Women are the mother of everything, so women take care of the seeds more than men. The Loba culture has historical, cultural, linguistic, and ethnic relations with Western Tibetans (Dhungel 2002; Frer-Haimendorf 1975). We soon realised it was a huge risk to change travel plans mid trek, especially in these parts where villages are far away from each other. - Few evangelicals, but significant number who identify as Christians. For example, Chhetri (2008) studied irrigation and highlighted the ghembas role; Craig (2011) highlighted the Loba migration to the USA; Darnal (2001) focused on tangible heritages while Dhungel (2002) focused on the history of Lo Kingdom. The cliffs were spectacular, far more stunning than any we had seen. 2016. Anthropology and Humanism 36 (2): 193214. Fifty-three households were the makhiu, i.e., the Kings soldiers. The Loba are believed to practice the oldest strain of Tibetan Buddhism in existence, but it's losing its pull. Today, most Lhoba live at the foot of the Himalayas, in the high mountains and deep valleys. The trek to Kagbeni started around 11 a.m. They have also explored new livelihood opportunities, which are the outcomes of education and the changed legal system of the Government of Nepal. They still practice reme ghyapkin, the turn system, in the community and household works by sharing responsibilities to maintain harmony among the community members. The Loba are primarily farmers, shepherds, or merchants. The Loba institutions have enduring characteristics which have facilitated the enhancement of the adaptive capacity of the Loba people in the harsh environmental condition of Upper Mustang. However, the house structures found at Mustang could pose a question as to whether the society has been derived from feudalism. In the past, they were obliged to perform all sorts of work, cooking, cleaning, collecting dung or fuel wood, and fetching water for the monastery and the palace. The construction project contractors of the village municipality for developmental works supply the laborers from those districts where poverty and unemployment are high. Because the Lhoba language do not have a written script and prior to 1950s all Lhoba people were illiterate, almost nothing is written by Lhoba people about their culture and history. How the Himba came to be The first settlements of the Himba people can be traced back to the early 16th century when they crossed the Angolan border and chose Kaokoland (nowadays called Kunene region) as their new homeland. Google Scholar. These five colors symbolize wind, sky, earth, water, and fire, respectively. Annual Review of Anthropology 24 (1): 95117. Their hierarchy is not based on untouchability and lacks a higher level of exclusion, even in private spheres. Since Loba was compelled to produce grain to sustain their family, the agricultural land had a competitive use. https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2014.951018. The ghiughar chhumbe/mhigyaba grow long hair, are marriageable, wear white clothes, and stay in white-colored houses. The data and information were collected under the PhD research project (Khattri 2021) of the first author. For him, this system always favors the local feudal and gives them priority to harvest their crops first. The structure of their families is also based on these and other traditions. We know that the Southern regions of Tibet were once occupied by India but in 7th century, Tibet succeeded unifying tribes and started to real this region as well as the rest of the Tibet. Loba society and a way of existence of the folk life of the Loba people. Since ancient of the Loba Nationality has been carried on from generation to generation until Chapter Presnetly, most of Lhoba people are living in Nanyi Valley of Milin County, Nyingchi, Damu town of Motuo County, Yu town of Longzi County, Shannan and other two around places. They work in the royal fields and look after the royal herd on a turn basis. According to a new report from the company review site Comparably, Microsoft is the No. The Lama, as the chief of spiritual/religious works for the individual, household, and community, also plays a role in the sphere of education and ritual activities. Structures wrought by the wind and other elements over millions of years and looking like Grecian Corinthian or Ionic columns rose towards the sky. The Reme ghyapkin is a system of sharing and managing resources, costs of community work, and benefits of community utilities on a rotational basis. Traditionnal political system in Mustang, Nnepal. 1975. Besides, we also had, in a moment of recklessness, included in our itinerary Upper Mustang, one of the two Tibetan provinces in Nepal, which stretched our trek to an insane 24 days: insane because none of us were habitual trekkers even if we were reasonably fit. Until 2008 AD, Lo-manthang was the capital town of the Lo Kingdom and Jigme Dorje Palbar Bista was the last King who had official recognition of raja (titular King) from the Government of Nepal. Many farmers have stopped farming activities in Lo-manthang, as a consequence, widespread abandonment of the cultivated land is observed. ), Anthropology of Climate Change: From Encounters to Actions (pp. This is evident even in the way the Loba build their homes. The modern-day substitutes, albeit made from ground rocks from the region, lack the lustre and sheen of the originals. Lo-manthang and Lo Ghekar Damodar Kunda are two rural municipalities where thirty-nine village settlements are located (District Development Committee, Mustang, 2068 BS: 2012AD). They were isolated for years and are completely unevangelized. The Newars: An ethno-sociological study of a Himalayan community. Lobas are one of them and quite a few in terms of absolute number. The Dhongbas are units of production of the local social-ecosystem that are entitled to use local resources within the context of the institutions agreed rules, norms, and values. protection project, which will be more conducive to the protection of the folk The Loba people believe in the At present the dhongba system is facing several challenges because of the changes in the marriage system and childbirth control, as well as changes in environmental and resource conditions. We stopped in Tsarang, the summer capital of the King of Mustang where his dzong (fort) houses an armoury. The Loba live in a kingdom that was founded by a fierce soldier under the oppression of feudal lords. They are also required to manage the household economy (land, livestock, trade), and look after their entire family members, including the parents, brothers, and sisters, until they become adults. Vinding, Michael, 1994. A similar traditional customary institution holding the administration function and engaging in socio-economic, political, and religious activities is also found in Manang district of Nepal (Sherpa 2015). production, planting maize, upland rice and other miscellaneous grains. Pasture is managed in turn by splitting them into plots. The Loba of Nepal We were wrapped up like a mummy in a tomb, and yet grit got into our eyes and mouth and blocked our nostrils too. Data is not as precise as it appears. One tradition says that the eldest son will inherit the family's property. University of Southern California. International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology While that burnt a huge hole in our wallets, after our experience of the previous day we were ready to sell all our possessions, including our homes if it came to that. Uprety, Prem Raman. Caizhao Village now has a small village with Lhoba features, a folk customs museum. The annual turn is followed in traditional leadership (ghenba, midhi, and chhime). Lo Kingdom continued the practice of cultural systems of resource use and population control. Used with permission from Adopt-A-People Clearinghouse. The non-violence value of Buddhism are transferred to the people via rituals, performances, and direct teaching. where he settled for a period of time. They arrange all the business and support to strengthen the economy of the palace. Applied Geography 64 (1): 7486. The Loba local institutions, however, have supported the coping and adaptation of Lobas to the local environment. Jabyang Sonam practises one of the oldest strains of Tibetan Buddhism. Lo Manthang is a walled city tucked away in the folds of high mountain ranges far and away from intrusive crowds and even Nepals administrative reach. Women are the ground . Two Buddhist sects, the Kargyupa and the Sakyapa, are dominant in upper Mustang. This is a unique trait to the Loba, and is practiced so that there is less of a chance of a woman becoming a widow in her lifetime. Many people are not attracted to getting involved in ritual activities. This system was followed also in Varanasi India during winter trade. Man Bahadur Khattri. Among the two midhis, one is appointed by the King, and another one is appointed by the village head. Social equity in farmer-managed irrigation in the Terai of Nepal. Evangelicals = 2% Professing Christians > 5% and = 50% 3 Superficially reached- Few evangelicals, but many who identify as Christians. This is done to avoid confusion regarding the current reality of a people group, to fix grammar and spelling and to avoid potentially offensive wording. Learning about different cultures around us can help us better understand the world we live in! We visited the local gompa and the attached monasteries where young monks were being schooled in Buddhist scriptures. The Lobas categorize themselves into two broad religious and householders categories. Our travel agent, Suman, who is in his forties and an avid trekker of yesteryear, sits in distant Kathmandu. Culture is a very deep topic but the simplest way to define it is that culture is a group of people's values, norms, assumptions and behaviors. This paper presents Loba identity on their self-categorization, language, homeland, cultural practices, religious or spiritual practices, settlement types, types of social categories, and livelihood pattern, because without such knowledge, the roles of their institutions in adaptation facilitation cannot be understood adequately. National Geographic revealed remnants of human skulls and bones, animal remains and artefacts of the earlier Bon culture, which preceded Buddhism in these parts. 169190. : 2000 AD BLo(Mustang) Ko Saskritik Sampada (In Nepali Cultural Heritage of Mustang). Although there are only 5 to 6 thousand Lhoba people in the world, they have surprisingly large language diversity. In the land of the Loba On the treacherous high-altitude trail to Lo Manthang, the walled city that is the capital of Upper Mustang province in Nepal and whose denizens are true custodians of a. PeopleGroups.org - Loba The ghenba, the village head, is an age-old local institution built upon the socio-cultural and political reality of Loba people and their environmental condition. Loba in Nepal people group profile | Joshua Project