Revival of the Kusunda identity in Nepal
- Man In India
- 104 (3&4), 2024: p.243-274
The mother tongue constitutes an important part of a people’s identity. For some indigenous groups, such as the Kusunda of Nepal, the language is the primary remaining marker of their unique identity. The Kusunda are a small, 161-member strong indigenous ethnic group who used to speak the eponymous language isolate Kusunda. They were a nomadic hunter-gatherer group inhabiting the middle hills and inner valleys of western Nepal. In the course of history, there has been a gradual decline in the number of Kusunda people, and since the mid-1800s their community became increasingly fragmented. In this article, we describe how, encouraged by socio-economic and socio-political changes occurring in Nepal since the turn of the century, the Kusunda are also reasserting their identity. Among the various aspects of their culture, the revitalization of their language has become the major focal point of these efforts. Despite the progress made in this respect, we conclude by reiterating the Kusunda’s idea of an integrated settlement as the best way to preserve their identity for posterity. -Reproduced