The Tharu people (Nepali: थारू, Thārū) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Terai,
the southern foothills of the Himalayas in Nepaland India.[5] The Tharus are recognized as an official nationality by the Government of Nepal.[6]
Contents
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Distribution
Tharu woman
Tharu woman in traditional dress
As of 2011, the Tharu population of Nepal was censused at
1,737,470 people, or 6.6% of the total population.[2] In 2009, the majority of Tharu people were
estimated to live in Nepal.[7] There are several endogamous sub-groups of Tharu:[8]
·
Rana Tharu in the Kailali and Kanchanpur districts of the far western Nepal Terai; also
in India, in Nainital, Uttarakhand and Kheri
Terai, Uttar Pradesh. Rana Tharu claim Rajput origin.[9]
·
Kathoriya Tharu mostly
in Kailali District and in India.[10]
·
Sonha in Surkhet district[11]
·
Dangaura Tharu in
western Terai: Dang-Deukhuri, Banke and Bardia districts[12]
·
Paschuhan (Western)
Tharu Rupandehi, Nawalparasi
·
Rautar Tharu Rupandehi, Nawalparasi
·
Purbaha Tharu Rupandehi, Kapilvastu
·
Aarkutwa or Chitwania
Tharu in central Terai: Sindhuli, Chitwan and Nawalparasi districts[13]
·
Kochila Tharu in
eastern Terai: Saptari, Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Mahottari and Udayapur Districts[14]
·
Danuwar in eastern
Terai: Udayapur, Saptari and Morang districts.[15]
·
Lamputchwa Tharu in Morang District[16]
Smaller numbers of Tharu people reside in the adjacent Indian
districts Champaran of Bihar state; Gorakhpur, Basti and Gonda of Uttar Pradesh state; and Nainital, Uttarakhand state.[5] In 2001, Tharu people were the largest of five scheduled tribes in Uttarakhand,
with a population of 256,129 accounting for 33.4% of all scheduled tribes.[3] In the same year, they constituted 77.4% of
the total tribal population of Uttar Pradesh with a population of 83,544.[4]
Culture
Tharu village near Bardia
National Park
A Tharu man
The Tharu people themselves say that they are a people of the
forest. In Chitwan, they have lived in the forests for hundreds of years
practicing a short fallow shifting cultivation. They plant rice, mustard, corn and lentils,
but also collect forest products such as wild fruits, vegetables, medicinal plants and materials to build their houses; hunt deer, rabbitand wild boar, and go fishing in the rivers and oxbow
lakes.[8]
The Tharus never went abroad for employment – a life that kept
them isolated in their own localities.[17] In this isolation they developed a unique
culture free from the influence of adjacent India, or from the mountain groups
of Nepal. The most striking aspects of their environment are the decorated rice
containers, colorfully painted verandahs and outer walls of their homes using
only available materials like clay, mud, dung and grass. Much of the rich
design is rooted in devotional activities and passed on from one generation to
the next, occasionally introducing contemporary elements such as a bus or an
airplane.[18]
Household structure
In the western Terai, most Rana Tharu prefer living in Badaghar called longhouses with big families of
many generations, sometimes 40-50 people. All household members pool their
labor force, contribute their income, share the expenditure and use one
kitchen.[19]
Social structure
Tharus from the mid west and far west of Nepal have been
practicing the Badghar system, where a Badghar is elected chief of a
village or a small group of villages for a year. The election generally takes
place in the month of Magh (January / February), after celebrating theMaghi
Festival and after completing
major farming activities. In most cases, each household in the village which
engages in farming has one voting right for electing a Badghar. Thus the election is based on a count of households count
rather than a headcount. The role of the Badghar is to work for the
welfare of the village. The Badghar direct the villagers to repair canals or
streets when needed. They also oversee and manages the cultural traditions of
the villages. They have an authority of punishing those who do not follow their
orders or who go against the welfare of the village. Generally the Badghar has a Chaukidar to help him. With the consent of the villagers
theBadghar may appoint
a"Guruwa" who is the medic and chief priest of the village.
As Tharus society is mainly involved in farming, irrigation is
one of the most important aspects of the community. Tharus in western Nepal
built canals that irrigate thousands of hectares of land. Hundreds of years
ago, without using any sophisticated tools, they built hundreds of kilometers
of irrigation canals in the Kailali and Bardiya districts of Nepal. An irrigation canal could be used by several villages.
Its water and diversion works need to be managed fairly. For this purpose, the
Badghars of different villages elect a person for the position ofChaudhary to manage a canal system. When needed, the Chaudhary orders the Badghars to send people to repair or build the canals.
In most cases the Badghars and Chaudharis are unpaid leaders of the community.
However, they are exempt from compulsory physical labor for the betterment of
the society. As a token of respect, the community members may also help them in
farming for a day free of cost.
Language
There is no one Tharu language unifying Tharu communities in
different parts of Nepal and India. Several speak various endemic Tharu languages. In
western Nepal and adjacent parts of India, Tharus speak variants of Hindi/Urdu and Awadhi. In and near central Nepal, they speak a variant of Bhojpuri. In eastern Nepal, they speak a variant ofMaithili. More standard versions of these dialects are
widely spoken by non-Tharu neighbors in the same areas so that there are no
important linguistic barriers between Tharus and their neighbors. However,
there are linguistic barriers between these dialects standing in the way of
communication between Tharus from different regions. Tharu people have their
own language often known as "Tharu Language". Many professors and
well educated persons say that many others languages were derived from Tharu
Language (like as Nepali, Maithli, Bhojpuri etc.) [20]
Tharu were already living in the Terai before Indo-Europeans arrived, raising the question of what they may
have been speaking at that time. The only surviving pre-Indo-European language
in the Terai is Kusunda, Santhali further west.
Marriage system
Traditionally, marriages were often arranged during the
pregnancies of two women. If they gave birth to opposite sex babies, the two
babies were supposed to be married if they grew up as friends. It was
problematic if a boy or girl came of age and rejected their assigned fiance(e).
Finding a replacement was difficult because most girls and boys were already
engaged. However this custom has been disappearing. Most Tharus now practice
conventional arranged marriages. They also practice love marriages, inter cast marriage,
international marriage, inter world, marriage after courtship and eloping.
Religion
The spiritual beliefs and moral values of the Tharu people are
closely linked to the natural environment. The pantheon of their gods comprises a large number of deities that live in the forest. They are asked for
support before entering the forest.[8]
According to the 2001 Census of Nepal, 87.63% of the Tharu
people were Hindus whereas 13.95% were Buddhists.[citation needed]
Resistance to malaria
The Tharu were famous for their ability to survive in the most malarial parts of the Terai that were deadly to
outsiders. In 1902, a British observer noted: "Plainsmen and paharis
generally die if they sleep in the Terai before November 1 or after June
1." Others thought that the Tharu were not totally immune.[20]
Contemporary medical research comparing Tharu with other ethnic
groups living nearby found an incidence of malaria nearly seven times lower
among Tharu.[21] The researchers believed such a large
difference pointed to genetic factors rather than behavioral or dietary differences. This was
confirmed by follow-up investigation finding genesfor thalassemia in nearly all Tharu studied.[22]
History
The origin of the Tharu people is not clear but surrounded by myths and oral tradition. The Rana Tharus claim to be of Rajput origin and have migrated from the Thar Desert to Nepal's Far Western Terai region. Tharu
people farther east claim to be descendants of the Śākya and Koliya peoples living in Kapilvastu.[23]
Modern history (1846-1999)
In 1854, Jung Bahadur Rana, the then Prime Minister of Nepal, enforced the Muluki Ain, Nepal's first legal system. It
comprised applications of traditional Hindu Law and clauses to accommodate ethnic practises.
In the Muluki Ain both Hindus and Non-Hindus were classified as castes based on their habits
of food and drink.[24] Tharu people were considered "enslavable
alcohol drinkers" together with several other ethnic minorities.[25]
In the 1950s, the World Health Organisation supported the Nepalese government in eradicating malaria in the forests of Terai. People from other
areas migrated to the Terai and claimed the fertile land. Tharus lost their
traditional land and became slaves of the new landowners. This resulted in the
development of the Kamaiya system of bonding generations of Tharu families to
labour.[26]
When the first protected areas were established in Chitwan,
Tharu communities were forced to relocate from their traditional lands. They
were denied any right to own land and thus forced into a situation of
landlessness and poverty. When the Chitwan National Park was designated, soldiers destroyed the villages located inside
the boundary of the park, burned down houses, and beat the people who tried to
plough their fields. Some threatened Tharu people at gun point to leave.[8]
Recent history (2000-present)
The Government of Nepal outlawed the practice of bonded labour prevalent under the Kamaiya
system on July 17, 2000,
which prohibits anyone from employing any person as a bonded labourer, and
declared that the act of making one work as a bonded labourer is illegal.[26] Though democracy has been reinstated in the
country, the Tharu community has called for a more inclusive democracy as they are fearful of remaining an underprivileged group.[27]
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