Gurung people

Gurung people

Girls of the Gurung tribe in 1909
Languages
Gurung, Nepali
Religion
Buddhism[1]

The Gurung people, also called Tamu, are an ethnic group from different parts of Nepal.[2]

Religion

Selected ethnic groups of Nepal: Bhotia, Sherpa, Thakali; Gurung; Kiranti Sunuwar , Rai, Limbu; Newari; Pahari; Tamang

They are Buddhists and large minority of Hindus. Centuries of cultural influence from Tibet and its northern neighbours – which adopted the Tibetan culture to a heavy extent resulted in many Gurungs gradually embracing Tibetan Buddhism–particularly among Gurungs in the Manang region – over the centuries, particularly the Nyingma school.[3]

[4] Priestly practitioners of Gurung Dharma include lamas, ghyabri (klehpri), and pachyu (paju).[5] Shamanistic elements among the Gurungs remain strong and most Gurungs often embrace Buddhist and Bön rituals in all communal activities.[6]

One notable Gurung Buddhist lama is known as the Gurung Rinpoche of Darjeeling, Karma Wangchuk Tulku (born 1944). With followers of both Hindu and Buddhist faiths, he is famous as a religious leader and healer throughout the northeastern Himalayas of Nepal, India, and Bhutan, where he is often referred to as Gurudev. He is controversial for his connections to local Darjeeling political leaders.[7]

Traditions

Gurung music is one of the traditional form of music from the indigenous Gurung community of Nepal. Gurung society is very rich in its cultural heritage, and music plays an important role in their everyday life. Whether it is a child's birth, a marriage ceremony or a funeral, music plays a vital role in the process.

Some of the Gurung people are renowned for their use of mad honey, which they collect from the Himalayan honey bee, both for its medicinal and hallucinogen properties.[8]

Notable Gurung people

See also

References

  1. ↑ Dr. Dilli Ram Dahal (2002-12-30). "Chapter 3. Social composition of the Population: Caste/Ethnicity and Religion in Nepal". Government of Nepal, Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  2. ↑ "Ethnohistory of Gurung People" (PDF). Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  3. ↑ McHugh, Ernestine (2001). Love and Honor in the Himalayas: coming to know another culture. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 32. ISBN 0-8122-1759-4.
  4. ↑ Mumford, Stanley Royal (1989). Himalayan Dialogue: Tibetan Lamas and Gurung Shamans in Nepal. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 30–32. ISBN 0-299-11984-X.
  5. ↑ von Fürer-Haimendorf, Christoph (1985). Tribal populations and cultures of the Indian subcontinent 2. Brill Publishers. pp. 137–8. ISBN 90-04-07120-2. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
  6. ↑ Robert Gordon Latham (1859). Descriptive Ethnology I. London: John Van Voorst, Paternoster Row. pp. 80–82.
  7. ↑ Shor, Thomas (2014). The Master Director: A Journey through Politics, Doubt and Devotion with a Himalayan Master. HarperCollins India, Amazon.com. ASIN B00HYE9UTM. ISBN 9789350297315.
  8. ↑ Treza, Raphael (2011). "Hallucinogen honey hunters". topdocumentaryfilms.com. Retrieved 20 October 2015.

Further reading

External links

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