The Gurungs are one of the many ethnic groups living in Nepal descended from Tibeto-Burman origins. They live primarily in West Nepal’s Gandaki Zone, specifically Lamjung, Kaski, Tanahu, Gorkha, Syangja and Manang districts surrounding the Annapurna mountain range. According to Nepal’s 2001 census, there are 543,571 ethnic Gurung (2.39% of Nepal's total population) of which 338,925 speak a Gurung language called Tamu Kai as their mother tongue. Tamu Kai is closely related to Tibetan.

Lifestyle

Their traditional occupation was based on sheep herding and trans-Himalayan trade. Many Gurung were recruited to serve in the British and Indian Gurkha regiments. Now because of globalisation they are serving in singapore police brunei reserve unit and in french legion. Today, many Gurung live in urban areas and are employed in all types of labor, business and professional services.

Gurungs trace their descent patrilineally, organized into two groups, or moieties of patrilineal clans. There are two major divisions in traditional Gurung society, namely, Char Jat ( four castes) and Shora Jat (sixteen castes).

A noted Gurung tradition is the institution of Rodi where teenagers form fictive kinship bonds and become Rodi members to socialize, perform communal tasks, and find marriage partners.

Religion

The Gurung traditionally practice a form of Lamaist Buddhism which mixes Buddhist tradition with pre-Buddhist practices of Bön religion. The Gurung maintain household, village and regional priests: Pajyu, Ghyabri and Lama. The social process of Sanskritization has led many Gurung to practice Hinduism.

References

• Nepal Population Report 2002
• Rastriya Janajati Bikas Samiti
• Nepal Ethnographic Museum
• A Guide to the Gurungs: Alan Macfarlane and Indrabahadur Gurung (PDF)