Tangbe (Taye in Tibetan) is a small village in the village development committee of Chhusang in the Mustang District of

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

. It is located on a promontory with a good view over the

Kali Gandaki Gorge The Kali Gandaki Gorge or Andha Galchi is the gorge of the Kali Gandaki (or Gandaki River) in the Himalayas in Nepal. By some sources, it may be one of the deepest gorges in the world. The upper part of the gorge is also called Thak Khola after ...

on the

Upper Mustang Upper Mustang (formerly Kingdom of Lo) is an upper part (Northern area) of Mustang District, which is located in Nepal. The ''Upper Mustang'' was a restricted kingdom until 1992 which makes it one of the most preserved regions in the world, with ...

trekking route, between Kagbeni and Chhusang.

Demography

The people of Tangbe village call themselves "Tangbetani". Most of Tangbetani have surname "

Gurung Gurung (exonym; ) or Tamu (endonym; Gurung: ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the hills and mountains of Gandaki Province of Nepal. Gurung people predominantly live around the Annapurna region in Manang, Mustang, Dolpo, Kaski, Lamjung, Go ...

" and some use "Tangbetani" or "Tangbe". Tangbetanis come from the village of Tangbe, which is a part of the Bahra Gaunle (12 villages) confederation in Mustang district. According to oral history, they have come to Tangbe from Bhurcho of

Manang District Manang District ( ne, मनाङ जिल्ला , a part of Gandaki Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Chame as its district headquarters, covers an area of and had a population (2011) of 6,538. ...

. Most of the Tangbetanis have already migrated from Tangbe. A majority of the Tangbrtanis are living in Pokhara, some are living in

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

and some of the Tangbetanis are living in the United States as well as in Australia. There are only 32 households in the Tangbe village. Some 85 families are found in Pokhara, around 25 families in Jomsom, around 20 families in Kathmandu and around 50 individuals in the United States and Australia. They were traditionally salt traders. The ruins of an ancient fortress have become a silent witness of history, when Tangbe was on a major salt trade route between

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. After the decline in this trade many years ago, most Tangbetanis stated to be engaged in farming and other vocations. Nowadays a majority of Tangbetanis are owners of Fashion Wear Shops at Pokhara. The Tangbetanis have been described as an indigenous people of Nepal, residing in the Barha gaun area of Mustang. They resemble

Lhoba Lhoba (English translation: ; ; bo, ལྷོ་པ།) is any of a diverse amalgamation of Sino-Tibetan-speaking tribespeople living in and around Pemako, a region in southeastern Tibet including Mainling, Medog and Zayü counties of Nying ...

in physical appearance and are influenced by

Tibetan Culture Tibet developed a distinct culture due to its geographic and climatic conditions. While influenced by neighboring cultures from China, India, and Nepal, the Himalayas, Himalayan region's remoteness and inaccessibility have preserved distinc ...

. They have their own unique language called the "Serke", meaning the golden language. They have their own unique dress and ornaments. They also have their own traditional cultural songs, which are sung during the festivals. They also dance along with the melody of the songs they sing.

Religion and Culture

All the Tangbetanis are

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

. They celebrate several festivals such as Chhau/

Losar Losar (; "new year"William D. Crump, "Losar" in ''Encyclopedia of New Year's Holidays Worldwide'' (McFarland & Co.: 2008), pp. 237-38.) also known as Tibetan New Year, is a festival in Tibetan Buddhism. The holiday is celebrated on various d ...

(Lhochhar: New Year), Yartong (The festival of riding on a horse and going to the

Muktinath Muktinath is a Vishnu temple, sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists. It is located in Muktinath Valley at the foot of the Thorong La mountain pass in Mustang, Nepal. It is one of the world's highest temples (altitude 3,800 m). Within Hinduism, it ...

) and Dhachyang (The festival for playing Bow and Arrow). According to their tradition, second son should become Dhawa ( Lama: Religious Devotee, Buddhist) and second daughter a Jhuma (a Buddhist nun). Their marriage system is

polyandrous Polyandry (; ) is a form of polygamy in which a woman takes two or more husbands at the same time. Polyandry is contrasted with polygyny, involving one male and two or more females. If a marriage involves a plural number of "husbands and wive ...

by tradition, but such marriages are not practiced anymore.

Community

A social association of Tangbetanis have been established in Pokhara. This association is called "Tangbe Samaj Sewa Sanjh". The office and conference hall of this association is located at Parsyang, Pokhara. * The President; Tangbe Samaj Sewa Sanjh; Head Office:Parsyang, Pokhara-05, Kaski, Nepal.

References

{{Mustang District Populated places in Mustang District

Demography

Religion and Culture

Community

See also

References