Research Seminar Series
Title:
Tamangs in Tarai-Madhesh: Peacekeeping Force without the Uniform (Bina Bardiko Shanti Sena)
Speaker:
Nishnu Thing, Nepal Open University
ate, Time and Venue:
30 November 2025/१४ मंसिर २०८२ (आइतबार, दिउँसो ३ बजे)
Martin Chautari Seminar Hall, Thapathali, Kathmandu
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Abstract:
The history of migration of Tamangs to the Tarai-Madhesh began two to three centuries ago. This passage was made easier since many Tamangs lived in the northern Chure and Mahabharat Hills. The Tamang people are the largest mountain group settled in the recently created Madhesh Province. They are the first settlers where they now live. This means they cleared the Charkose Jhadi in the Madhesh. Their settlements from Parsa to Saptari was divided by the Mahendra Highway. When Tamang people made the Charkose Jhadi inhabitable and cultivatable, other groups from the hills and the south migrated to these areas. Over time, the ruling Brahmin-Chhetri elites, along with southern groups started exploiting, looting, and displacing them. Thousands of Tamang individuals in Sarlahi have not received their land certificates (lalpurja). However, these certificates were given to other powerful people by the Shree Kantha Sharma-led commission in 2028 v.s. Hence, Tamang people are facing double marginalization in the Madhesh. Despite this, I argue that they are playing the role of a peacekeeping force when Hindu-Muslim and Pahadi-Madheshi tensions flare up. Tamang villages are buffer zones and their peacekeeping role will become more significant in the coming future.
About the Speaker:
Nishnu Thing is a researcher, writer, and editor who teaches Tamang history at Nepal Open University. He has earned an MPhil in English from Pokhara University. Recently, he has been leading an encyclopedia project titled “Origin and History of the Tamangs and Himali Indigenous Peoples” conducted by NFDIN. He is the author of Nepalma Pahichanko Bahas (2071) and Janjati, Madheshi ra Rastriyatako Sawal (2073). He is a co-founder of the Tamang National Library in Bouddha and a former editor of Shikshapatra.com. Additionally, he has edited publications such as Rajnitima Tamang, Kaiten: A Journal of Tamang Studies, and the Tamang Journal.
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