9851090712 dumiradu.055@gmail.com

About Us

The Dumi people use Dumi Radu ‘Dumi Rai’ as an endonym in their mother tongue, which is the name most exclusively used for both the language and its speakers. There are 21 pachha ‘clans’ under the seven (7) Same ‘lineages’ in the Dumi ethnicity. The geographical boundary of Dumi includes other Kirat Rai communities like Thulung [tdh], Khaling [klr], Koyee [kkt], Sampang [rav], Nachhiring [ncd], Chamling [rab], etc. spoken in the surroundings of the Dumi speaking area. So, the Dumi people are in day–to–day contact with these Kirati languages of the Rai group in the respective areas in socio–cultural and other daily activities. The total population of Dumi is 12,000 in Nepal (Eppele et al. 2012: 45). The latest CBS report 2011 shows the total population of Dumi is 7,638 of which only 2,500 (i.e., 32.7%) of the total population speak their language ‘Dumi’ as their mother tongue.

The Dumi language

Dumi  is a less documented Kirati language spoken by an indigenous nationality referred to as ‘Dumi Rai’ inhabiting the hilly region of Khotang district, particularly, in the area around the Tap and Rawa rivers and their confluence in Sagarmatha zone of eastern Nepal. Among 25 different Kirat Rai speech communities, Dumi (639–3: dus) belongs to the western Kirati group of astern Himalayish sub-branch of the Tibeto–Burman branch under the Sino–Tibetan language family. Eppele et al. (2012: 45–46) claims that there are three dialects: Kharbari (i.e., Jalapa), Lamdija (i.e., Baksila) and Makhipa (i.e., Makpa). Typologically, Dumi is one of the pronominalizing Kirati languages of the Rai group, carrying person and number indices in the verb root. It is syntactically a verb-final split ergative language.

Dumi Kirat Rai Funsikim (DKRF)

It is a social organization of Dumi Kirat Rai people established in 2055 BS (i.e., 1998 AD), a registered organization from His Majesty the Government with a clear view of preservation, promotion and development of language, culture, history and genealogy of the Dumi Kirat Rai by organizing them under the umbrella organization named Dumi Kirat Rai Fusikim, but informally it was working since 2042 BS (1985 AD), which is the outcome of the indigenous voices.

Dumi Kirat Rai is an indigenous group of the Kirat Rai People of Nepal. Before the unification of Nepal, Dumi ancestors were local ruler of northern Khotang district in their homeland. It is important to note down that among the multilingual Kirat  Rai ethnicity, there are around two dozen language communities. The majority of Dumi people live in Khotang district of eastern Nepal, particularly in Kharmi, Jalapa, Baksila, Sapteshwor, Makpa, Kubhinde, Diktel and Nerpa. Similarly, they live in 14 districts of the province one in east Nepal. Abroad, the major geographical region like Darjeeling, Sikkim, Assam, Burma and beyond that the advanced countries like the USA, UK, Hongkong, etc.

The dialectic meaning of “Dumi” indicates multi meanings like organization, association, gathering to meet together, etc. but chronologically it signifies a name of a person or individual. Dumi is the Head people succeed from Tumsolihang. The other meaning of Dumi indicates the name of the place where ancestors of Dumi gathered together in a place of having big stone facilitated by water nearby Simpani village, Khotang district. Simpani means the main source of water. This historic stone is called Dunkulu (stone of meeting point). It is still as if as it is. Dunku is derived from Dunki ‘met together/gathered/accumulated’ and lu ‘stone’.

There are two words lu denote the cultural and religious stone like suptulu or tinchula ‘Three stone’ kept oven. In the same way, the different Sames and Pachas of Dumi ethnics gathered in the surrounding of the stone so they began to say ingki dungki lu ‘we met at this stone’. Ultimately, the stone also was called “Dungkilu” (stone of meeting point). According to the ancestor, instead of saying Dungkulu, it is also known as Dumilu. It means the term Dumilu is derived from Dungkilu.

The term, Kirat is a large umbrella term, including Rai which covers Sunuwar, Limbu, Yakkha in a narrow sense. They are very proud to be called Kirat. In a broad sense, at some point of time, all the Mongols were called Kirat. The term Funsikim is  Dumi dialectic meaning like an association, organization, gathering, meeting, etc. So ‘Dumi Kirat Rai Funsikim (DKRF)’ is a common Organization or forum of the Dumi Kirat Rai people.

Objectives

The main objectives of DKRF are:

  1. To preserve, promote and develop the Dumi language by writing, reading and teaching in School level currently and in the future propose to make it possible to study and research at the university level.
  2. To produce the related literature, curriculum, textbooks and other reading materials in Dumi.
  3. To collect, write and publish Dumi genealogy of all Same (lineages) and Pacha (clans) and Risiya (classical song related the Kirat tradition, cultural values and norms).
  4. To protect and promote socio-cultural and holy religious values and norms that are beneficial to the Dumi Kirat Rai Society.
  5. To protect and promote socio-cultural and holy religious places and weapons which might be the base of the history of Dumi Kirat Rai as well.
  6. To protect, preserve and develop traditional skills and styles for cultural values.
  7. To protect the right of the indigenous people.

Function

To meet the above objectives, the following functions will be carried out:

  1. To meet the first objectives informal and formal classes in Dumi language will be organized in the community to the School level currently and University level in the future. Linguistic manpower will be produced for teaching.
  2. In order to conduct the formal education in Dumi, there will be collaborative effort of DKRF and the respective local governments (i.e. municipalities).
  3. Based on the local requirement of the Dumi community, the curriculum will be developed for the teaching-learning process in Dumi and consequently, the textbook will be written. To perform this task meeting, classes and seminars will be organized. The contemporary magazines will be published for quick information on the Dumi Rai Community.
  4. Responsible collectors will be appointed to collect the fact and real data regarding Dumi genealogy, Same (lineages) and Paccha (clans). An important and indispensable help will be taken from resource persons.
  5. The collected and verified data will be published part-wise for the right information, discussion, suggestion and reactions by readers and listeners to the particular publication of all pachha (clans). The final decision made and suggested by a common endeavor will be published in a book form.
  6. The cultural ceremonies, rituals, customs and traditions from birth to death of the Dumi Kirat Rai will be collected and published for preservation and application in the social life.
  7. Various cultural, religious and historical places from the Dumi origin like Sakelathan and Bhumethan ‘sacred place of worshipping the land’ of different villages, Dungkulu, Gadhi Hills, Grave of Makhipa dog, Mahabhir of Lumju River, Dhaltarawar Hill, Jayajum Hill, Barme Dhara Maktalu, Chilimdhunga, Chuchu Daha, Salpa, Samjhouta dhunga etc.
  8. Traditional skills like weaving local clothes from Allo, Kapas (raw cotton), making a cultural bag, cap, bhoto, coat, Sildum (decorated headcloth like a crown) attached with porcupine-thorn, cotton and Sunakhari, a musical instrument like Binayo, Murchungga and its case, weaving a common handbag, making local beer, local alcohol, yeast ‘Marcha (Medicinal mixture for making Nepali beer), skill for making natural herbals and weaving local umbrella, etc.
  9. Dumi people will be accultured through Dumi Kirat Rai sense for their right in the light of indigenous perspective by which they would be able to protect their rights by establishing ethnic local self-government and right to self-determination with the implementation of their ethnic language.

Organization Structure

To achieve the organizational goals and it’s smooth running, it has distinctly three levels of organizational structure. The first basic level is delkim ‘the local or level’ (i.e., village), then dumkim ‘the regional level’ (i.e., certain region or vdc) and funsikim ‘the central level (i.e. the top-most). There is the central executive board funsikim consisting of 21 members and a dozen dumkim consisting of 13 to 17 members and then around 50 Delkin consisting of 9 to 11 members. The executive committees of all the levels will be reorganized periodically in each of three years gap at own general conferences for three years term.

  1. Current activities and achievements
  2. There is organizational coordination among ‘Delkim’, ‘Dumkim’ and ‘Fansikim’.
  3. Thorough publications of the multilingual ‘ISILIM’ magazine.
  4. Bringing in to the stage of publication of the Dumi geneology.
  5. Bringing into the stage of publication of the Dumi pedagogical grammar.
  6. The publication of
  7. Dumi dictionary through the organization.
  8. Dumi writing guide

Dumi Jisi ‘Dumi boli’ or Dumi speaking

  1. A Grammar of Dumi
  2. A Dictionary of Dumi
  3. The sociolinguistic survey has been carried out by the central department of linguistics in 2070 BS.
  4. Handling the financial mechanism through the single window system.
  5. For the ritual & cultural and preservation a “Dolokumma committee” (a cultural dance committee) has been formed in order to organize the Tosi/Sakala Dance” (cultural dance) in Spring and Autumn seasons.
  6. Collaborating with other organizations in the activities of cultural preservation and Dumi ethnic identity.
  7. Following the cultural norms and values of Dumi Kirat Rai society and actively participating in each program organized by Kirat Rai Yayokkha, Kirat Rai Academic Council and other Kirat organizations.
  8. To carry out the above activities DKRF has managed a mechanism for the sustainable development of Dumi community and organization itself.
  9. The various funds are raising day by day in the name of the organization ‘DKRF’ and Dumi people are being responsive gradually.
  10. The different categories of funds have been managed by the financial department in DKRF.

Challenges

Dumi Rai is a minority Kirati language group within the multilingual Kirat community. Not only at the National level, but even within the Kirati Rai group, Dumi is backwords in the view of the preservation of language, culture and rituals. the whole Kirat Rai people including Dumi Rai also has lost their socio-economic and political rights. To response to the challenge of speaking, writing, publishing and flourishing the literature in Dumi is an essential job,

By preparing a curriculum, writing the texts book and teaching Dumi as a medium of communication or as a subject at the primary level to a higher level. Linguistically and politically Dumi Kirat Rai wants to establish their self-determination rights and local self-government.

Dumi Rai is an ethnic group losing its history suppressed by Shah Regime. So Fumsikim wants to carry out the research to write and publish the history and genealogy. Dumi Kirat Rai wants to convert into a secular state with equal treatment and opportunities by the democratic government.

Furthermore, DKRF wants to preserve and promote the traditional skills and knowledges relating to the lif style of Dumi people. It is also dedicated to … the Dumi identity and wants to hold its patent rights. It also aims to collect the traditional materials relating to weaving clothes, cultural and self-identity materials, war weapons, etc. Finally, the organization has a long term plan to preserve all the skill-oriented materials to keep it into a museum in the name of the Dumi ancestors. Likewise, DKRF has a plan to document and preserve the old chaunts, risias, divine power and shamanists knowledge (i.e., symbolic of the indigenous knowledge.

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Contact Information

Koteshwor, Kathmandu

Phone:
+977 9851090712

Email:
dumiradu.055@gmail.com