Introduction

Dhimal Community and Language Preservation Efforts

Genealogies based on folklore state that the Dhimals are descendants of Dhikokpa, the eldest son of Thangdawa, the youngest of Kirat Engwa's ten brothers and sons (Days, 2039:8; Dahal, 2036:23; Dhimal, 2066:10 BC). The Dhimal dynasty also belongs to a branch of the Kirantis who settled in the northern and northeastern Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent, probably long before the arrival of the Aryans, about 1,000 years ago. Among the Kirantis, the Dhimal community considers Limbu as their closest relative. From the point of view of physical appearance, neither black nor fair, black thick and coarse hair, beard-moustache and less hair on the body, small eyes, thin eyebrows and eyelashes, short, narrow and large nostrils, moderately thick lips, often long and thin ears, Round chin, chubby cheeks, stocky body and slightly taller height than the average Rai Limbu are the physical features of the Dhimals.

In the Dhimal language, dhi means 'to push' or 'to break', and 'mal' means 'level ground'. Dhimal is called 'Dhemal' by the neighboring Tharu and Rajvanshi communities. The word Dhemaal in the Dhimal language is composed of two separate words dhe/dhe 'to separate' or 'to break' and mal 'mad'. Later it may have been corrupted from Dhemaal and became 'Dhemal' and then 'Dhimal' (Dhimal, 2066:8,9). In the etymology of the word 'Dhimal', the Dhimals seem to have separated from the Kirati branch and settled in the 'Mal Bhubhag' region of the Terai from the hills, which is also found in folklore itself.

The Dhimals had been living as a semi-nomadic community (Hudson AD 1849) through the Majhiwarang/Deunya system with political and cultural autonomy in the eastern Terai since long before malaria was eradicated (after 2007 AD). They are also known as the first community to lay the foundations of tribal culture and civilization in the region. Despite the unfavorable policies, laws and practices of the state, the tribal Dhimals have been living in their ancestral land till today with unwavering adherence to their own Dhimal language, lifestyle, costumes, skills and folk culture.

Dhimals are nature worshippers. Their social life is based on equality, togetherness, and mutuality as they worship their natural resources such as valleys, rivers, land, water, forests etc. In each Dhimal village, a common gramathan is built in the north-eastern region. There is a tradition of worshiping in that place every year. Dhimal women have the skill of weaving traditional clothes on home looms. Women of Dhimal community wear 'Bona/Bohna' and men wear 'Ascot', 'Tepana' and 'Ganji'. As the women's traditional dress 'Bohna' is a distinct identity of their culture, they say their identity is unique.

The Dhimals occupied their own land from the Mechi river 'Menchi Jhora' in the east, the Chureparvat Fedi in the north, the Rajdhampal in the south, the 'Ra Sambri' Sunvarshi Pondi Govindpur, Bhunde Simal (Jhapa), Dhimaldhura (land north of the Northern Postal Route) and Koshi rivers in the west. They claim the four forts as their fatherland. Dhimals are found in Malabari, Hattighisa, Maurijot, Chengadhari, Nineteen Mile and Assam under Darjeeling district of West Bengal state of India. Dhimals of Darjeeling used to write 'Mallik' earlier, but now they have started writing Dhimal.

The Dhimal tribe is known as the oldest tribal Bhoomiputra, who have been having a very close relationship with the land, water, and forest since ancient times in Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari districts under the Terai region of eastern Nepal. The ancestral habitat of the Dhimal community is from Dhankuta downwards to Pavarak-Mavarak (Rajaranigaon), Bhogteni, Letang, Guwaibari, Kirtiman Farani, Lokrajhar, Dhimaldanda, Jantekheruwa, Kamaljhora, Doholu, Jhumra, Gohri, Dangkawarang hills etc. The preservation of historical evidences such as shields, swords and Nagari with the Dhimals confirms that they were brave and mighty fighters and patriots.

In the early days, there was no awareness that research should be done on the history, language, culture, original identity, geography and region of the Dhimal caste. The ancestors of that time did not think that written history should be saved along with religion, skills, art, literature, language, culture, to get a job, to go into the education field. When a community member died, the things, documents, old history, gold and silver, jewelry, and clothes that were used by a community member were not saved. There was also a custom of burying. Otherwise, it is said that there is a superstition that his spirit can become a ghost and haunt the family members or not allow them to live well.

G.A. Grierson in 'Linguistic Survey of India' (3rd volume) mentions the Dhimals under a complex pronominal form of the Votburmese language family. Dhimal language belongs to the Voto-Burmese language family (Cooper, 1999: 26; King, 2009: 1; Khatiwada, 2016: 3, Dhimal, 2018: 1). On the basis of linguistics, the Dhimal language is divided into east of Maikhola and west of it. v. No. According to the national census of 2068 (year 2011), Dhimal population is 26,298, the number of language speakers is 19,300 (male 8,855 and female 10,445). However, this statistic is not that reliable.

Hudson (1849) states that “Dhimal, Bodo and Meche" are nature worshipers of the same race. Latham (A.D. 1859) in his Descriptive Ethnology book states that "Dhimals and Bodos" came fighting with diseases like malaria. He continued the ethnology monograph given by Hudson.