Limbu people

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Limbu , Yakthung , Subba
ᤕᤠᤰᤌᤢᤱ
लिम्बु
Limbu people celebrating chasok tangnam
   Nepal 414,704[1]
 India 100,550[2]
Sikkim53,703 (2011)[3]
West Bengal46,847 (2011)[4]
Assam36,000
Languages
Limbu language
Religion
Predominantly: Kiratism 81%
Minorities: Hinduism 14%, Christianity 5%
Related ethnic groups

The Limbu (exonym) / Yakthung (endonym) or (Limbu: ᤕᤠᤰᤌᤢᤱ) are a Sino-Tibetan ethnolinguistic group indigenous to the Himalayan region of eastern Nepal, Sikkim, Assam, Nagaland, northern West Bengal (North Bengal), and western Bhutan.[5][6][7]

The original name of the Limbu is Yakthung (ᤕᤠᤰᤌᤢᤱ) or Yakthum. Limbu males are called Yakthungba or Yakthumba and Limbu females are called "Yakthumma" or "Yakthungma". Ancient texts state that "Yakthung" or "Yakthum" is a derivative of Yaksha and some interpret its meaning as the "Yaksha winner".[8] In the Limbu language (ᤕᤠᤰᤌᤢᤱ ᤐᤠᤴ) it means "heroes of the hills" (Yak – hills, thung or thum – heroes or mighty warriors).[9][10][11]

Subba is a title given by the Shah Kings only to Limbu village chiefs.[12] Subba was not an indigenous Yakthung terminology, but now the two terms are almost interchangeable. People often debate about the use of term "Subba" as their surname in Limbu/Yakthung tribe. Only the village chiefs were allowed to use the term Subba in their name.[citation needed] It was how the village chiefs were distinguished from other villagers in Limbu tribe. Family lineage of the village chiefs are often found with their surname as Subba.

Their history is said to be written in a book called Bangsawoli (Genealogy), also known as Bansawali. Some ancient families have kept copies.[13] There are hundreds of Limbu clans and tribes, classified under their tribe or subnational entity or according to their place of origin.

The Chinese text Po-ou-Yeo-Jing,[which?] translated in 308 AD, refers to the Yi-ti-Sai (barbarians bordering on the north), a name which is an exact equivalent of [14][15] The Limbu/Yakthung, were also one of the earliest inhabitants of Sikkim.[16][17] Yakthung are known as Tsong in Sikkim and they are original inhabitant of Sikkim. The name of the Indian state itself is a combination of two Limbu words: su, which means "new", and khyim, which means "palace" or "house".[18]

The estimated population of the Limbu is 700,000, mainly in the districts of Sankhuwasabha, Tehrathum, Dhankuta, Taplejung, Morang, Sunsari, Jhapa, Panchthar, and Ilam in Nepal. These are all within the Koshi Province or "Limbuwan". Portions of the Limbu population are also located in the eastern and western districts of Sikkim. A smaller population is scattered throughout the cities of Darjeeling, and Kalimpong in West Bengal, Assam, Nagaland, Bhutan, and Myanmar. Some have migrated to the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, the United States, and other countries.

  1. ^ "Census Nepal caste-ethnicity results 2021".
  2. ^ "Census Of Sikkim 2011".
  3. ^ "Census Of Sikkim 2011".
  4. ^ "Population Of West Bengal 2011 Census".
  5. ^ State government and politics, Sikkim By Nirmalananda Sengupta Sterling, 1985
  6. ^ Evaluation Of Man And The Modern Society In Sikkim By Jash Raj Subba, 2008
  7. ^ P.6 History, Culture and Customs of Sikkim, J. R. Subba, 2008
  8. ^ P.20 The culture and religion of Limbus By Chaitanya Subba, 1995
  9. ^ The culture and religion of Limbus By Chaitanya Subba, K.B. Subba, 1995
  10. ^ History, Culture and Customs of Sikkim By J. R. Subba
  11. ^ Library of Congress Subject Headings By Library of Congress, 2013
  12. ^ Democracy, pluralism, and change: an inquiry in the Nepalese context By Sanjaya Serchan Chhye Pahuppe, 2001
  13. ^ Linguistic Survey of India, Volume 3, Part 1 By Office of the superintendent of government printing, 1909
  14. ^ Saklani, Dinesh Prasad Ancient communities of the Himalaya Indus Publishing Company, India (1 Mar 2002) ISBN 978-81-7387-090-3 p. 36
  15. ^ Levi, Sylvain Le Nepal Asian Educational Services, India; Facsimile edition (20 Dec 2007)ISBN 978-81-206-0580-0 p. 78
  16. ^ Sanyal, Dr. Chanru Chandra (1979). The Limbus: A South Eastern Himalayan indigenous kirat People. Dipti Printing. p. 7.
  17. ^ Skoda, Uwe (2014). Navigating Social Exclusion and Inclusion in Contemporary India and Beyond: Structures, Agents, Practices (Anthem South Asian Studies). Anthem Press. p. 137. ISBN 978-1783083404.
  18. ^ Ethnic Groups of South Asia and the Pacific: An Encyclopedia By James Minahan, 2012