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Madheshi people

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This article is about Nepalese citizens. For American people, see Madhesi tribe. For Territory in the United States of America (USA), see Madhesi Valley. For other uses and disambiguations, see Madhesi.
Madhesi people
Regions with significant populations
Languages
By majority in descending order[1] Nepali • Maithili • Bhojpuri • Tharu • Bajjika • Urdu • Awadhi • Magar • Rajbanshi • Hindi • Rajasthani
Religion
By majority in descending order[1]  • Hinduism • Islam • Buddhism • Christianity • Prakṛti • Jainism • Sikhism

Madhesi people (Nepali: मधेशी) is a term used for people of Indian origin residing in the Terai of Nepal.[2][3] The definition of the term 'Madhesi' is ambiguous and refers to various cultural groups such as Hindu caste groups, muslims and merchants of Indian origin, and indigenous people of the Terai. Many share cultural traditions and marital ties with people living south of the international border in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.[4] They settled foremost in the eastern Nepal Terai since the late 18th century.[5]

Migrants to the Terai from the hills in Nepal and Tharu people do not consider themselves as Madhesi.[6]

Etymology

The word madhesh is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit मध्य देश madhya desh meaning middle country, which refers to "the central region, the country lying between the Himalaya and the Vindhya mountains" in India.[6][7]

Area and population

The Terai in Nepal totals 33,998.8 km2 (13,127.0 sq mi), about 23.1% of Nepal's land area. As of 2001, about 48.5% of Nepal's population lived in the Terai, which had the highest density in the country with 330.78 people per sqkm.[8]

Classifications

Naturalized Madhesi

Naturalized Madhesi are the Madhesi people who hold Nepali Citizenship by naturalization upon marrying Madhesi man or those who became Nepali citizens in 2007 according to the controversial Citizenship Act of Nepal which allowed many Indian origin peoples, particularly Bihari people inhabiting Madhesh to acquire Nepalese citizenship and Madhesi identity by naturalization.[citation needed] According to the Home Ministry of Nepal, there are[when?] 362,027 Naturalized Madhesi people, accounting for 6.97% of the total Madhesi population; of those, 353,721 had become naturalized Madhesi in 2007 through marriage with people of Madhesh while 8306 were immigrants from Bihar inhabiting Madhesh for a long time.[citation needed] New immigrants from the Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh after 2007 are entitled to Nepalese citizenship by naturalization after 10 years of residence but they will be classified as being of the Indian Nepalese ethnic group rather than obtaining Madhesi identity in order to prevent further controversy with native Madhesi people.[citation needed]

Marital Madhesi

Marital Madhesi are those women who become Madhesi by marriage. They are further divided in two categories:

  • Naturalized Marital Madhesi, being women who were formerly citizens of any foreign country but are now Nepali citizens holding Naturalized Nepalese citizenship upon the marriage with Madhesi men. According to the Home Ministry of Nepal, there are[when?] 353,721 Naturalized Maritial Madhesi in Nepal, who were mainly of Bihari origin.[citation needed]
  • Cross Marital Madhesi, being those Madhesi women who were of Nepali nationality but previously belonged to different ethnic groups of Nepal prior to marrying Madhesi men.[citation needed]

Culture

The culture of Madeshi people is complex and diverse. The Muslim and indigenous peoples speak their own languages and have distinct cultural traditions that differ from the Hindu caste groups. Latter comprise at least 43 distinct groups.[4]

Cuisine

Cuisine in the Terai is quite varied. Maithil cuisine predominates in the eastern Terai, and Tharu cuisine among the Tharu people. Further west, the Muslim people around Nepalganj prepare Mughlai-influenced Awadhi food.[citation needed]

Fruit commonly grown in the Terai include mango (aap), lychee (litchi), papaya (armewa/mewa), banana (kera/kela) and jackfruit (katahar/katahal). Taro root is an important crop, of which the leaves and roots are eaten. Sidhara is a mixture of taro root, dried fish and turmeric that is formed into cakes and dried for preservation.[citation needed] Freshwater snails are cleansed, boiled and spiced to make ghonghi.[citation needed] Immature rice is used to make a kind of gruel maar. Rice and lentil dumplings are called bagiya or dhikri. The cakes are broken up and cooked with radish, chili, garlic and spices to accompany boiled rice.[citation needed]

Nepal has seven low elevation Inner Terai valleys enclosed by the Sivalik and Mahabharat ranges. Historically these valleys were populated mainly by the Tharu people who had genetic resistance to malaria. Since the valleys were isolated from one another, different enclaves spoke different dialects and had different customs. They may have had different cuisines, although this has not been very well studied. Nevertheless, they historically obtained a varied diet through hunting and gathering as well as shifting agriculture and animal husbandry. This contrasted with diets of other Hindus that were predominantly agricultural and utilized only a few sources of animal protein because of religious or caste prohibitions. In the 1950s, when Nepal opened its borders to foreigners and foreign aid missions, malaria suppression programs in the Terai finally made it possible for people without genetic resistance to survive there, so they faced an influx of Bihari and Pahari people.[citation needed] Conversion of forest and grassland to cropland and prohibitions on hunting shifted them away from land-based hunting and gathering, toward greater utilization of fish, freshwater crab, prawns from rivers and ponds. They also raised chickens and are reported to employ dogs to hunt rats in rice paddies and then roast them whole on sticks. Mutton may be obtained from nomadic hill people such as Kham Magar who take herds of sheep and goats up to sub-alpine pastures bordering the high Himalaya in summer, and down to Inner Terai valleys in winter. Increasing competition for land forces them away from shifting cultivation toward sedentary agriculture, so the national custom of eating rice with lentils gains headway.

Marriage system

Most Madhesi people practice conventional arranged marriages.[citation needed]

Religions

Religious breakdown of Madhesis[citation needed]
Religion Percent
Hindus
 
 71.50%
Muslims
 
 15.75%
Christians
 
 8.95%
Buddhist
 
 3.8%
Total
 
 100%

According to the 2001 Census of Nepal, 71.50% of the Madhesi people were Hindus, 15.75% (1,144,000) were Muslim, 8.95% were Christians and 3.8% were Buddhists.[citation needed]

The religious practices of the majority of Madhesi people are a mixture of orthodox Hinduism and animism.[9] They worship Shakti and Shakti peeths in various forms; some are also Shaivites and Vaishnavites.[10] The spiritual beliefs and moral values of the Madhesi people are closely linked to the natural environment. The pantheon of gods comprises a large number of deities that live in the forest. They are asked for support before entering the forest. While majority of Madhesis are Hindus, many are now slowly converting to Christianity because nearly half of their population are employed in Europe, Arabs, Malaysia and South Korea.[citation needed]

There are also Nepalese Muslims, who follow Islam. Many of them claim origins from India, Afghanistan, Arabia and Persia.[11][page needed] While most are small-time proprietor farmers, a substantial number still work as tenant farmers and agricultural labourers. At home they primarily speak Urdu, but also Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Nepali and Maithili, depending on whether they are of the Western or Central or Eastern Madhesh.[12][page needed]

The Muslim Madhesi are organized along the principles of caste, but differs in many respects from the caste system found among the Christian and Hindu communities. Although their groupings are endogamous, and there are elements of hierarchy, there are no religious and ideological principles providing a foundation for the concept of caste. For example, there is no question of ritual pollution by touch or restriction on interdining. But each grouping does maintain a separate and distinct identity, especially with regard to intermarriage.[13][14]

Tharu culture

Main article: Tharu people

Tharu people do not consider themselves as Madhesi, but are indigenous people of the Terai.[6][15] They are resistant to malaria because of inherited alpha-thalassemia.[16][17] They are mainly involved in farming.[18] They decorate their houses using only natural materials like clay, mud, dung and grass.[19]

Some Tharus practice the badghar system and elect a village chief, whose task is to work for the welfare of the village.[20] Rana Tharus in the far-western Terai of Nepal traditionally live in longhouses with big families of many generations and pool their labour, income and expenditures.[21]

Politics

Although democracy has been reinstated in Nepal, the Madhesi community has called for a more inclusive democracy as they are fearful of remaining an underprivileged group.[22] Some Madhesi people want secession from Nepal and have formed various organisations and groups to help achieve this aim. For example, the Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha is a separatist organisation founded in 2004 by Jay Krishna Goit with the aim of gaining independence for the Terai region from Nepal.[23] Organisation members have been responsible for various acts of Terrorism including bombings and murders.[24] Other armed outfits have appeared that also demand secession through violent means including the Terai Army, Madhesh Mukti Tigers and the Tharuwan National Liberation Front.[citation needed] There is also a movement that is demanding the secession of the Madhesh region led by C. K. Raut, called the Alliance for Independent Madhesh.[25][26]

The major Madhesi national political parties are:

Indian influence in Nepal Terai

After the Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, 2008, Indian politicians kept on trying to secure strategic interests in the Nepal Terai, such as over hydropower energy, development projects, business and trade.[28] By supporting the 2015 Nepal blockade, India tried to dominate Nepal's internal politics and foment the conflict in the Nepal Terai.[29]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Central Bureau of Statistics (2012). National Population and Housing Census 2011 (PDF). Kathmandu: Government of Nepal.
  2. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Savada, A. M., ed. (1991). Nepal and Bhutan : country studies: A Country Study. Federal Research Division. p. 77. {{cite encyclopedia}}: More than one of |at= and |page= specified (help)
  3. ^ Gellner, D.N., Pfaff-Czarnecka, J. and Whelpton, J. (1997). Nationalism and ethnicity in a Hindu kingdom: The politics of culture in contemporary Nepal. London, New York: Routledge. pp. 128–149.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b Dahal, D.R. (2008). "The 'Madhesi' People: Issues and Challenges of Democracy in the Nepal Terai". In Gellner, D.; Hachhethu, K. (eds.). Local Democracy in South Asia: Microprocesses of democratization in Nepal and its neighbours. New Delhi, Los Angeles, London, Singapore: Sage Publications. {{cite book}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Dahal, D.R. (1983). "Economic development through indigenous means: A case of Indian migration in the Nepal Terai". Contribution to Nepalese Studies. 11 (1): 1–20.
  6. ^ a b c Kabir, H. (2013). Education, Nationalism, and Conflict in Plural Society in Nepal: Terai Region in the Post-Maoist Context (PDF). Hiroshima: Hiroshima University Partnership Project for Peace Building and Capacity Development. Discussion Paper Series Vol. 19.
  7. ^ Apte, V. S. (1957–1959). "मध्य madhya". Revised and enlarged edition of Prin. V. S. Apte's The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary. Poona: Prasad Prakashan. {{cite book}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Bhuju, U. R., Shakya, P. R., Basnet, T. B., Shrestha, S. (2007). Nepal Biodiversity Resource Book. Protected Areas, Ramsar Sites, and World Heritage Sites (PDF). Kathmandu: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, in cooperation with United Nations Environment Programme, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. ISBN 978-92-9115-033-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "Madhesi are Nepali Hindus with some Muslims and Christians".
  10. ^ Jha, M. (1997). Anthropology of Ancient Hindu Kingdoms: A Study in Civilizational Perspective. New Delhi: M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. pp. 38–. ISBN 978-81-7533-034-4.
  11. ^ Sijapati, M. A. (2011). Islamic revival in Nepal: religion and a new nation. London and New York: Routledge.
  12. ^ Dastider, M. (2007) Understanding Nepal: Muslims in a plural society. Har Anand Publications. ISBN 978-81-241-1271-7
  13. ^ Thapa, S. (1995) Caste Hierarchy: The inter-Ethnic Stratification in the Muslim society of Nepal. Tribhuvan University Journal Volume XVIII
  14. ^ Sijapati, M. A. (2012). "Mawdudi's Islamic Revivalist Ideology and the Islami Sangh Nepal". Studies in Nepali History and Society. 17 (1): 41–61.
  15. ^ Krauskopff, G. (1995). "The Anthropology of the Tharus: An Annoted Bibliography". Kailash. 17 (3/4): 185–213.
  16. ^ Terrenato, L.; Shrestha, S.; Dixit, K. A.; Luzzatto, L.; Modiano, G.; Morpurgo, G.; Arese, P. (1988). "Decreased Malaria Morbidity in the Tharu and Maithil People Compared to Sympatric Populations in Nepal". Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology. 82 (1): 1–11. PMID 3041928.
  17. ^ Modiano, G.; Morpurgo, G.; Terrenato, L.; Novelletto, A.; Di Rienzo, A.; Colombo, B.; Purpura, M.; Marianit, M.; Santachiara-Benerecetti, S.; Brega, A.; Dixit, K. A.; Shrestha, S. L.; Lania, A.; Wanachiwanawin, W.; L. Luzzatto (1991). "Protection against malaria morbidity – near-fixation of the α-thalassemia gene in a Nepalese Population" (PDF). American Journal of Human Genetics. 48 (2): 390–397. PMC 1683029. PMID 1990845.
  18. ^ Guneratne, A. (2002). Many Tongues, One People: The Making of Tharu Identity in Nepal. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York. ISBN 0801487285.
  19. ^ Meyer, K. W., Deuel, P. (1997). "The Tharu of the Tarai". Indigo Gallery, Kathmandu. Retrieved 2006-12-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ Bellamy, B. (2009). Tradition in Transition: Tharu Traditional Governing System in Post-Conflict Nepal.
  21. ^ Lam, L. M. (2009). Park, hill migration and changes in household livelihood systems of Rhana Tharus in far-western Nepal (PDF). University of Adelaide.
  22. ^ Gorkhapatra Sansthan (2007). "Tharu community calls for inclusive democracy". The Rising Nepal. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2006-12-07.
  23. ^ "Terrorist Organization Profile: Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM)". National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START).
  24. ^ "Nepal Timeline Year 2004". Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  25. ^ "Nepal: Madhesis protest outside British embassy against 1816 treaty". 8 December 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  26. ^ "Alliance for Independent Madhesh (AIM)". Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  27. ^ "Madhesi Jana Adhikar Nepali Forum - Popular in Nepali Politics".
  28. ^ Ojha, H. (2015). The India-Nepal Crisis. The Diplomat.
  29. ^ Mahato, R. (2016). "The endless transition". Kathmandu: Nepali Times.

Further reading

  • Deepak Chaudhary. 2011. Tarai/Madhesh of Nepal; An Anthropological Study. Kathmandu: Ratna Pustak Bhandar.
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