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Introduction
Nepal Tamang Ghedung (NTG) is an autonomous and non-profit making Tamang People's national organisation. It was reorganized in 1988 and registered with His Majesty's Government of Nepal in 1990. The 51 member national executive committee is the decision making body in between two National Conventions at the national level. NTG has its own branches in 62 districts of Nepal and five hundred villages level committees all over the country.
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Historical Overview
Tamang is one of the most populated indigenous communities in Kingdom of Nepal. The population is about 3 million and is densely populated in the central part of the country and sparsely populated all over the country. We have our own distinct common languages, cultures, social systems and religion different from the mainstream Hindusm. Tamangs were self-ruled and autonomous until 232 years back.
In the last two hundred years' history, the Tamangs wer the most discriminated and exploited community in the country due to their proximity to the capital and people of different languages, cultures, religions and governance system from the ruling groups. They were neither accepted in the bureaucracy, military, administrative, judicial and political system nor allowed to go to foreign countries for the better employment till 1950. They were put as reserve labour pool for the services of the ruling groups. According to the 1856 civil code of Nepal, their status was as Shudra (second lowest rank in the Hindu hierarchical system) which can be killed and enslaved until the new civil code formulated in 1962. The 1954 civil code was racist law based on the Hindu Manusmriti and Varna System.
After the democratic change in 1950, the Tamang People for the first time got organized themselves in 1956, but it was banned in 1960 with the political parties when the late king Mahendra took over the power from the elected government. The people were prohibited from getting organized till the People Movement of 1990 A.D. |
Organizational Structure
1. National Convention: an assembly of representatives and observes elected by the district conference at four years interval.
2. National Executive Committee: a central decision making body of 51 members elected from National Convention.
3. Central Secretariat: a working body consisting of Seventeen members responsible for carrying out the day-to-day activities of the organisation. There are also Five Permanent Committees:
A. Women Committee
B. Lama Committee
C. Cultural Committee
D. Student Committee
E. Youth Committee
4. Advisory Board: Consists of renowned social activists, scholars and politicians irrespective of political ideologies.
5. District Convention and Committee: an assembly of representatives of village committees of a district and its elected working committee.
6. Primary Committee: an assembly at the bottom of organisational structure on village, town.
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Objectives
1. To preserve, promote the languages, scripts, arts, skills, literatures, histories, religions and cultures, and socio-eco-political and civil rights of the Tamang People in Nepal
2. To promote the human rights, women, children and indigenous peoples' rights on the basis of Universal Declaration of Human rights. Bills of Rights and emerging rights in the international arena.
3. To aware about the consitutional and legal system and the customary rights and promote the democratic rights, culture and values in Nepal
4. To contribute in the national and international standard setting processes for the establishment of the rights of indigenous and tribal people and marginalised communities who are historically victims of racial, ethnic or national, linguistic, religious and regional discrimation.
5. To develop and promote friendly ralation and partnership with other ethnic communities to strengthen the national unity and all round development of the country and to network with the national and international organizations of similar objectives.
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Activities and Programmes
1. Activities relating to the preservation, promotion and development of languages, scripts, arts, skills, literatures, histories, religion and cultures of the Tamang people through research, study, publication, workshop, seminar, cultural display and non-formal education in mother tongue.
2. Awarness raising and educating Human rights education to empower the Tamang indigenous peoples; women, children, youths and students.
3. Activities ralating to the institutional and capacity building by organizing, training and cultural exchange.
4. Activities ralating to policy advocacy in eradicating the existing religious, linguistic, cultural, ethnic or national, or caste, sex and geographical discrimination through constitutional and legal changes in the country.
5. Activities relating to application of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Bill of Rights for the protection and promotion of human rights of indigenous peoples, women, children, etc.
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Main activities at the national, regional and international level
1. Preservation, promotion and development of language, scripts, arts, skill, literature, history, religion and culture of the Tamang peoples. Elimination of the discriminatory constitutional and legal provisions against indigenous nationalities.
2. Research, education, human rights training and policy advocacy to eradicate the religious, linguistic, ethnic or national, caste, sex and regional discrimination at the national level in the country.
3. Lobby and advocacy works to create a ' National Committee for the upliftment of Nationalities' under the Ministry of Local Development, for being recognised as Indigenous nationalities by the His Majesty's Government of Nepal to form the National committee for the International Year and Decade of the world's Indigenous Peoples, to broadcast news and programme in different languages through Radio Nepal, to have recognition of Tamang New Year as a national festival and to pass the Language bill in the Parliament.
4. Co-ordination of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Sough Asia region for the promotion of indigenous and human rights and friendly ralations among Indigenous and tribal peoples. Organisation of the South Asian Indigenous peoples meeting for regional strengthening in Hyderabad, India in 2000 and Kathmandu, Nepal in 1998.
5. Contribution by meaningful participation in the international standard setting processes of the indigenous peoples' rights such as UN Working Group on the Draft Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, UN intersessional open ended Working Group for the establishment of Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in the UN System. And participation in other UN fora as UNFCCC, CBD, WHO, etc.
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Publication
1. Chhar - Mhendo (Bi - Monthly) magazine in Khas-Nepali language
2. Tamang (Tri-Monthly) magazine in Tamang Language
3. Books for Adult Literacy Classes in Tamang Language.
4. Audio and Video Cassette for Raising Awareness
5. Occasional books on Tamang language, culture, religion, arts and history
6. Human Rights (Translated in Khas and Tamang Language) with the help of Shimin Gaikou Centre Japan
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National Executive Committee
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National Advisory Committee
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Nepal Tamang Ghedung
G.P.O Box 1366
Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel/Fax: 00977 - 1 -243 940 |
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