In early September 2018 I ventured to the
eastern Himalayan region of Nepal to learn about the various ethnic groups that call it home. Trekking in this region really pushed my limits. I always knew it
would be challenging for me, but I didn’t realise it would also be so
rewarding. The trail was intense, and trekking in a dense forest by yourself
for seven hours a day with very little interaction with anyone but a few
shepherds was mentally challenging.
Few other travelers venture this far east, due
to its remoteness. The only interaction I had was in the evenings, when I would
reach a village or be taken in by a farmer or shepherd. It was in a village
called Kulung where I had the opportunity to meet with and learn about the indigenous people who identify as
Kulung Rai.
It wasn’t easy to get to Kulung. I took a flight
to Bhadrapur, then drove past Ilam, and after a two-day Jeep ride reached a
place called Philim, from where I walked for three days before arriving in
Kulung. A kid from the village showed me the last leg of the way, a steep
two-hour climb. I struggled to convince my legs to keep going, but the boy hopped
his way uphill.
Upon getting closer to the village, I met a
group of people who were talking about how important it is to remember their
roots. After I explained to them why I was there, they were more than happy to
share what they knew about their culture and origins. They were concerned that
in time, this beautiful culture will cease to exist and they will be forgotten.
As is the case with most tribes in Nepal, the Kulung Rai do not have any written history. However, that doesn’t mean they
lack history.
The
community is rich in cultural heritage and take pride in preserving their
culture. Kulungs are lovers of nature, one of the reasons they stay up in the high
Himalaya. Most are dependent on traditional agriculture, and cultivate millet
and maize. They are also hunters and fisherfolk. These days, due to
unproductive land, they are unable to produce adequate food on their farms,
compelling them to migrate in search of a better life. The geography of their
land makes it difficult for those who remain to access basic services.
Navigable roads, electricity, clean drinking water, communication, and health
services are lacking. On the bright side, there have been recent developments in
education.
One of the men from the village was happy to share the oral history of
the Kulung Rais with me, which had been passed down
to him from his grandfathers and great-grandfathers, from generation to generation.
In the
beginning there was Paruwan, who created the earth. In the Nepali language
Paruwan is known as Shivaji, or Kiranteshwar Mahadev. At first there was just
water, before bamboo, jungle nut, and other plants were created. It is
essential for every Kulung Rai household to have these plants in their homes,
which are used for rituals even to this day.
After the
plants, Paruwan created birds. Geese, spiny babblers, and pelicans were some of
the first. After birds, he finally created
humans. The first human to roam the earth was called Ninamridung, who was very
beautiful. Shamans still use her name in their chants.
One day Ninamridung got sick, and she asked the birds to
look for a shaman who could help her. People in this community still go to the
shaman first, before they see a doctor. The birds searched everywhere on earth,
but with no luck. Then they flew towards the sky, and there met an old man who
was cutting a bamboo plant. He was wearing a jacket made out of sting leaves,
called phenga. Kulung Rais continue to make and wear phenga.
The birds explained the situation to the man. He cut some
leaves off a sweet chestnut plant and mixed them with some grains. He told the
birds to give this poultice to Ninamridung. They took it back to her, after she
took some, she started to feel better. She inquired about this old man who had
made her well, as she wanted to marry him.
The birds tried to tell her that he was an old man and that she
probably wouldn’t be interested in him after seeing him, but she wasn’t swayed.
The birds flew back to the old man and brought him to her, carrying him on
their wings. But indeed, when Ninamridung saw he was an old man with wrinkles,
the idea of marrying him vanished, and she sent him back to where he came from.
The old man was actually Paruwan in human form, and felt
insulted. He dried up all the water on earth to teach Ninamridung a lesson. She
searched the whole earth for water but there was none to be found. The birds
helped by bringing her drops of water from the leaves of trees, but before long
they too were gone.
Ninamridung was very thirsty and started to get sick again,
so the birds flew to the man in the sky hoping he could help. The old man
masturbated and gave his semen to the birds, which they took to Ninamridung. Soon
after she consumed it, she became pregnant. She did not know whose child she
was carrying, so asked for the shaman again, hoping he could provide her with
some answers. She was desperate to know how she had gotten pregnant, and whose
child it was.
The shaman chose not to give her the answers she sought, instead telling her that she would bear five children, from which the entire earth would be populated. The eldest son born to her was named Khambuwan, and the Kulung Rai believe that all Kulung Rais are his descendants. Every child in the community grows up hearing this creation story, and as long as their culture perseveres, this story will continue to be told for many more years.
Article by Sudin KC
The post The Creation of Eastern Nepal’s Kulung Rai appeared first on Inside Himalayas.