| Limbu people are known as Yakthungba (refers | | | | Limbu women used to be great fabric-artist |
| to a Limbu male) and Yakthungma (refers to a | | | | entrepreneurs and very hard working. There |
| Limbu female) in their own language. Yambechha | | | | wasn't imported thread available for weaving, |
| means a male and menchhuma means a female. | | | | therefore they used to grow cotton themselves |
| They are the descendents of the Kirant dynasty | | | | in their fields. They used to spin thread for |
| of ancient Nepal. The Kirant dynasty ruled Nepal | | | | weaving after harvesting raw cotton and drying it |
| from 3102 B.C. to 7th century A.D. as the first | | | | in the sun. Once open a time, "chhitko sari", |
| rulers in Nepal. | | | | woven by Limbu women, was very popular |
| Historically, until 225 years ago, the Limbus had | | | | among other Nepali women. They also used to |
| their own territory that was known as Lumbuwan | | | | weave handloom cloth called Dhaka. They would |
| before King Prithvi Narayan Shah united the | | | | be very creative by coming up with different |
| territories that make up present-day Nepal. At | | | | kinds of ethnic patterns such as tanchhokpa |
| present, this area is in the eastern part of Nepal | | | | (star). They sold that cloth material to women |
| (including Taplejung, Sankhuwasabha, Panchthar, | | | | and men in other communities, since imported |
| Ilam, Dhankuta, and Tehrathum and northern | | | | clothing was not readily available. This type of |
| parts of Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari districts). | | | | traditional weaving has been bequeathed to their |
| According to the 2001 Census of Nepal, the | | | | female descendents. Dhaka material is very |
| population of the Limbus is 359,371 (1.58% of | | | | popular now, and you can get Dhaka topis (caps), |
| Nepali population). Traditionally they have been | | | | traditional pachheuras (large scarves) and Dhaka |
| followers of the Kirant religion that is a type of | | | | cholos (blouses). Today, ties and Dhaka |
| animism, a belief that both living and inanimate | | | | kurta-suruwals (pant suit) are very popular. The |
| things, such as trees, rivers and mountains | | | | traditional material is also used in interior |
| possess souls. They have their own spoken and | | | | decoration for modern contemporary houses; you |
| written Limbu language. LIMBU script is known as | | | | can find it used for cushion covers, curtains, table |
| Sirijanga script. | | | | runners, tablemats, etc. This material is also used |
| Historical Social Role of Limbu Women: | | | | in boutiques to make unusual and unique designer |
| Traditional Limbu women wore sim (it is 7-yard | | | | outfits. Definitely the credit goes to our mothers |
| long material wrapped as a skirt) with a cholo, a | | | | and grandmothers for passing such skills down |
| blouse that is made of locally hand-woven dhaka | | | | through the generations. |
| material. Phaee (a long cloth) is wrapped around | | | | Contemporary Limbu Women and Their Social |
| the waist to tie the sim. They always covered | | | | Role: |
| their heads with thakhumya (a large scarf) as an | | | | Today's Limbu women generally do not dress up |
| accessory. They loved wearing large gold and | | | | in traditional clothes or wear heavy jewelry. They |
| silver ornaments. Limbu women traditionally wore | | | | wear all kinds of contemporary outfits such as |
| a pair of Nesse (a large flat designed gold | | | | kurta suruwal, saree and other formal and casual |
| earrings), a gold mundri as a nose ring, and a | | | | western outfits. Married women wear traditional |
| dhungri, a stud nose ornament. On their hands, | | | | Nepalese ornaments such as Tilhari with sarees |
| Limbu women wore gold or silver bangles. Silver | | | | and kurta suruwal. Unmarried women wear light |
| kalli were worn as anklets. They also wore | | | | jewelry such as a stud, hoop or dangle earrings, a |
| different kinds of ornaments on different | | | | pendant with a chain, gold link bracelets, a ring, |
| occasions, ceremonies and festivals. Some of | | | | and anklets with kurta suruwal and |
| these ornaments were Phangsese (a necklace | | | | western-inspired outfits. Some married women |
| made of nine gold beads which are strung with | | | | also wear formal Indian inspired gold jewelry too, |
| glass beads), Labaphung (a crescent shaped gold | | | | such as heavy mangal sutra necklaces and large |
| ornament worn as a hair clip), Namloi or Yogakpa | | | | dangly earrings. |
| (a large silver necklace), sisiphung or nekkhophung | | | | Contemporary Limbu society, especially in urban |
| (flower shaped gold stud earrings), reji (coin | | | | areas, has evolved from the village society of one |
| necklaces made of ancient silver coins) and | | | | hundred years ago. Modern society has brought |
| Swagep (a gold ring worn on their fingers). Also in | | | | about a lot of changes. Limbu women's |
| the past Limbu females used to wear Laskari in | | | | responsibilities usually include maintaining the home, |
| their ears, 5 or 6 similar tiny gold rings in a row. | | | | cooking, taking care of children and in-laws, as |
| You can still see old Limbu women in the villages | | | | before, but now also include helping educate their |
| dressed up in this way. All the types of clothing | | | | children and perhaps managing a shop or pursuing |
| and ornaments women wore suggest that the | | | | a professional career outside the home. Of course |
| Limbu economy provided adequately for their | | | | stock market investments are not common in |
| needs in those days. Traditional Limbu women | | | | Nepal. The Limbu women manage financial |
| looked very elegant and created a unique identity | | | | investments in land or property. There are many |
| in the world. | | | | women whose husbands still work as Gurkha |
| Limbu women like to dance the Ya-Lang (paddy | | | | soldiers in foreign countries. Those women learn |
| dance) and Ke-Lang (Limbu traditional drum dance) | | | | to manage their lives very efficiently by |
| at formal occasions like marriages and religious | | | | themselves. |
| ceremonies. There is also a dance named Mang | | | | Today, some Limbu women have established |
| Lang (Dev naach-God dance) to celebrate religious | | | | careers in every field-- in politics, media, business, |
| occasions. | | | | professional performing arts, legal services, |
| Most of the Limbus are farmers, and many men | | | | education, and the medical profession. Some |
| serve as Gurkha soldiers with foreign armies (e.g., | | | | names of Limbu women who are active in |
| British, Indian) or as security personnel in | | | | different fields are mentioned below: |
| Singapore, Brunei, and Hong Kong. Women help in | | | | Anjana Limbu (Shrestha) : Movie Actress, her |
| farming by working in the fields. They plant rice, | | | | best-known movie is Balidaan |
| harvest the crops and take care of the domestic | | | | Anupama Subba: Actress in the famous movie |
| animals. They also bring up children and take care | | | | "Numafung" |
| of their in-laws as well. | | | | Bishnu Chemjong: The first Lux Nepal Star; she |
| My mom used to talk about "pewa" (Pewa is a | | | | was chosen from 5000 other contestants for her |
| Limbu word, it is a source of pocket money). | | | | beautiful voice. |
| Limbu parents were very generous towards their | | | | Jina Lingden: The first Limbu woman pilot |
| unmarried daughters, for they let them have own | | | | Jayan Subba Manandhar: Choreographer and owns |
| money by providing them "pewa". Some | | | | modeling agency called Ramp |
| unmarried women used to own a couple of goats | | | | Kala Subba: Active model, choreographer and Hits |
| or pigs, so they could sell their livestock to get | | | | FM RJ. |
| money to buy what they wanted. | | | | Lila Subba (Shrestha): Member of Nepal's |
| My grandfather gave my mom a couple of | | | | Parliament. |
| orange trees, from which she could get her | | | | Pabitra Subba: An established, well known Nepali |
| pocket money by selling oranges in the Dharan | | | | singer and actress. |
| market. This enabled her to buy her own jewelry | | | | Malvika Subba: Miss Nepal 2002, working with |
| or whatever she needed. In those days, buying | | | | Kantipur telvision as an anchor, and event |
| gold and silver jewelry was a type of family | | | | manager for the Miss Nepal pageant for 2 years. |
| investment. | | | | Srijana Subba: Active member of Kirat Yakthung |
| This article is about Limbu women. I should not | | | | Chumlung and representative of the Association |
| forget their gourmet cuisine. Generally Limbus eat | | | | of Limbu Shamans from Nepal. She is working as |
| the usual Nepali meal, steamed white rice, dal (lentil | | | | a program officer for the NGO-FONIN. |
| soup), tarkary(curry) and aachar(a kind of salsa | | | | Contemporary Limbu women are highly |
| sauce). I would like to mention some Limbu | | | | appreciated for their incredible achievements in a |
| gourmet food- kinema ko achar (fermented soya | | | | short period. Young Limbu women today, whose |
| been pickle), gundruk ko achar or gundruk ko | | | | mothers and grandmothers may be illiterate or |
| soup ( fermented mustard leaves), yangben | | | | barely literate, may go on to college or obtain |
| (moss that grows on trees), etc. They also a | | | | specialized training for skilled employment. |
| drink a mild beverage called tongba (millet beer), | | | | Although there are only a small number of Limbu |
| consumed in particular bamboo or wooden large | | | | women compared to Nepal's total population, they |
| containers with tiny bamboo straws). | | | | are actively involved in every field. |