Persijs Muiznieks

Tamang people have a typical mountain character. They will watch strangers with suspicion but will voluntarily consent to friendship. However, if they are betrayed, they will remember the betrayers for a long time.
Many spears have been broken to prove the origins of the Tamang, as well as the meaning of this word. The Tamangs call the land of their ancestors Tamsaling, which means the place where the people speak the Tamang language.

Tamang is the oldest inhabitants in the Himalayan region, and Kathmandu Valley or Yambu is the place where their ancestors settled. Archaeological excavations prove that the Tamangs' predecessors were Mongolian tribes who lived in this region thousands of years ago. The word Tamang contains a combination of two words and means, Ta - horse and Mang- trader/horseman in the Tibetan language.
Until 1950, Tamang was exposed to general discrimination. They were not allowed to hold any posts in government or other responsible positions. However, much has changed today, and the government has begun to pay particular attention to the welfare of Tamang ethnic groups. It can be said, that these activities show progressiveness.

They occupy important positions in the British Gurkha Army, the Indian Army and Nepal Police too. Every day, life goes hand in hand with ancestral traditions. These people are very superstitious, respecting their rituals, accepting them as a sacred duty. In the villages where the hierarchy of clans still exists, there is still the legacy of the ancient Buddhist form, led by Lama honorific, high-ranking clans swagen bhai. Each community has its micro government consisting of eight members. At the top, starting with Chairman Yoho and as the last, it is the Secretary Gurm-Godail.

Physical Characteristics
Since time immemorial, both in trade and tradition, Tamang people are closely tied to Tibetan culture, which should be the reason for their particular physical characteristics. Enough with a careless glance, and the specific features are immediately visible, that they are mongoloid stock. Flat nose, rounded face with highlighted cheekbones, behind which lies narrow but tricky eyes. The neck's circumference is almost equal to the size of the head, which forms a massive upper part of the body. Medium small in stature, yet muscular body structure, indicates that they do a hard physical job.
A census report shows the population of the Tamang is 1,539,830. Out of this, 744,868 are males and 794,962 females.

Location
The Tamangs believe that they were the first inhabitants of Nepal who came from Tibet some 3,000 years ago and settled in the Budhigandari and Likhu River regions. From there, the tribe began to migrate to other districts, and over the last two centuries, they were scattered almost throughout the northern part of Nepal. Today, Tamang ethnic groups can be found in more than 15 districts- Kathmandu, Kavre, Gorkha, Sarlahi, Tanahun, Lamjung, Sindhupalchok, Rusuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Makwanpur, Humla, Mugu, Taplejung, Bhojpur and so on.

Occupation
As far as work is concerned, Tamang people are as comprehensive and work-loving as no other ethnic groups are. The basic activity is agriculture. However, in mountainous areas, the agricultural areas are so small and sometimes infertile, as well as insufficiently irrigated, that this is not enough to feed the family. These difficulties can not break Tamang's tenacity. Their skilled hands quickly find other work, such as ropes and basket weaving, tumplines and noseband making. Warm sheep wool is used for fabric weaving. Almost in each house, there are looms that women work with, creating wonderful colourful aprons and scarves owned exclusively by Tamang.
A Tamang as a porter is a trusted person. They carry heavy loads on their backs and can amazingly adapt to severe mountain conditions. If this is not enough, then firewood, mushrooms, bamboo materials for construction and other natural goods are picked up from the forest, which complements the family's budget.

Language
The Census indicates that 92% of Tamang people speak their mother tongue, i.e. Tamang language, which belongs to the Tibeto-Burman language group. This is a clear testimony of keeping the language in high honour. This is logical, if some ethnic group is scattered all over the country and settled down for a longer time in a certain place, their linguistic culture could be affected. In this case, Tamang is no exception. While listening to the Eastern Tamang, Northwest Tamang, Southwest Tamang, Eastern Gorkha Tamang and the people living in these districts, it is possible to hear diversity in their dialects. Nevertheless, they are united by lexical similarities.

Religion
Just as Tamang honours the language, the same attention is paid to religion. It is preserved and maintained in its primordial form since Buddhism entered Nepal. In each village, there are temples, gompas, where families practised ancient Vajrayana Buddhism. Each family has its own Lama, who manages appropriate rituals. The highest member of the Lama's clan is the honorific Lama, who runs special magical and trans-rituals.
What does Tamang worship for? First of all, they worship the existence of a human being. This is Buddhism that guides people from the very first day to their last breath. Even then, life does not end, says Buddhist scriptures.
They also worship for the deceased ancestors, success, good crops, resistance to the disease and black forces. Each morning began with praying, and for each subject, a special ceremony is prepared.
Although most Tamang are Buddhist followers, they practice the Bon, also called the Bonpo religion. An ancient Tibetan religion around the 7th century that believes there is a god and evil spirit in the world.

Clothing and Ornaments
Like all tribes scattered across the northern regions of the country, the Tamangs characterise themselves with different clothes. However, what distinguishes a Tamang from afar is his/ her special-shaped hat and colour-striped apron.

(The writer is a foreign photojournalist stationed in Nepal