in our hand so that our future generation read them proudly. Lets make it happen.

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  9. There are countless and hidden untold histories of our Tamang that were buried and undisclosed by rivals in past.You may go www.esamata.com and read article written by Raj Kumar Dikpal

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  10. I have been wondering the same things. Where is our history? Our ethnic culture and traditions have almost been erased. Especially in Kathmandu, a lot of future generations cannot even understand tamang language.
    I am glad that there are people in my community who are wondering the same things. I am very set on doing more research and uncovering more truths. I do not want our people and history to be forgotten and erased.

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  11. This is w.r.t your article on the Goo-r-khas

    I am actually astonished that in the 21st century - a nation like Hindoosthan would use these midget hobbits with slit eyes !

    The word Gurkha comes from a Himalayan field mouse (Apodemus gurkha) ! What are these people ?

    https://dindooohindoo.page.tl/Goo_r_kha-Kayars.htm

    As per the "history" of these Nepali Goo-r-kha sons of hereditary whores - they are "toilet cleaners".

    They are called "pode" The other temple and funeral priests referred to Durga Prasad Sapkota as “the priest who became a pode”,meaning a “toilet-cleaner”

    http://parawartan.wordpress.com/2012/03/ http://www.academia.edu/5126760/The_Materi ality_of_Death_Bodies_burials_beliefs_Edited_by

    Lord Krishna, the Dandy Boy,"himself killed and beheaded the Nepali Goo-r-khaa Rat", Yalambara -
    Still the Dindooo Hindoo Bindoo Monkey Army, "keeps these rats"

    So by a clever stroke of diplomacy,"Krishna cut off Yalambara's head". REFERENCE BELOW : https://www.scribd.com/doc/44141644/The-History-of-Ancient-Medieval-Nepal http://cultureandheritagetourisminnepal.blogspot.in/2010/07/history-of-nepal.html

    These Nepali Goo-rkha rats , infected "1 million people in Haiti" with their shit !
    https://www.thenational.ae/world/the-americas/cholera-epidemic-in-haiti-blamed-on-nepalese-un-peacekeepers-1.373046 What is wrong with Britain ?

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  12. Thnku Laxmi Tamang for this article...

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  13. Yes, tamang history is either erased or forgotten. I am trying to learn about our history and have been wondering similar questions.
    Specially in city areas our culture is being forgotten. Everyone considers themselves Nepali, which is true but Nepal wasn't fair to us. People need to see that. Our culture and history is being overtaken by Nepali culture. I was raised in Kathmandu area and I cannot even speak my own language (tamang). I feel sad and ashamed about it. I tried to lookup classes to learn tamang online but havent found one.

    Great job you are doing by the way. Is there any way I could stay updated on your research and knowledge?

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  14. Tamang means horse warrior/horse bussinessman,trader!

    Tamang are famous and known for brave martial qualities and intrepid nature and well known for doing businesses as well



    Tamang are the largest buddhist follower in nepal and the largest ethnic in nepal!





    Yes of course tamangs are the oldest tribe and pure indigenous/native of this country! 



    Before khatmandu tamang people used to call Yambu not khatmandu



    In khatmandu you could see lots of buddhist temple all are made by tamangs!



    There history are still hidden  not only tamangs but all mongols like rai limbu gurung magar history are hidden as well!





    The tamang king used to dominate 9 district   he was betrayed by shah and murdered that is why the tamang kingdom collapsed



    The shahs tortured tamang people in a very bad way calling them foreinger



    The brave tamang never accpet shah(king) as their king nor they converted into hindu  they preserved their culture well!



    Tamang,gurung,magar,limbu,rai,tharu and sherpa etc were not given education  by the shahs cause  he wants to exterminate these ethnics so he sold rai,limbu,magar,gurung to british as a slave and the british used these etnics -rai,limbu,magar,gurung frontliner in war!



    But grg,mgr,rai and limbu accepted shah as thier king and ready to convert into hindusim they totally surrender themself to shah thats why shah gave them permission to be in paltan army thats all( but actually they were sold to british for slave and the british used these rai,limbu,magar,gurung frontliner in war they don't care whether they die or not cause they are slave they bought it but  fortunately they were brave so they earned their name)



    But tamangs never accept shah as their king nor accept hindu nor sold the culture that's why shah hate tamang!

    Why Shah(king)didn't allowed tamang to  join armies cause the tamangs would be well trained in there and could reunite and could figh backt with shahs and could take back their kingdom that is what shah fear of!





    Shah wanted tamang people to exterminated so he gave order to his armies to killed tamangs so he started killing thousands of tamangs  so some tamangs ran for thier lives in tibet,bhutan,sikkim,darjeeling



    This is how tamangs people are in india sikkim tibet and bhutan!









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  15. Hello is this mean our anestro is slave

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