ᤕᤠᤰᤌᤢᤱ लिम्बु | |
---|---|
![]() Limbu people celebrating chasok tangnam | |
Regions with significant populations | |
![]() | 414,704[1] |
![]() | 100,550[2] (Sikkim: 53,703 (2011))[3] (West Bengal: 46,847 (2011))[4] (Assam: 36,000)) |
Languages | |
Limbu language | |
Religion | |
Predominantly: Kirat Mundhum 81% Minorities: Hinduism 14%, Christianity 5% | |
Related ethnic groups | |
The Limbu (Limbu: ᤕᤠᤰᤌᤢᤱ) are a Sino-Tibetan ethnolinguistic group indigenous to the Himalayan region of eastern Nepal, northeastern India and western Bhutan. In India, the Limbus live in the states of Sikkim, Assam, Nagaland and northern West Bengal, i.e. North Bengal.[5][6][7]
Subba is a title given by the Shah Kings only to Limbu village chiefs.[8] Subba was not an indigenous Limbu terminology, but now the two terms are almost interchangeable. It was how the village chiefs were distinguished from other villagers in Limbu tribe. Family lineage of the village chiefs are often found with their surname as Subba.
Their history is said to be written in a book called Bangsawoli (Genealogy), also known as Bansawali. Some ancient families have kept copies.[9] There are hundreds of Limbu clans and tribes, classified under their tribe or subnational entity or according to their place of origin.
The Chinese text Po-ou-Yeo-Jing,[which?] translated in 308 AD, refers to the Yi-ti-Sai (barbarians bordering on the north), a name which is an exact equivalent of [10][11] The Limbu, were also one of the earliest inhabitants of Sikkim.[12][13] The name of the Indian state itself is a combination of two Limbu words: su, which means "new", and khyim, which means "palace" or "house".[14]
The estimated population of the Limbu is 700,000, mainly in the districts of Sankhuwasabha, Tehrathum, Dhankuta, Taplejung, Morang, Sunsari, Jhapa, Panchthar, and Ilam in Nepal. These are all within the Koshi Province or "Limbuwan". Portions of the Limbu population are also located in the eastern and western districts of Sikkim. A smaller population is scattered throughout the cities of Darjeeling, and Kalimpong in West Bengal, Assam, Nagaland, Bhutan, and Myanmar. Some have migrated to the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, the United States, and other countries.
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