LIMBU

the second most numerous tribe of the indigenous people called Kiranti, living in Nepal on the easternmost section of the Himalayas between the Arun River and the border of Sikkim state, India. Of Mongolian stock, they number an estimated 200,000 and speak a Tibeto-Nepalese dialect of Kiranti. Limbu villages are found 2,500 to 4,000 feet (800 to 1,200 m) above sea level and consist of 30100 stone houses surrounded by dry-cultivated fields. Divided into patrilineal clans, the families are led by a headman, or subba, who is often a returned Gurkha soldier. Maintaining a self-sufficient economy, the Limbu grow rice, wheat, and corn (maize) on terraced and irrigated fields; land is planted once a year. In addition, buffalo are kept, and goats, chickens, and sheep are raised for meat. Although influenced by Buddhism from Tibet as well as by rituals from nearby lamaseries, the Limbu observe a traditional religion, worshiping a chief god, Niwa Buma, and mountain and river deities. Each Limbu household additionally honours an ancestor god and has a religious leader (a shamba, or a fedangba) to conduct family rituals.