Cultural Post #1 - Newar
For my first cultural post, I wanted to focus on a smaller group of Nepali people that both my parents are part of. Culturally and historically, the history of the Newar people has been intertwined with that of Nepal.
Newar group of people belong to both Buddhist and Hindu religions. Most of the Newar people live in urban locations of Nepal, most prominently in and near the Kathmandu Valley. Although the numbers have been decreasing throuhgout the year due to urbanization, Newars generally make up around 50% of the population in the Kathmandu Valley region.
In terms of language, Newari has been influenced by both Tibeto-Burmese and Indo-European families of languages, although it belongs more to the Tibeto-Burmese family. Newari has also coexisted and mixed in with other Indic languages such as Sanskrit, Nepali, Maithili, and many more. Although the Kathmandu (Valley) dialect is considered the standard dialect, there are various other dialects such as Bhaktapur, Dolakha, Pahari, etc. With the political changes in Nepal, India, China, and Tibet, the movement of people in and out of the Kathmandu Valley area and its surrounding areas, Newari and Nepali culture has adapted new languages, patterns, words, etc throughout the years. In terms of the scripts used for writing, Ranjana Lipi is the official name of the script and it stems from the Brahmic script developed around 1100. At first glance, it looks really similar to Nepali but it is a completely different language to learn and speak.
In terms of the contributions, there has been a lot of prominent culture, art, cuisine, literature, etc. Newar itself roughly refers to "Inhabitants of Nepal". Other groups of people have different interpretations of how "Nepal" ended up with the name. In one popular form for the story, "Ne" stood for a sage or "rishi" or the Hindu equivalent of a monk, who was one of the sons of Hindu god Brahma. "pal" meanwhile stood for the "inhabited space". In Nepali, "pal" also means tent or temporary living space.
Traditionally, Newar people have been known throughout Nepal for their skills in Art, Agriculture, and Commerce. In terms of crafts, Newars were known for their art involving bronze, brass, copper and various other metals. Newars are also involved in creation of ornaments, pottery, weaving, wood carving, stone carving and other forms of fine art. Upon observation, it is clear to see the influences of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Nepal's neighboring countries.
Desay Madu Jhya (Wooden Newar Art / Window)
Prayer Wheels (with Ranjana Lipi writing on them)
Taleju Bhawani Temple (Pagoda Style with Stone and Various Metal Statues)
https://pixels.com/featured/taleju-bhawani-temple-yinguo-huang.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desay_Madu_Jhya
http://www.everestguides.com/nepal/ethnic-groups-in-nepal.php
https://www.jstor.org/stable/25841412?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/newar
Replies
This was a great post! I was most struck by the headpiece that was dawned by the person in the picture titled "Prayer Wheels". The way the colors work together to showcase the art and patterns that are considered most beautiful is really great to see. I was not familiar with the Newar people before this post so thank you.
I really enjoy your post Abhishek! Due to your cultural post, I had a chance to learn more about the history, religion and culture of Nepali. From your pictures, I am able to see the influences of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Nepal's neighboring countries. These are the things that I did not know before.