Yolmo

The Hyolmo people (also Yholmo, Yolmo, Yohlmo, Yolmopa) are an indigenous group of people that natively reside in the Helambu and Melamchi Valleys of northeastern Nepal situated over 43.4 kilometres (27 miles) and 44.1 kilometres (27.4 miles) to the north of Kathmandu respectively. They also have sizeable communities in Bhutan and some territories within India, primarily Darjeeling and Sikkim. They speak the Hyolmo language which has a high lexical similarity to Tibetan, although the two languages are not completely mutually intelligible.

The Hyolmo communities in Nepal were badly affected by the Nepal earthquake, particularly the communities in Drupadong, Sermathang, Tarkeghyang, Melamchighyang where many local residences were destroyed.

History

Hyolmo speakers migrated from the Kyirong Valleys of southwestern Tibet around two to three hundred years ago. They settled in the valleys of Helambu once they arrived there, and gradually, intermarriages between the male Yolmo lamas and the Tamang women local to the region became common.