Tamang

The Tamang are a Tibeto-Burman people of the central Nepalese hills, clustered around the Kathmandu valley and the Sunkoshi river. Evidence points to mixed Tibetan and Nepalese origins. They were organized by clan and held their hill lands under the communal kipat system.

The Gorkha kings of the eighteenth century conquered their territory: in 1762 Prithvi Narayan Shah overran Temal, killing the local chief Rinjen Dorje, after which much kipat land was granted to Gorkha generals and the Tamangs were burdened with forced labor. Some fought in the Sino-Nepalese War of 1788 to 1792, and a few hundred settled in Tibet afterward.

Most Tamangs follow Tibetan Buddhism, mark their new year with the Sonam Lhosar festival, and speak the tonal Tamang language, closely related to Gurung. Their damphu drum and Tamang Selo songs mark their culture.