Chhantyal
Encyclopedia
Chhantyal is an ethnic group among nearly seventy ethnicities existing in Nepal
. Chhantyals are considered an indigenous
group by the Government of Nepal. Most of the Chhantyal dwellings are concentrated in the western part of the country. Baglung
and Myagdi are two districts in the Dhaulagiri Zone where most of the Chhantyals are living. Other districts with Chhantyal habitation include Mustang
, Gulmi,
Rukum, and Parbat. Nowadays, owing to the migration trend there is a notable population of the Chhantyals in Kathmandu Valley
, Rupandehi, Kaski, Dang and Chitwan districts. According to a survey conducted by its sole organization, Nepal Chhantyal Organization, the total population was 10,521 and 1,519 households. Traditionally Chhantyals have been living with other castes in harmony. In some villages Chhantyals are a major group whereas in other villages they are a minority. Chhantyals have their own culture
, tradition
, rituals, language
, and religion
.
Chhantyals were skilled miners. They used to mine copper ores
. Most of the mining was done with little or no scientific tools but based on the knowledge handed down the generations. They could survey the area with taste and smell of the soil and rock to locate the copper ore. When found, they used to go far inside the hills and it took many years to complete. There are many caves, with long and big holes inside mountains, landslides, and cut hills which were made during the mining time. So most of the Chhantyal villages are named after the mine(khani) that was found there. They left their original profession more than half a century ago because of the Nepal Government's high tax rate which made mining less sustinable. Today, farming is a major occupation. Foreign remittance also plays a vital role. British and Indian Gurkha army, gulf countries, Malaysia, Japan, USA, Australia and Europe have been some of the destination for foreign employment in recent years.
As a matter of faith, Chhantyals worship nature and their ancestor's spirits. They give animal sacrifices on trees, hills, sources of water and other special places like farms and at the altar inside a house etc. Some of the gods include Barah, Kuldebata, Sime Bhume, Mandali etc. Because of Hinduism's overwhelming pressure in the 19th century, Chhantyals have adopted a mixed worshiping style. Maghe-Sankranti and Saune-Sankranti are two major festivals. These two festivals have special importance on nature and ancestor's spirit worship. Dashain and Tihar
, Hindu's major festivals, are also celebrated as special occasions.
Chhantyals are formed of twelve different clans which are as follow: Bhalanja [भलंजा], Budhathoki [बुढाथोकी, Dandamare [डांडामारे], Gharabja [घरब्जा], Gharti [घर्ती], Gyapchan [घ्याप्चन], Jhingraja [झिङराजा], Khadka [खड्का], Potlange [पोट्लाङ्गे], Purane [पुराने], Singe [सिङे], and Tathapja [तथप्जा].Traditionally they marry inside their twelve clans. One of the major distinct characteristics of the community is the marriage tradition. Cousin marriage is allowed but has to be outside one's own clan.
) Gurung Kham language, but these two are separate Khams with distinct identity and history.
The Chhantyal language is spoken by approximately 5,000 of the about 15,000 ethnic Chantyals. The villages where the Chantyal language is spoken are all located in the eastern portion of the Myagdi District and include the villages of Mangale Khani, Dwari, Ghyas Kharka‚, Caura Khani, Kuine Khani, Thada Khani, Patle Kharka‚, Malampar, and Malkabang. There is relatively little linguistic variation among these villages. The Chantyal language is a member of the Tamangic group (along with Gurung, Thakali, Nar-Phu and Tamang) Within the group, it is lexically and grammatically closest to Thakali.The chhantyals are also referred as "Mongolians" race in Nepal.
Assessment of the internal relations within the group is complicated by a number of factors, among which is the fact that shared innovations may be the product of geographic contiguity as much as shared genetic background. However chhantyal is in many respects the most deviant member of the group, lacking a tone system and having borrowed a large portion of its lexicon from Nepali. In addition,there appears to be a layer of Tibeto-Burman vocabulary that is not Tamangic.
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. Chhantyals are considered an indigenous
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
group by the Government of Nepal. Most of the Chhantyal dwellings are concentrated in the western part of the country. Baglung
Baglung
Baglung, is a town in western Nepal, 275 km west of Kathmandu. It is the administrative headquarters of Baglung District and Dhawalagiri Zone. Baglung is a major business, financial, educational, and healthcare center for the people of Kali Gandaki valley....
and Myagdi are two districts in the Dhaulagiri Zone where most of the Chhantyals are living. Other districts with Chhantyal habitation include Mustang
Mustang District
Mustang District, a part of Dhawalagiri Zone, is one of the seventy-five districts of Nepal, a landlocked country of South Asia. The district, with Jomsom as its headquarters, covers an area of 3,573 km² and has a population of 14,981....
, Gulmi,
Rukum, and Parbat. Nowadays, owing to the migration trend there is a notable population of the Chhantyals in Kathmandu Valley
Kathmandu Valley
The Kathmandu Valley , located in Nepal, lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of Asia, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several places of pilgrimage for the Hindus and the Buddhists. There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites within this valley.-Etymology:The city of...
, Rupandehi, Kaski, Dang and Chitwan districts. According to a survey conducted by its sole organization, Nepal Chhantyal Organization, the total population was 10,521 and 1,519 households. Traditionally Chhantyals have been living with other castes in harmony. In some villages Chhantyals are a major group whereas in other villages they are a minority. Chhantyals have their own culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
, tradition
Tradition
A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...
, rituals, language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
, and religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
.
Chhantyals were skilled miners. They used to mine copper ores
Copper ores
Following is a list of minerals which serve as copper ores in the copper mining process:...
. Most of the mining was done with little or no scientific tools but based on the knowledge handed down the generations. They could survey the area with taste and smell of the soil and rock to locate the copper ore. When found, they used to go far inside the hills and it took many years to complete. There are many caves, with long and big holes inside mountains, landslides, and cut hills which were made during the mining time. So most of the Chhantyal villages are named after the mine(khani) that was found there. They left their original profession more than half a century ago because of the Nepal Government's high tax rate which made mining less sustinable. Today, farming is a major occupation. Foreign remittance also plays a vital role. British and Indian Gurkha army, gulf countries, Malaysia, Japan, USA, Australia and Europe have been some of the destination for foreign employment in recent years.
As a matter of faith, Chhantyals worship nature and their ancestor's spirits. They give animal sacrifices on trees, hills, sources of water and other special places like farms and at the altar inside a house etc. Some of the gods include Barah, Kuldebata, Sime Bhume, Mandali etc. Because of Hinduism's overwhelming pressure in the 19th century, Chhantyals have adopted a mixed worshiping style. Maghe-Sankranti and Saune-Sankranti are two major festivals. These two festivals have special importance on nature and ancestor's spirit worship. Dashain and Tihar
Tihar
Tihar is a five-day Nepalese festival celebrated in late autumn, which comes soon after Dashain. Two of these days incorporates the Hindu festival Deepavali, where one day is celebrated for goddess Laxmi and the other one is celebrated to worship brothers for their long life. However, all ethnic...
, Hindu's major festivals, are also celebrated as special occasions.
Chhantyals are formed of twelve different clans which are as follow: Bhalanja [भलंजा], Budhathoki [बुढाथोकी, Dandamare [डांडामारे], Gharabja [घरब्जा], Gharti [घर्ती], Gyapchan [घ्याप्चन], Jhingraja [झिङराजा], Khadka [खड्का], Potlange [पोट्लाङ्गे], Purane [पुराने], Singe [सिङे], and Tathapja [तथप्जा].Traditionally they marry inside their twelve clans. One of the major distinct characteristics of the community is the marriage tradition. Cousin marriage is allowed but has to be outside one's own clan.
Language
The Chhantyals’ language known as Chhantyal Kham (छन्त्याल खाम) is moribund. Most of the Chhantyals in Baglung have ceased to speak Chhantyal Kham many years ago. Some efforts have been made but the goal to preserve it is somewhat far from current efforts. The main problem with Chhantyal Kham is that there is no written alphabet. Some words and expressions are akin to the (TamuTamu
Tamu may refer to:* Texas A&M University* Tamu, Burma* Tampere United, Finnish football club* Tamu , A West African given name, meaning one who loves* Bwana Tamu, Kenyan sultan* Ta'mu, a type of dumpling made in Southeast Asia...
) Gurung Kham language, but these two are separate Khams with distinct identity and history.
The Chhantyal language is spoken by approximately 5,000 of the about 15,000 ethnic Chantyals. The villages where the Chantyal language is spoken are all located in the eastern portion of the Myagdi District and include the villages of Mangale Khani, Dwari, Ghyas Kharka‚, Caura Khani, Kuine Khani, Thada Khani, Patle Kharka‚, Malampar, and Malkabang. There is relatively little linguistic variation among these villages. The Chantyal language is a member of the Tamangic group (along with Gurung, Thakali, Nar-Phu and Tamang) Within the group, it is lexically and grammatically closest to Thakali.The chhantyals are also referred as "Mongolians" race in Nepal.
Assessment of the internal relations within the group is complicated by a number of factors, among which is the fact that shared innovations may be the product of geographic contiguity as much as shared genetic background. However chhantyal is in many respects the most deviant member of the group, lacking a tone system and having borrowed a large portion of its lexicon from Nepali. In addition,there appears to be a layer of Tibeto-Burman vocabulary that is not Tamangic.
External links
- Nefin.org
- The Chhantyal at blogspot.com
- Facebook.com
- Chantyalfamily at blogspot
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
- Wordpress.com
- Chhantyal Association UK