Revival of the Kusunda identity in Nepal
By: Bodt, Timotheus A. and Aaley, Uday Raj
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Material type: 
BookPublisher: Man In India Description: 104 (3&4), 2024: p.243-274.Subject(s): Kusunda; language endangerment; ethnic revival; language revitalization; Nepal; integrated settlementSummary: 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
https://serialsjournals.com/abstract/90121_6-timothy_uday.pdf
| Item type | Current location | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Articles
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Indian Institute of Public Administration | Available | AR136176 |
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
https://serialsjournals.com/abstract/90121_6-timothy_uday.pdf
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