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{{Distinguish|text=the [[Yaka people]] of Congo}}
{{Distinguish|text=the [[Yaka people]] of Congo}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Yākkhā
| group = Yakkha , Dewan
| native_name = याक्खा
| native_name = ᤕᤠᤁᤰᤂᤠ<br/> याक्खा
| native_name_lang = ne | image = File:Kirat Yakkha Womans In Traditional Dress.jpg
| native_name_lang = ne | image = File:Kirat Yakkha Womans In Traditional Dress.jpg
| caption = Yakkha women in traditional dress
| caption = Yakkha women in traditional dress
| population = {{flag|Nepal}} 24,336(2011)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nepal.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Population%20Monograph%20V02.pdf|title=Population Monograph of Nepal Volume II}}</ref>
| population = {{flag|Nepal}} 17,460 (2021)<ref name=Population>{{cite web|url=https://censusnepal.cbs.gov.np/results/downloads/caste-ethnicity|title=National Population and Housing Census 2021 |publisher=Central Bureau of Statistics, Government of Nepal}}</ref>
| pop3 = {{flag|India}}
| pop3 = {{flag|India}}
| region4 = [[Sikkim]]
| region4 = [[Sikkim]]
| pop4 = 193 (2006)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://14.139.211.59/bitstream/123456789/1543/9/09_chapter_03.pdf|title=LINGUISTIC AND RELIGIOUS MINORITIES UNDER SSP LED GOVERNMENT}}</ref>
| pop4 = 193 (2006)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://14.139.211.59/bitstream/123456789/1543/9/09_chapter_03.pdf|title=Linguistic and Religious Minorities under SSP Led Government}}</ref>
| languages = [[Yakkha language]], [[Nepali language|Nepali]]
| languages = [[Yakkha language]], [[Nepali language|Nepali]]
| religions = ''<small>Majority</small>:'' •[[Kiratism]] 81% ''<small>Others</small>:'' •[[Hinduism in Nepal|Hinduism]]11.50% <ref>{{cite web|title=Caste ethnicity and religion of Nepal Ministry of Health|url=https://mohp.gov.np/downloads/Population%20Monograph%20V02.pdf}}</ref>
| religions = ''<small>Majority</small>:'' •[[Kiratism]] 81% ''<small>Others</small>:'' •[[Hinduism in Nepal|Hinduism]] 11.50% <ref>{{cite web|title=Caste ethnicity and religion of Nepal Ministry of Health|url=https://mohp.gov.np/downloads/Population%20Monograph%20V02.pdf}}</ref>
| related_groups = {{hlist|[[Limbu people|Limbu]], and [[Rai people|Rai]]|}} }}
| related_groups = {{hlist|[[Limbu people|Limbu]]|[[Rai people|Rai]]|[[Sunuwar people|Sunuwar]] Other [[Sino-Tibetan peoples]] }} }}
'''Yakkha ''' ([[Nepali language|Nepali]] याक्खा, Yākkhā) is an indigenous ethnic group from the [[Indian subcontinent]], mainly in modern-day [[Nepal]] and present-day India (related to other [[Kirati people|Kirat]] groups, like the [[Limbu people|Limbu]], [[Sunuwar people|Sunuwar]], [[Rai people|Rai]],[[Dewan people]] and more distantly all other [[Sino-Tibetan peoples]]). It is one of the descendants of Nepal's prehistoric Kirat dynasty. The Yakkha people are [[subsistence farmers]] who inhabit the lower [[Arun River, China-Nepal|Arun valley]] in eastern [[Nepal]]. They number only a few thousand and their language is nearly extinct.<ref>K. David Harrison ''When Languages Die: The Extinction of the World's Languages and the ... '' Page 172 2007 "The Yakkha people are subsistence farmers who number only a few thousand and inhabit the lower Arun valley in eastern Nepal."</ref><ref>Mark-Anthony Falzon ''Multi-Sited Ethnography: Theory, Praxis, and Locality in ... '' Page 5 - 2009 "5 He proceeded to do multi-sited fieldwork with Yakkha people in Tamaphok, Nepal, and various migrant destinations in India and elsewhere."</ref>
'''Yakkha or Dewan ''' ([[Nepali language|Nepali]] याक्खा, Yākkhā) is an indigenous ethnic group from the [[Indian subcontinent]], mainly in modern-day [[Nepal]] and present-day India (related to other [[Kirati people|Kirat]] groups, like the [[Limbu people|Limbu]], [[Sunuwar people|Sunuwar]], [[Rai people|Rai]], and more distantly all other [[Sino-Tibetan peoples]]). It is one of the descendants of Nepal's prehistoric Kirat dynasty. The Yakkha people are [[subsistence farmers]] who inhabit the lower [[Arun River, China-Nepal|Arun valley]] in eastern [[Nepal]]. They number only a few thousand and their language is nearly extinct.<ref>K. David Harrison ''When Languages Die: The Extinction of the World's Languages and the ... '' Page 172 2007 "The Yakkha people are subsistence farmers who number only a few thousand and inhabit the lower Arun valley in eastern Nepal."</ref><ref>Mark-Anthony Falzon ''Multi-Sited Ethnography: Theory, Praxis, and Locality in ... '' Page 5 - 2009 "5 He proceeded to do multi-sited fieldwork with Yakkha people in Tamaphok, Nepal, and various migrant destinations in India and elsewhere."</ref>


==Etymology==
==Etymology==
Line 20: Line 20:


==Exonyms==
==Exonyms==
The Yakkhas are also known by the exonyms ''Majhiya'', ''Jimdar'' and ''Dewan'', titles they accepted after the conquest of the Kirat land by the Gorkhas under [[Prithvi Narayan Shah]]. The Yakkhas were not only given ownership of the land but were also given the responsibility of collecting taxes from the lands utilised by Yakkhas as well as non-Yakkhas living in the area. In [[Darjeeling district]] and [[Sikkim]] of [[India]], Dewan is commonly used as a synonym of Yakkha, and as Dewans they are placed in the [[Other Backward Class]] category.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.anagrasarkalyan.gov.in/orders/Reserv_Obc/2927-BCW-MR-436-99.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2014-01-06 |archive-date=2015-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150608053916/http://www.anagrasarkalyan.gov.in/orders/Reserv_Obc/2927-BCW-MR-436-99.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The Yakkhas are also known by the exonyms '''Dewan''', Jimi and [[ Rai (title)|Rai]] titles they accepted after the conquest of the Kirat land by the Gorkhas under [[Prithvi Narayan Shah]]. The Yakkhas were not only given ownership of the land but were also given the responsibility of collecting taxes from the lands utilised by Yakkhas as well as non-Yakkhas living in the area. In [[Darjeeling district]], [[Kalimpong district]] and [[Sikkim]] of [[India]], Dewan is commonly used as a synonym of Yakkha, and as Dewans they are placed in the [[Other Backward Class]] category.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://wbcbc.gov.in/html/obc-list.html |title=List of Other Backward Classes in West Bengal |publisher= West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes}}</ref>


==Yakkha Land (Yākkhālen)==
==Yakkha Land (Yākkhālen)==
Today, the ''Yakkha Motherland'' is considered a patch among the historic Kirat region (i.e., east of the [[Kathmandu]] valley). During the National Unification of Nepal by [[Prithvi Narayan Shah]], the traditional bases of the Kirat Lands were merged. The Far Kirat (Pallo Kirat) of the [[Limbuwan]] area to the east of the [[Arun River (Nepal)|Arun River]] was divided into seventeen Thums. Among these Seventeen Thums, the Panch (5) Khapan, Panch (5) Majhiya and Das (10) Majhiya; Tin Thum Yakkhalen are regarded as the traditional area of the Yakkhas. This Yakkha area is the Southern part of [[Sankhuwasabha district]] bordering the [[Terhathum District]] and [[Taplejung District]] in the East; [[Dhankuta District]] in the South; and [[Bhojpur District, Nepal|Bhojpur District]] in the West; of the Eastern Nepal. ''Sibhuwa, Syabun, Wana, Dadagau, Swachi, Yangsijong'' are the names of 5 Khapan; ''Madi Mulkharka, Tamafok, Mamgling, Ankhibhuin, Chanuwa, Dandagaun,'' etc. are the names of the 10 Majhiyas and ''Hattisudhe, Kingring, Chapabhuin,'' etc. are the name of 5 Majhiyas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kiratyakkhachhumma.co.uk |title=Kirat Yakkha Chhumma|publisher=KYC, UK|access-date=2018-05-04}}</ref>
Today, the ''Yakkha Motherland'' is considered a patch among the historic Kirat region (i.e., east of the [[Kathmandu]] valley). During the National Unification of Nepal by [[Prithvi Narayan Shah]], the traditional bases of the Kirat Lands were merged. The Far Kirat (Pallo Kirat) of the [[Limbuwan]] area to the east of the [[Arun River (Nepal)|Arun River]] was divided into seventeen Thums. Among these Seventeen Thums, the Panch (5) Khapan, Panch (5) Majhiya and Das (10) Majhiya; Tin Thum Yakkhalen are regarded as the traditional area of the Yakkhas. This Yakkha area is the Southern part of [[Sankhuwasabha district]] bordering the [[Terhathum District]] and [[Taplejung District]] in the East; [[Dhankuta District]] in the South; and [[Bhojpur District, Nepal|Bhojpur District]] in the West; of the Eastern Nepal. ''Sibhuwa, Syabun, Wana, Dadagau, Swachi, Yangsijong, Wabun, Maidane, Chitlang'' are the names of Panch-Khapan; ''Madi Mulkharka, Tamafok, Tellok, Mamgling, Ankhibhuin, Hombong, Marrek, Chanuwa, Dandagaun,'' etc. are the names of the Dash-Majhiyas and ''Hattisudhe, Kingring, Chapabhuin, Aambote, Chainpur'' etc. are the name of Panch-Majhiyas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kiratyakkhachhumma.co.uk |title=Kirat Yakkha Chhumma|publisher=KYC, UK|access-date=2018-05-04}}</ref>


==Religion, language and culture==
==Religion, language and culture==
The Yakkhas have a distinct language, culture and tradition. The [[Yakkha language]] is a [[Tibeto-Burman]] language. The onset of modernism and influence from external factors have caused a rapid disappearance of the Yakkha language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.himalayanlanguages.org/languages/yakkha |title=Yakkha |publisher=Himalayan Languages |access-date=2015-12-23}}</ref> The Yakkhas practice the Kirati religion of nature worship. There are 32 family names (Thar) in the Yakkhas. Each Thar also has a sub-group called the Sameychong. Marriages do not occur between families sharing the same Sameychong.
The Yakkha’s have a distinct language, culture and tradition. The [[Yakkha language]] is a [[Tibeto-Burman]] language. The onset of modernism and influence from external factors have caused a rapid disappearance of the Yakkha language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.himalayanlanguages.org/languages/yakkha |title=Yakkha |publisher=Himalayan Languages |access-date=2015-12-23}}</ref> The Yakkhas practice the Kirati religion of nature worship. There are 32 family names (Thar) in the Yakkhas. Each Thar also has a sub-group called the Sameychong. Marriages do not occur between families sharing the same Sameychong.


==Population==
==Population==
As per the [[2011 Nepal census|National Population and Housing Census 2011]] of Nepal, the population of Yakkhas in Nepal was 24,336 (0.1% of the total population of Nepal).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/census/documents/Nepal/Nepal-Census-2011-Vol1.pdf |title=National Population and Housing Census 2011 |publisher=Central Bureau of Statistics, Government of Nepal |access-date=2017-10-26}}</ref> As per the population census of Nepal 2001, there were 17,003 Yakkhas in Nepal, of which 81.43% were Kirats, 14.17% were Hindus and 1.04% were Buddhists. A few thousand Yakkhas live in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts, Sikkim, North-Eastern states and other parts of India.
As per the [[2021 Nepal census|National Population and Housing Census 2021]] of Nepal, the population of Yakkhas in Nepal was 17,460 (0.06% of the total population of Nepal).<ref name=Population/> As per the 2011 Nepal census of Nepal, the population of Yakkhas in Nepal was 24,336 (0.1% of the total population of Nepal).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/census/documents/Nepal/Nepal-Census-2011-Vol1.pdf |title=National Population and Housing Census 2011 |publisher=Central Bureau of Statistics, Government of Nepal |access-date=2017-10-26}}</ref> As per the population census of Nepal 2001, there were 17,003 Yakkhas in Nepal. A few thousand Yakkhas live in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts, Sikkim, North-Eastern states and other parts of India.


At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, the frequency of Yakkha people by province was as follows:
As per the 2021 Nepal census, the population of Yakkha people by province is as follows:<ref name=Population/>
* [[Koshi Province]] (0.4%)
* [[Koshi Province]]: 16,451
* [[Madhesh Province]] (0.1%)
* [[Madhesh Province]]: 90
* [[Bagmati Province]] (0.0%)
* [[Bagmati Province]]: 682
* [[Gandaki Province]] (0.0%)
* [[Gandaki Province]]: 39
* [[Lumbini Province]] (0.0%)
* [[Lumbini Province]]: 182
* [[Sudurpashchim Province]] (0.0%)
* [[Karnali Province]]: 0
* [[Karnali Province]] (0.0%)
* [[Sudurpashchim Province]]: 10


As per the 2021 Nepal census, the population of Yakkha people by district is as follows:<ref name=Population/>
The frequency of Yakkha people was higher than national average (0.1%) in the following districts:<ref>[https://cbs.gov.np/wp-content/upLoads/2018/12/Volume05Part02.pdf 2011 Nepal Census, District Level Detail Report]</ref>
* Taplejung: 235
* [[Sankhuwasabha District|Sankhuwasabha]] (4.5%)
* Sankhuwasabha: 5752
* [[Dhankuta District|Dhankuta]] (3.1%)
* Dhankuta: 4344
* [[Ilam District|Ilam]] (0.6%)
* Terhathum: 180
* [[Parsa District|Parsa]] (0.4%)
* Panchthar: 471
* [[Bara District|Bara]] (0.2%)
* Ilam: 1308
* [[Taplejung District|Taplejung]] (0.2%)
* Jhapa: 672
* [[Tehrathum District|Tehrathum]] (0.2%)
* Morang: 1698
* Sunsari: 1730
* Udayapur: 47

* Saptari: 12
* Bara: 77

* Nuwakot: 10
* Kathmandu: 367
* Bhaktapur: 29
* Lalitpur: 229
* Kavrepalanchok: 12
* Chitawan: 12

* Gorkha: 11
* Kaski: 11

* Nawalparasi (West): 88
* Rupandehi: 90


==Notes==
==Notes==

Revision as of 18:59, 9 July 2024

This article is about the ethnic group of the Himalayas. For the mythological creature, see Yaksha.
Not to be confused with the Yaka people of Congo.
Yakkha , Dewan
ᤕᤠᤁᤰᤂᤠ
याक्खा
Yakkha women in traditional dress
Total population
   Nepal 17,460 (2021)[1]
 India
Sikkim193 (2006)[2]
Languages
Yakkha language, Nepali
Religion
Majority: •Kiratism 81% Others: •Hinduism 11.50% [3]
Related ethnic groups

Yakkha or Dewan (Nepali याक्खा, Yākkhā) is an indigenous ethnic group from the Indian subcontinent, mainly in modern-day Nepal and present-day India (related to other Kirat groups, like the Limbu, Sunuwar, Rai, and more distantly all other Sino-Tibetan peoples). It is one of the descendants of Nepal's prehistoric Kirat dynasty. The Yakkha people are subsistence farmers who inhabit the lower Arun valley in eastern Nepal. They number only a few thousand and their language is nearly extinct.[4][5]

Etymology

Scholars have different opinions regarding the origin of the word Yakkha. One school of thought claims that the ethnonym Yakkha as per the Aryan Sanskrit grammar had been spelled in the Aryan-Hindu mythologies as Yaksa-sh (like Bhisu-shu for an ascetic Bhikchu of the Buddhist holy scripts). Although the legendary Yaksa-sh, by the corrupt name of Yakkha, is mentioned in religious Hindu texts, the Vedas and ancient Sanskrit literature, Yakkha has historically been consistent in the use of its own endonyms. Yakkhawa or Yakkhaba is used to denote the male person and Yakkhama to denote the female person.[6]

Exonyms

The Yakkhas are also known by the exonyms Dewan, Jimi and Rai titles they accepted after the conquest of the Kirat land by the Gorkhas under Prithvi Narayan Shah. The Yakkhas were not only given ownership of the land but were also given the responsibility of collecting taxes from the lands utilised by Yakkhas as well as non-Yakkhas living in the area. In Darjeeling district, Kalimpong district and Sikkim of India, Dewan is commonly used as a synonym of Yakkha, and as Dewans they are placed in the Other Backward Class category.[7]

Yakkha Land (Yākkhālen)

Today, the Yakkha Motherland is considered a patch among the historic Kirat region (i.e., east of the Kathmandu valley). During the National Unification of Nepal by Prithvi Narayan Shah, the traditional bases of the Kirat Lands were merged. The Far Kirat (Pallo Kirat) of the Limbuwan area to the east of the Arun River was divided into seventeen Thums. Among these Seventeen Thums, the Panch (5) Khapan, Panch (5) Majhiya and Das (10) Majhiya; Tin Thum Yakkhalen are regarded as the traditional area of the Yakkhas. This Yakkha area is the Southern part of Sankhuwasabha district bordering the Terhathum District and Taplejung District in the East; Dhankuta District in the South; and Bhojpur District in the West; of the Eastern Nepal. Sibhuwa, Syabun, Wana, Dadagau, Swachi, Yangsijong, Wabun, Maidane, Chitlang are the names of Panch-Khapan; Madi Mulkharka, Tamafok, Tellok, Mamgling, Ankhibhuin, Hombong, Marrek, Chanuwa, Dandagaun, etc. are the names of the Dash-Majhiyas and Hattisudhe, Kingring, Chapabhuin, Aambote, Chainpur etc. are the name of Panch-Majhiyas.[8]

Religion, language and culture

The Yakkha’s have a distinct language, culture and tradition. The Yakkha language is a Tibeto-Burman language. The onset of modernism and influence from external factors have caused a rapid disappearance of the Yakkha language.[9] The Yakkhas practice the Kirati religion of nature worship. There are 32 family names (Thar) in the Yakkhas. Each Thar also has a sub-group called the Sameychong. Marriages do not occur between families sharing the same Sameychong.

Population

As per the National Population and Housing Census 2021 of Nepal, the population of Yakkhas in Nepal was 17,460 (0.06% of the total population of Nepal).[1] As per the 2011 Nepal census of Nepal, the population of Yakkhas in Nepal was 24,336 (0.1% of the total population of Nepal).[10] As per the population census of Nepal 2001, there were 17,003 Yakkhas in Nepal. A few thousand Yakkhas live in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts, Sikkim, North-Eastern states and other parts of India.

As per the 2021 Nepal census, the population of Yakkha people by province is as follows:[1]

As per the 2021 Nepal census, the population of Yakkha people by district is as follows:[1]

  • Taplejung: 235
  • Sankhuwasabha: 5752
  • Dhankuta: 4344
  • Terhathum: 180
  • Panchthar: 471
  • Ilam: 1308
  • Jhapa: 672
  • Morang: 1698
  • Sunsari: 1730
  • Udayapur: 47
  • Saptari: 12
  • Bara: 77
  • Nuwakot: 10
  • Kathmandu: 367
  • Bhaktapur: 29
  • Lalitpur: 229
  • Kavrepalanchok: 12
  • Chitawan: 12
  • Gorkha: 11
  • Kaski: 11
  • Nawalparasi (West): 88
  • Rupandehi: 90

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d "National Population and Housing Census 2021". Central Bureau of Statistics, Government of Nepal.
  2. ^ "Linguistic and Religious Minorities under SSP Led Government" (PDF).
  3. ^ "Caste ethnicity and religion of Nepal Ministry of Health" (PDF).
  4. ^ K. David Harrison When Languages Die: The Extinction of the World's Languages and the ... Page 172 2007 "The Yakkha people are subsistence farmers who number only a few thousand and inhabit the lower Arun valley in eastern Nepal."
  5. ^ Mark-Anthony Falzon Multi-Sited Ethnography: Theory, Praxis, and Locality in ... Page 5 - 2009 "5 He proceeded to do multi-sited fieldwork with Yakkha people in Tamaphok, Nepal, and various migrant destinations in India and elsewhere."
  6. ^ "Kirat Yakkha Chhumma UK". Kiratyakkhachhumma.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
  7. ^ "List of Other Backward Classes in West Bengal". West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes.
  8. ^ "Kirat Yakkha Chhumma". KYC, UK. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  9. ^ "Yakkha". Himalayan Languages. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
  10. ^ "National Population and Housing Census 2011" (PDF). Central Bureau of Statistics, Government of Nepal. Retrieved 2017-10-26.

References

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