South Asia People Groups

Tharu of Nepal

In the Terai Valley, southwest of the mountains, live the Tharu. They are the largest tribal group in Nepal, numbering more than 720,000.

Unlike other groups in the Terai, the Tharu have survived throughout history because of their unique immunity to malaria. Despite their hardy immune systems, they are considered one of the lower groups in Nepal’s hierarchical caste system.

The Terai is a fertile area for growing rice, other staple crops and raising livestock. Many of the Tharu have lost their land and have become the laborers to higher-caste immigrants who wanted to take advantage of the agricultural opportunities in the Terai. Many worked as servants in households of the rich.

Recently, the Kamaiya system of bonded labor has been outlawed by Nepal’s government. Unfortunately, like the emancipation of slaves in the United States, the Tharu laborers have now been put out of work and still have no land to support their families.

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. Government statistics show that most Tharu above age 6 have never gone to school. Half of all the children in the country under 5 years old are malnourished.

The Tharu women have a higher social status than many Nepali women. Both sexes work side by side in the fields, but the women often take care of selling the crops.

Nepal is one of the few countries in the world where women have a lower life expectancy than men.

Despite their hardships, the women are known for their talent in painting their mud homes with colorful murals of peacocks, flowers and other animals.

Religion

The Tharu religion is a mixture of animism (a belief in spiritual beings who reside in persons, animals or things) and Hinduism called “folk Hinduism.” They also live among many Buddhists and Muslims. Their homes contain a statue of a god, and the family offers animal sacrifices to appease the spirit.

When they are sick, the Tharu often turn to traditional healers and Buddhist medicine. The Tharu believe sickness comes when the gods are displeased, and the demons are at work. Healers try to appease the gods of the illness through incantations, beating drums and offering sacrifices.