Introduction

INTRODUCTION

Background
We are the Kirati Kulung Community and have self-declared (ref. ILO Convention 169, Article 1) as indigenous peoples of Nepal belonging to the descent of four forefathers – Khapdulu, Ratapkhu, Tamsi, and Chhemsi rooted in the ancient Kirati heritage. According to the national census of 2021, the Kulung population by ethnicity is 33,388, with 37,912 Kulung language speakers. Moreover, 40,749 individuals believe that their ancestral language is Kulung. Despite the fact that the Kulung community’s own internal survey indicates that the Kulungs number more than 100,000.”

We have a separate language called Kulu Ring or Iring. Iring refers to our language in Kulung language. Kulu Ring has been categorized as Tibeto-Burmese language. It is phonetically and semantically represented by Devanagari scripts. However, Kirati Sirijanga Scripts are adopted as their identical scripts. Phonologist Dr. Madhav Pokhrel and linguist Mr. Amrit Yongen Tamang have identified 21 consonants and 12 vowels after discussing with the Kulung language experts. While transcribing in Kulung language, the system is to use only a long vowel symbol for normal sound and add a colon (:) for too long vowel symbol sound. We ourselves called as ‘Kulu Rodu’ in our language. ‘Kulung’ is in fact is a word in a changed form of ‘Kulu’ and is used/called by non-Kulung speakers.

Kulung is a distinct community
According to the academician Dr. Harka Gurung ‘the basis of a ethnicity is its mother tongue/language, and this has to be and this is what is the very self-identity’. This is an idea expressed in an interaction program organized by National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities (NFDIN) in connection with the budget of fiscal year 2060/61 in the social context of Dalit, Janajati and women. From this perspective, the language of the Kulung community spoken since the time immemorial is still in existence and, thus, this community can be considered as a separate ethnic group.As stated by Joseph Stalin in the context of Marxism and community a community means which is built upon the expression based in the form of a psychological expression in a common language, territory, economic life and culture, historically established and formed. The Kulung community is a permanent one residing in the Mahakulung area since the first time their ancestors had cultivated the area, being officiated to a common language, culture and economic activities and demonstrating psychological unity among themselves. This definition also justifies that the Kulungs are a separate community.In the extensive Nepal Dictionary ( Brihat Nepali Shabdakosh) brought out by the Royal Nepal Academy (p.486-487) has defined, community as a part of human race distinguished on the basis of nationality and geographical territory. The same dictionary (p.1141) has defined, nationality as the condition of a state or oneness. What transpires from this definition is that the Kulung community has its own separate mother tongue and so has it its ownness or individual characteristics. The constitution of the of Nepal 2072BS (2015 AD) has given recognition to the mother tongue as a ‘nation’s language’, by which a community having a nation’s language seems to have by itself an identity of nationality. The territorial integrity of the Kulung community in the Mahakulung is still intact. Thus the Kulung community has separate identity even on the basis of nationality and geographical \territory.

Culture

The Kulung Community has its own original culture. There is a system of rites and rituals to be performed in its own language and tradition from birth to death. Even after death, the departed souls are made with due respect to reach “Pomlalung”, a sacred place (where, according to Kulung mythology, the departed souls are believed to rest in peace). The Kulung culture is quite comprehensive but here only a short account is given about marriage, birth, festivals, and death.

Marriage in Kulung

There are systems of performing/holding marriage ceremony twice in the Kulung community. In the first marriage/ceremony, only the relationship on both sides (bride and bride-groom) will be established (who is who and who is what by relation) according to the tradition and custom. Thus the new couple is legitimatized as husband and wife and can live together, but the burial/crematory right, in case of death of the bride, is still withheld by the bride’s parents/parental members.

Daplo Kuim (The Final Marriage)

The final marriage/ceremony is the second one in which the senior peoples of the bride side transfer the burial rights to the groom and his family members by sprinkling wine and jand (home-made brew and liquor) on the stone-tripods (oven). This ceremony is called daplokuim which means giving away a full rights to perform her funeral ceremony.

Pachha and Dapsning:

Every Kulung has their own pachha and dapsning. These are the major phenomena that distinguish an eligibility for marrying between a male and female. If both male and female have the same Dapsning they are treated as from the same family and their customary law do not allow to marry each other. They will be punished if they do marry. Pachha referse as similar to surname. Where as Dapsning referse as similar to Gotra. Almost 200 pachha exist in Kulung Ethnic Community.

Kulung Community Situation

Kulung community is one of the most marginalized ethnic groups in the country. The majority of the Kulungs are depended on traditional agriculture. Due to the unproductive land conditions, they are not able to produce adequate food from their farms. They do not have skilled-full education and therefore have no access to productive resources and decision making process. They are compelled to migrate in search of better livelihood .

After the restoration of multi-party democracy system in Nepal in 1990, the government has established National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities (NFDIN) under the NFDIN Act-2002 with the aim of mainstreaming the marginalized ethnic groups. But NFDIN has excluded and discriminated to the Kulung community from being listed in the annex of indigenous peoples recognized by the central government. Being excluded in the government list of indigenous peoples Kulungs are deprived of all the opportunities made for uplifting the peoples who are socially, economically, politically backward in the society. Kulungs are compelled to hide their identity and are imposed to bear other community’s identity for surviving in society. Kulugs are in terms of dignity and self-respect living as neoslavarism and neocolonialism.