Palpa, November 5
Five members of the Raute community have arrived in Palpa to raise money for festival expenses as Tihar approaches. The Raute are one of Nepal’s endangered indigenous communities.
The group, which lives in Surkhet district of Karnali Province, has been selling wooden items such as low stools, wooden trays and bowls made by hand in Tansen Bazar to earn money and collect financial support.
Having travelled to Palpa by vehicle, their main objective is to raise funds to celebrate Tihar. Community member Bandabir Shahi said they earn their daily living and meet festival expenses by selling wooden products made using traditional skills and labour passed down through generations.
“Tihar is almost here, and we want to eat good food,” Shahi said. “We do not have money, so we sell utensils made by ourselves and ask people for financial support.”
According to him, the community previously made and sold wooden containers, bowls and other items using timber from forest trees to earn a living. However, they say it has become difficult to generate income from their traditional occupation as cutting trees in forests is no longer easy.
“In the past, we used to cut trees in the forest, make wooden containers and bowls, sell them and meet our expenses. Now we are not allowed to cut trees. As a result, we have no money and have to go around collecting support,” he said.
Shahi said they had celebrated Dashain in a similar way by raising funds. He added that they had come to Palpa hoping to collect enough money to enjoy Tihar with fellow community members and prepare special meals for the festival.
The sight of the Raute members selling their wooden products has drawn the attention of residents and passers-by in the market. Locals have shown interest in viewing and purchasing items made using their traditional skills.
At a time when modern lifestyles and the use of various industrial products are becoming increasingly common, the Raute community continues to preserve traditional skills passed down through generations. They travel to different districts, visit local governments and other government offices, and collect funds for community celebrations.
The Raute, who once believed that touching money was sinful, now find it easier to exchange their products for cash rather than grain. They have also started asking for money in exchange for allowing people to photograph them. The declining monkey population, restrictions on cutting trees in community forests and the growing influence of various organisations have gradually made the Raute community increasingly dependent on external support.
—RSS
