Chapter 7
Discussions of the chapter
 1. movement against government’s action of abolishing or
reducing Kipat system
 2. the role of cultural exclusiveness in the political struggle
Kipat
 A land tenure system in Nepal (now abolished)
 Very closely associated with Limbu culture
 The typicality of the land tenure system is supposed
to be the reason for cultural exclusiveness of
Limbus.
 The cultural identity tends to become political identity
in the context of the struggle to preserve the kipat
system.
The Movement
 Attempts to oppose government’s action to convert
the Kipat into raikar.
 However, not much support was seen from top
leaders, rather ad-hoc committees were formed to
deal with the government.
 1901- permanent alienation of Kipat
 1913-1917- establishment of united front against
government authorities.
 Meetings held by ‘subbas’ of limbus in order to settle
the matter of land conversion
 A form of legal transformation tried to be
implemented
 An vague but unintensional attempts of establishing
a sentiment of ‘bottom up leadership’ seen among
the Subbas in their demand to include one of them in
decision making about Kipat and its condradictions
with the existing laws of the state.
Demand for a separate law for Limbus
Signify their attempts to preserver their traditional way
of life as well as their political positions.
The Subbas had been serving as advisors for the
government regarding administrative
The introduction of panchayat system was felt as a
threat to the political hold of the Subbas in the
government
 There was opposition towards the system claiming it
to be an encroachment of the Limbus’ traditional
adminsitrative and adjudicative rights
 They felt new system of government and policies
was a threat to the Kipat land tenure system.
 The movement took the form of a separatist political
organization during the 1950/51 revolution.
 The organization was divided in terms of approaches
to the revoluton.
 One group preferred taking a moderate step limiting
themselves to formulating proposals regarding the
safeguard of Kipat system
 The other was more extremist who even suggested
demanding a separate state for the Limbus
 However, these discussions never came into action.
 “they drank and boasted of what they were going to
do” (one of the Limbus attending the meeting)
 There were proposals presented to the then
panchayat government with a view to secure kipat.
 However, King tribhuwan then acknowledging the
existence of a variety of ethnic groups in east Nepal
held onto the decision of transforming kipat into
raikar.
 His attempt can be analyzed as a gesture to
maintain ethnic harmony and respect to majority
opinion then.
Political role of culture
 Sanskritization “means whereby a subordinate group in a society
recognizes the superiority of another by emulating its
cultural practices.”
 The Limbus were found to be an exception
compared to other tribal groups
 The reason being- Kipat- an economic identity that
the Limbus felt strongly about.
 Cultural exclusiveness- guided by cultural inferiority
 Identity among Limbu community is fostered by
various kinship relations
 Continuous interaction among them strengthens
their links
 For example –visits during festivals
 Marriage, morning rites
 These rites serve a dual purpose
 One that of strengthening links or ties
 The other of practicing customs and a common
cultural background.
 Dispute settlement
 Tradition(common tradition) plays the role of an
umbrella
 No mediators involved
 Language
 Both a bridge and a barrier
 Bilingual Limbus in Ilam
 Interesting is to note that while going out for
business, Limbus seek Limbu households or inns
run by Limbus to reside.
 Spatial segregation and commong language reflect a
sense of cultural exclusiveness
 Strive to resist sanskritization through cultural
exclusiveness
 The motive behind is not to maintain their tr
 tribal solidarity but to secure the Kipat land.
 The writer alerts on the cultural identity of the Limbus
that is on stake.(since the everything is guided by
Kipat)
Conclusion
 Chapter 8
 The book is about the interrelationship between the
Limbus and Brahmans in East Nepal.
 A relationship of cleavage and interdependence
among Limbus-Brahmans
 Cleavage- no social interraction, land confrontation,
cultural divisions
 Interdivision- sharing similar agricultural lands ,their
differential rights regarding the same land
 Social change occured in this relationship between
the Limbus and Brahmans in due course of
time...remarkably during the late 19th c.
 A self sustaining economy
 Land in Ilam back then was not of high value since it
was free and there were less people.
 More lands- more holdings by the Hindu Immigrants
for economic and political assistance.
 Land became a factor for political gradation like
subbas and these people in superordinate positions
enjoyed differential rights on land.
 Subbas- tax collectors( a hierarchy by the state)
 Present( the setting of the book)Politico-economic
change More influx of people resulted shortage of land-( more
pledging of lands by Limbus for household purposes)
 Government transferred all lands granted by subbas to
hindu immigrants into raikar.
 Gradually hindu migrants became the chief source of
credit and tenancy for the Limbus.

 The hindu immigrants dominated the Panchayat
Committees.
 The shortage of land even redefined the kinship
relation among Limbus
 Now, only patrilineal descent became the sole
category for obtaining Kipat
 As a result Limbus in some settlement areas do not
own any kipat at all
 Household system also affected due to land
pressure
 Three distinct principle played as catalyist in the
socio-cultural and political changes in east Nepal
 Govt ban on Kipat
 Gorkha service
 Post 1951 economic developments
 Political effect of post 1951 development
 Emergence of class among Limbus due to gorkha
service
 The book holds relevant to the universal problem of
domination of one community by the other.
 In 1964 a comprehensive series of land reform
measures were announced by the government with
the intension of introducing the program in all areas
of the kingdom.
 Kipat was abolished by the 2nd amendment of the
Land Reform Act 1964.