Socio-Cultural Change in a Chepang Community : A Sociological Study of the Chepang in Siddhi VDC in Chitwan District

Abstract

This study is mainly based on socio-cultural, economic and ecological change of Chepang people.This study shows change in sociallife, cultural traditions(use of natural resources)and economic activities of the Chepangs of Siddhi in last five years. The Chepang are viewed by observing their life cycle ceremonies, feasts and festivals, cultural practices dressing pattern, production and selling craft, source of income,healing practices, education, language, housing pattern in past and present. The current study covers several aspects,focusing on economic,ecological and social cultural changes and problems at Chepang communities. Since the concept of Politico-Economic perspective has been constructed to address the process of development in Chepang societies, it is unsuitable for Chepang Communities,because of primitive economy diverge qualitatively from the economy of complex society.Chepang people are considered as living in unapproachable steeps and hill areas, having therefore experienced less interaction with other peoples. The modernization process has a different meaning among these peoples. It means to raise their economy to subsistence level, including the introduction of a certain amount of technology and the modification of the culture to adopt new economy. The study clearly shows that livelihood security of these people have become precarious due to multiple factors, mainly from the practices of the state not recognizing their traditional rights of using resources for their occupation. These people are basically fisherman,gatherers, swidden cultivators using the forests located in their culturally defined territories. These areas also link to their life as they needed them vi to gather various products required for their religious rituals. But their rights have been curtailed by various resource management policies and regulations of the state. Recently, government started new policy of giving up to a half of the income from the national forest to the people living in the vicinity. Yet there is another serious problem. A large proportion of these people also did not have citizenship. They are also not a ware of the modern system. Now the ownership of land is required to get the citizenship, which is also necessary to get ownership on land,traditional livelihood opportunities have also been declining because of general degradation of natural resources. Over the last 15 years; 90percent household have converted to Christian.Community forest is one of the most successful programmed of the government of Nepal, but there are many conflict in indigenous people (Chepang) are the customary users of Chiuri forest have alienated. This thesis pay special attention on ground reality of Chepang hill sarea, main reasons for underdevelopment,and geographical exclusion.This area has mainly lack of access of public basic services like transportation, communication, employment, health, education and market.This inaccessibility has to lead to capability deprivation among the general mass of Chepang area.This has further led to their exclusion from national social and political arenas.