the loba culture

At present, the ways of life of Lama have changed greatly and those living, studying, and teaching at Chhoede Gomba have a well-off life. Lhoba religion practices include shamanism, spiritual healing, fortune-telling and wizardry. Buddhism seems to have been integrated into the original Bon faith. Ojha, Durga Prasad. Dhungel, Ramesh. 2002. These local institutions are altering traditional agricultural practices to respond to the impacts of changes in the physical environment. The Loba are very religious people. Now Gomba has started enrollment of novices from other regions of Nepal. Known as Donggeng Gurumu (meaning something like congratulate the safety of the current year and look forward to a bumper harvest in the coming year), the festival witnesses Lhoba people butchering cattle and pigs to be given as presents to the maternal relatives. As local youth of Lo-manthang migrated out, the cheap labor from other districts immigrated to the place seasonally, mostly to work in farm-fields, repairing irrigation canals, and fencing farm-fields, as well as the construction of house building and roads and bridges. The roles of ghenba system are crucial for supporting agricultural activities, including canal maintenance, water distribution and crop protection from livestock encroachment, and providing justice to the victim. The temperature is rising at 0.048 degrees Celsius per year, and the annual rainfall is decreasing by three millimeters (mm) per year (Khattri 2021; Khattri & Pandey 2021). Left Coast Press. to restrain ghosts. Irrigation management led by ghenba as the local institution has at least ten designed principles in Lo-manthang as presented in Table 1. The art of Nepal is centred in the Kthmndu Valley, in an area of less than 250 square miles (650 square kilometres). Their leadership is selected from each household of the Phalwa (Gurung) community on the basis of turn system. Field observation was one of the principal methods of collecting primary information, followed by Key Informant Interviews (KII). They build their homes out of stone, making the roofs out of thinly chiseled stone squares. Their hierarchy is not based on untouchability and lacks a higher level of exclusion, even in private spheres. Evangelicals = 2% Professing Christians > 5% and = 50% 3 Superficially reached- Few evangelicals, but many who identify as Christians. Lo Kingdom continued the practice of cultural systems of resource use and population control. Google Scholar. The Kings welfare support to the people, which is implemented through the Jigme Foundation, is mostly directed towards the health sector, daycare centers for children, and the promotion of education. based on the ancient myths, legends and stories of the Loba people, or on the In Lo-manthang, a drought-prone region, cultivation without irrigation is impossible. Dhongba was a real-life saver of the household in the past, which, with the course of modernization, their burden has been notably reduced and responsibility has been changed as many Loba households sustain on their own. 2008. As the study site is Lo-manthang of the Upper Mustang, the Population and Housing Census 2011 documented 569 individuals as the areas total population (CBS 2012). Central Bureau of Statistics. Lo-manthang Rural Municipality (LRM), the local government provides grants to the ghenba system to maintain irrigation canals. Associate Professor of Anthropology at the Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal, Associate Professor of Geography and Environment at Pokhara University, Pokhara, Nepal, You can also search for this author in Only when we marched to the Yeti Airlines office to buy our tickets to Jomsom did we find out, to our dismay, that all flights were fully booked for the next eight weeks. The Loba culture has historical, cultural, linguistic, and ethnic relations with Western Tibetans (Dhungel 2002; Frer-Haimendorf 1975). The Dhongbas are units of production of the local social-ecosystem that are entitled to use local resources within the context of the institutions agreed rules, norms, and values. Other visible impacts reported are increased invasive species, changed phenology of plants, increased incidents of crops and livestock diseases, and changed habitats of disease vectors. Such isolation held out the possibility that Upper Mustang might be home to some unsullied original Tibetan culture. precious and living historical data of life and culture for future generations. In the present day, Lobas have introduced monogamy and the family planning system to control the population, which has challenged the traditional lifestyle on the one hand, and on the other, the population of Lamas and Aanis is decreasing sharply at Gombas. This region has also been recognized as a meeting place for Buddhist scholars of different sects, both by native and foreign origin, even from distant places such as Magadha (India), Simhala (Sri Lanka), Balyul (Kathmandu), Khache (Kashmir), and Bod (Tibet) (Dhungel 2002). This is a unique feature of the Loba, but one that is slowly diminishing. We soon realised it was a huge risk to change travel plans mid trek, especially in these parts where villages are far away from each other. Samar, at 3,700 m, is a verdant village of just seven households. The Ghara settlement lies outside the main settlement in Lo-manthang, which is more or less the same pattern as the traditional Newa: settlements of the Kathmandu Valley (Pandey 2004). The selection of the KII was based on informants experience and their knowledge of the respective theme of the study. Social equity in farmer-managed irrigation in the Terai of Nepal. Your Guide to Tibetan People and Cultural Life, Uncovering the great Himalayan mystery: the Yeti, The Essence ofTibetan Culture Seen through The Attire and Accessories They Adorn, Leisure life in Lhasa, Tibetan life style, {{count}} Questions and Answers On "Lhoba People in Sountheast of Himalayas", Sorry, E-mail has not been sent successfully. These options have changed dramatically in the last few decades with the influence of Nepali state and globalization as a whole. We also crossed a lone chorten, evocative of the isolation of this wind-swept high-altitude plateau, and a stunning Mani wall. In old days, Lhoba people were divided into two classes - 'maide' and 'nieba'. Life and livelihoods in the Forbidden Kingdom, the Trans-Himalaya. They fish the Congo River and its main tributaries intensively. (ABC News: Zoe Osborne) "In earlier times, there were nearly 125 monks here," says Sakya monk, Jabyang Sonam. International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology The single growing season a year in the region where the minimal size of farmland is available causes inadequate local food production that has challenged food and livelihood security in the region (Pandey 2017). Joshua Project makes every effort to ensure that the subject in an image is in fact from the specific people group. Joshua Project may be able to provide more information than what is published on this site. At that time, the workers received good food while at work and also received normal wages of NRs. During the Cultural life centered around the kitenta, the royal compound. A dyeing method in which fabrics are partially tied up so that t. O Bai (about 1610) - 1669, Manchu: Oboi) Guwalgiya Manchuria is set in Huangqi banner. Kottak, Conrad Phillip. The first author is the primary researcher. Climate and weather discourse in anthropology: From determinism to uncertain futures. According to a new report from the company review site Comparably, Microsoft is the No. Their main god is tiger which is the most dangerous animal in the region. We welcome. Water Resources Research 29 (7): 19071912. Mule trains were bringing in provisions needed to cater to tourists and household goods all the way from Pokhara, as they might have brought in tea, salt, silks and precious gems in the past. 300 per day per person. 3000 years of agriculture in a valley of the high Himalayas. All seven of us squeezed into a jeep with our luggage strapped to the roof. However, nowadays, people see other socio-economic opportunities instead of just being a Lama. As animists, Lhoba people believe that everything has an immortal spirit called Wuyong. Nationality. University of Southern California. - Few evangelicals, but significant number who identify as Christians. The construction project contractors of the village municipality for developmental works supply the laborers from those districts where poverty and unemployment are high. Kham Sang is responsible and honest with more than six years of guide experience in Tibet.She has strong interpersonal skills and can communicate effectively with tourists. The semi-structured checklist was prepared to guide the KII to seek information on institutions that govern their unity with the Lo kingdom, craft their norms, values, beliefs, perceptions, and adaptive strategies to cope with the changing socio-economic, cultural and environmental conditions. production, planting maize, upland rice and other miscellaneous grains. Regional Environmental Change 11 (S1): 6577. Because of the support of the Lo King, it became possible for the Nepal Government that the Khampa rebellion was disarmed in 1974. Although informal, the King still has some power, recognized by Loba communities, to modify individuals or households fine fixed by the ghenba system. Aanis are active in Muktinath temple and are the main actors in controlling or maintenance of the process of worshipping. The study was conducted under the PhD in Anthropology project of the first author at Tribhuvan University, Nepal. Until 1992, this area was closed to the outside world. The speaker in this instance depicts the Loba as akin to the vibrancy of indigenous American cultures, which arguably fall outside of mainstream culture. Caizhao Village now has a small village with Lhoba features, a folk customs museum. The chortens (temple) were crowded with garlands of rocks inscribed in Tibetan. However, the ghenba system has been able to play a crucial role in mobilizing water users, and is useful in the entire Upper Mustang region to mobilize local people for community development and local, ecosystem-based adaptation. 1965. The Loba follow horizontal social stratification by their occupation, educational level, property holding/access, fluency in languages, gender, and lifestyles. These languages are not mutually intelligible and Lhoba people do not have any written script. Called sky caves, they harbour secrets from a distant past. The legend of the ancestors of the Loba Book Kathmandu: CNAS. political, historical, natural common sense, family and marriage in reality, Oddly shaped blood vessels on this freshly harvested liver are bad omens. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Loba The path to Kagbeni is along the riverbed, mostly dry, with an occasional crystal stream meandering over the grey pebbles. The Loba produces only a single crop in a year, and the tenure of the village head, hence, also becomes one agriculture cycle. In fact, there are no regular bus services to Jomsom; one has to go hunting for the odd tour operator willing to risk his bus on the route. 2008. Both men and women of the Loba nationality like This is being rejected by younger Loba people as modernization sets in. There is no native Two Lhoba religion also has various natural gods. Every additional day of stay costs $50 a day. And there were hundreds waiting to get there. Nevertheless, the institutions are working hard to continue their existence by frequently modifying their rules and norms. Nevertheless, some households are bound by the customary rules developed in the past and are still sending their second son/daughter to the Gomba. Similarly, the seasonal weather pattern has become unpredictable as some winters are warmer than the springs as winter snowfall is shifted to early spring. Sociological and Anthropological Society of Nepal (SASON). Cookies policy. In-depth interviews with 15 farmers, 10 traders, 5 Buddhist monks (Lamas/ religious leaders), 1 Amchi (Himalayan traditional healer), two development practitioners, two local teachers, and two village heads have been conducted by the researcher, along with field research assistants. Mustang is a windy, arid, high altitude desert. In the polyandrous family, male members follow the reme gyapkin system to maintain a harmonious relationship among the brothers in the household. Tamtin Gurung, a local intellectual, said that the system is not favorable to the common people and it has not been harmonized with changing weather system. Weaving process more complicated, in keeping the national characteristics on the basis of the dress nice. The dun-coloured dunes in the foreground contrast with the rainbow-hued rocks in the distance. As a result, members of the system are less burdened financially. 1999. Ritual and Religion in the Making of Humanity. We feasted on buckwheat pancakes dripping with mountain honey as our eyes feasted on the Nilgiri wrapped in a gossamer scarf of mist. She says storing seeds is a cultural task of Bijags women. Under the strict feudal society of Tibet, Lhoba people were considered inferior and 'wild. The Ghenba, Tamanage Bista said: the fine locally known as chheba, can be asked in a bigger amount. Lobas are one of them and quite a few in terms of absolute number. Culturally embedded knowledge in irrigation: Peoples ways of thriving in a Himalayan village. However, the condition of polyandry is dying out at present. Central Bureau of Statistics. Legend of the Ancestors of the Loba Changes in institutional role in the changing socio-economic, and environmental context. Dhongba is similar to western Tibetan regions, which maintain ancestral property system, socio-cultural systems, and prepares household members to participate in political and religious affairs (Goldstein 1971). The Loba settlement is built as a clustered, mud-walled historical town. New situations such as changes in political, economic, and environmental contexts, have led the Loba people to some troubles in continuing the ghenba system. The Loba tribespeople living in the village of Dhe in Nepal are increasingly abandoning their homes as climate change transforms the landscape. Other household types, such as phorang (of a singled man) and morang (of a singled woman), are also observable in the place. University of Illinois Press. Nevertheless, despite all socio-economic and political development, migration has become a big challenge to continue the role of traditional institutions of the Loba community in Lo-manthang since the increased scarcity of human resources to perform community responsibilities is observed. obviously different from those of the Tibetans. 2000. 2009. Indigenous irrigation management system is as old as the agriculture system that began in Lo-manthang. activities. He had put together a trek that would take us to Upper Mustang cresting several mountain ranges all the way from ABC to Jomsom. usually after the annual labor. Khattri, Man Bahadur. Autonomous Region was listed in the third batch of national intangible cultural Electricity, telephone and internet facilities are extended to this remote location. This paper investigates how different institutions of Loba communities of the Upper Mustang work together and facilitate the community to cope with the environmental dynamics in the region. Yale University Press. There are 14 families, 30 species of mammals, 11 orders, 36 families, 115 species of birds, 19 species of reptiles and 10 species of frogs in Guang'an City. The Loba people practice polyandry, where a woman marries multiple men. Until 2008, there were four titular kings in Nepal (Mustang, Jajarkot, Salyan, and Bajhang). So here we were going round and round the mountain trails of dust and sand, often losing sight of the Manang range and the Nilgiri, which were our markers. Lhoba people are the smallest of the 56 ethnic groups in China and live in South-eastern Tibet. Rich agricultural land was only available in pockets and in-between these were large uninhabited areas used for hunting. The ghenba, the village head, is an age-old local institution built upon the socio-cultural and political reality of Loba people and their environmental condition. We want to thank the University Grants Commission Nepal for partial Financial Support for this research under PhD thesis grant. Map Design: Joshua Project, Joshua Project data is drawn from many sources and of varying accuracy depending on source and editorial decisions. Those people who have traveled outside of Lo-manthang for work, study, or business and have already earned a good amount of money can contribute to rituals. 2015. Unfortunately, not much is known about the history and origin of Lhoba people. Each year, they come from the Kuthak family. They had practiced polyandry marriage until the recent past. After one beautiful legend after another, Legends claim that a fierce soldier named Ame Pal founded the Kingdom of Mustang some time between 1350 and 1380. They are supposed to contribute compulsory labor to maintain the irrigation system. The content of the song is mostly Gurung, Juddha Bahadur 2012. Although dilapidated and open to the sky in many places, it houses priceless murals in reasonably good condition. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. John Murry. The Phalwas are the most dominant and economically powerful and place themselves in the middle of the social position. Ellen, Roy F., Peter Parkes, and Alan Bicker. From the time, Mustang became the vassal state of Nepal and the King of the Mustang had the titular privilege of enjoying the title of raja (the King) by receiving state grants and customary rights from the Kingdom of Nepal (Dhungel 2002). Lama Phuntchok said: Chhode Gomba owns big plots of agricultural land, which were to be cultivated by those people who do not produce enough food for their families from their land. Architecture The Kuthak and ghenba support the monarch in political affairs and ruling the Loba community of Upper Mustang. Copyright 2023, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. The Loba celebrate four major religious festivals: Gine, Gensu, Gelung, and Nayuene. These tasks used to be performed in the form of reme ghapkin, the turn system, particularly while working for the Gomba and the palace (Table 2). Kilolo, chiefs, headed local village government. Altogether, there were 18 households, they worked on a rotational basis. The chhume, light supports achieving shil (good manner, meditation or concentration, and enlightenment). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-010-0174-9. The ghenba system in Lo-manthang is led by eight households from Bista/Kutak clan. We were wrapped up like a mummy in a tomb, and yet grit got into our eyes and mouth and blocked our nostrils too. Khattri, Man Bahadur, and Rishikesh Pandey. This research involves human participants, human data, and human issues. The Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), a Unit Office at Lo-manthang, shows that a total number of 52,559 foreign tourists visited Upper Mustang from 1992 to 2019. 2005. different. The Loba live in the Mustang District of northern Nepal, at altitudes of between 11,000 and 13,000 feet. The Lama plays a major role in reinforcing local rules, while the Ghenba is an agent who mediates the Lo King and people in materializing rules and operationalizing institutional mechanisms. These changes have made Upper Mustang even drier since the snow in the spring melts faster, increases runoff, and reduces water storage in the form of snow, therefore decreasing the availability of water but increasing landslides and flooding. By the afternoon, newspapers in Latin America and Spain teemed with tributes. They produce single seasonal crops of few varieties (wheat, naked barley, mustard, potatoes, buckwheat, vegetables). A few young boys and girls were threshing some of the harvest. Lo Manthang is a walled city tucked away in the folds of high mountain ranges far and away from intrusive crowds and even Nepals administrative reach. The kitenta brought together artists, poets, musicians and craftsmen supported by royal and court patronage. The social and cultural hierarchy of the Lo Kingdom is significantly different from the caste and ethnicity system of Nepal. Mio Yuanhoon, Quan Chen, the son of Saul fruit of the tribal chieftain of the Qing Dynasty, the founding fathers . and his descendants were Bogars. The Buddhist Loba people there still farm with wooden plows and spend hours spinning prayer wheels, chanting mantras, and consulting Buddhist astrologers on every aspect of life. Perhaps the river reached up to that height in the distant past? The Mustangi King Gyam Parabal led the Nepal Government delegates in 1895, during the dialogue on the border dispute, with Chinas Tibet, related to the salt and grain trade in Mustang. The residents of Lo are known as the Loba. On our early morning walk through this street, we spotted Dhaulagiri Boarding School and an attached hostel where girls were getting ready for school. Data is not as precise as it appears. Vinding, Michael, 1979. As we were nearing Chumrung, our group of three began to experience the first rumblings of a mutiny. The Upper Mustang lies on the northern side of the Mustang district, Gandaki Province of Nepal. A similar traditional customary institution holding the administration function and engaging in socio-economic, political, and religious activities is also found in Manang district of Nepal (Sherpa 2015). Led by photographer Taylor Weidman and writer Nina Wegner, the Vanishing Cultures Project aims to help. Suhasini would have preferred us to stick to our original plan but was outnumbered when Parvathi endorsed my suggestion. As Nina Wegner explained via email, "A new school in Lo Manthang offers the national curriculum in the Loba's native language of Lowa, while an amchi (Tibetan doctor) school instills young people with the science, art and . deeply influenced by the Tibetans, and their daily diet and food preparation Abadani, the ancestor of the Loba people, In this way, the Lobas have adapted the politico-institutional changes by informally accepting the King as their supreme governance institution. Minimally reached- Few evangelicals, but significant number who identify as Christians. 2001. This is evident even in the way the Loba build their homes. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 9 (4): 219222. Whichever direction you turned, there was nothing but cobalt blue skies. The Loba follow a collective decision of crop cultivation and harvest. 2000. Evangelicals = 2% Professing Christians > 50% 4 Occasionally, a daring four-wheel-drive vehicle might brave the odds to drive to Lo Manthang, the capital.

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