Gurung Tribe: Nepal Minority Caste Living Mainly in Pokhara

I felt that while the Gurung people are kind and sociable, they are also a type of people who have strong convictions and follow their own path. They are also people who like to show their identity. In this article, I will explain the Gurung people, a Mongoloid minority ethnic group in Nepal, regarding the names and locations of Gurung villages, their occupations and castes, the reasons why many of them serve as Gurkha soldiers, the history of the Gurung tribe, and the ethnic character of the Gurung people.

What are the Gurung people?

The Gurung people are one of over 100 ethnic groups in Nepal. They are a minority with a smaller population compared to the hill-dwelling Hindus who make up the majority of Nepal's population, but they are also people you encounter quite frequently in Nepal (the reason will be mentioned later). Furthermore, they are a tribe that has shown talent in music and they have continuously produced talented individuals, such as Suk Gurung, who wrote the lyrics for the famous Nepali hit song "Chekyo Chekyo", Amrit Gurung, the creator of "Resham", which is the most well-known song in Nepal, and Trishala Gurung, who is also a singer-songwriter.

The Gurung caste

In the past, when the caste system was effective in Nepal, the Gurung people were positioned in the middle caste known as Matwali, who were not to be enslaved. Most Gurungs are farmers, just like almost all other Nepalese people. Villages of the Gurung minority ethnic group are concentrated in the mountains of Kaski and Syangja districts near the Annapurna range in central-western Nepal. The difference from other castes is that since old times, some Gurung people have worked abroad as British mercenary units and accumulated wealth. I will mention the relationship between the Gurung and Gurkha soldiers later.

The Gurung people have Mongoloid features and are thought to have come from Tibet in prehistoric times; currently, the Gurung people are an influential tribe in Kaski District, where Nepal's second largest city, Pokhara, is located. The background of how the Gurung people became influential includes the fact that they have earned foreign currency by being recruited as British Gurkha soldiers, which I will mention later, as well as community support from their fellow people who moved abroad, and steady awareness-raising meetings held within the Gurung community. Nepal is a multi-ethnic nation, but there are not many cases where people hold meetings to earnestly discuss the state of their tribe. Because the Gurung people have had contact with the outside world from an early stage, their community leaders are concerned about traditions disappearing and tribal unity becoming weak, so their attention is focused on maintaining and developing their organisational strength.

The Gurung people also call themselves Tamu; for example, when they say "In my tribe...", they use expressions like "In Tamu...". It is said that "Gurung" means people of agriculture in Tibetan, while "Tamu" is said to mean warriors. Everyone in Nepal takes strong pride in their own tribe, but I think the Gurung people are those who are most particular about being "Gurung-like" among them. Also, because they have a strong international sense, they carry out protest activities, and recently they have started to focus on social care for the entire region beyond their own tribe; they have such very good aspects as well.

Gurung villages

• Sikles Village - a mountainous area located uphill from Pokhara towards the Annapurna region.
• Ghanpokhara Village - a mountainous area located uphill from Pokhara towards the Lamjung region.
• Bhujung Village - a village also located in Lamjung.
• Sidane Village and Damdame Village - villages located on the mountain on the opposite side of Phewa Lake as seen from Pokhara city.

The Gurung people as Gurkha soldiers

The British Gurkha mercenaries (a unit of Nepalese mercenary soldiers dispatched abroad)

During a past conflict between Britain and Nepal, mountain-dwelling minority tribes, particularly the Gurung and Rai, distinguished themselves. Consequently, the British recognized their bravery, recruiting them as mercenaries across former British territories like India, Hong Kong, and Britain. This enabled the Gurung to build significant economic power. Today, many Gurung soldiers remain active in these regions, with some naturalising abroad while maintaining strong connections to their home community in Nepal, strengthening their financial position.

The history of the Gurung people

The town of Pokhara grew as affluent members of the Gurung people, who had moved down from nearby mountain villages to settle in what was originally an empty wetland, built house after house. It is no exaggeration to say that the town of Pokhara itself developed alongside the Gurungs and has been strongly influenced by their culture. As mentioned earlier, because the Gurungs had travelled abroad and acquired international perspectives and habits, Pokhara became the most liberal town in Nepal. Having gained economic power, the Gurung people have also become involved in politics, and they do not neglect to improve the quality of their tribal community.

The tourism industry in Pokhara

Culturally, the Gurung people had a tradition of providing warm hospitality to outsiders. Many of them have used that talent to start businesses in tourism and commerce.

For these reasons, you frequently encounter the Gurung people because they live in large numbers in business and tourism settings, and in Pokhara, which is Nepal’s second largest city and its most popular tourist destination.

The ethnic character of the Gurung people is particularly well reflected in the construction of their villages. Gurung villages are built more meticulously than any others in Nepal. You can tell at a single glance that it is a Gurung village by looking at the stone pavements, where stones are packed together in fine detail.

The depopulation of their hometowns and the weakening of identity among the youth.

While they have those positive aspects, in recent years some Gurung people have also increased their power as gangs. Although the Gurung people have steadily gained strength through persistent effort, as they have become wealthy, the unbridled behaviour of their youth has become noticeable; they are no longer concerned with acting as role models for the pride of the Gurung people, with some wasting their parents' money on reckless living or becoming part of gangs in cities. Although the town of Pokhara was developed by the Gurung people, Gurung youth have also come to lead decadent lives in that very town. For the Gurung people, changes are happening so fast that maintaining their own language has also become a challenge for the future.

The Gurung people in eastern Nepal follow the Kirat religion.

There is another area where many Gurung people live, and that is eastern Nepal. Because the Gurung people in the east follow the Kirat religion, they allow marriage with the Rai people. This is a rare case in Nepal, where people have traditionally decided on marriage only within the same tribe (although recently, marriages with other tribes are increasing among other groups as well).

That concludes the explanation of the Gurung people of Nepal.