5.4.1 Hedangna
The Yamphu community which is externally most recognized is Hedangna. Anywhere we went, while talking about Yamphu, people said we should go to H
edangna because that is where they are “most concentrated and pure”. There was also internal recognition in Hedangna that they are unique. We
observed more traditional clothing and Rai nose-rings there than elsewhere. In Hedangna we also experienced a lot of pressure, even as outsiders visiting their village for a short time, to learn Yamphu.
The language definitely holds prestige here as was evident that everyone wanted us to learn it and actively tried to help us learn it.
A majority of respondents in Hedangna reported using Yamphu more than Nepali in six domains ranging from 54 to 100. In the domain of debate, an equal percent of respondents said they use
Yamphu or Nepali 39. In village meetings, 46 of respondents reported that they use both Yamphu and Nepali. In the remaining five domains, a higher percentage of respondents reported using Nepali
than Yamphu 47 to 100. The results from the Bilingualism Tool See Appendix E2-b were revealing in terms of language use and vitality in Hedangna. The data indicates that the Yamphu
community in Hedangna feels that there are not many who are bilingual in Nepali. This is an indicator of healthy mother tongue language vitality. They reported that farmers, their family members, and even
some mother tongue speakers of other languages speak Yamphu well. Because schooling is done in Nepali, the general thinking is that only school-age children know Nepali well, despite the fact that they
can speak Yamphu.
Residents of Hedangna travel to Num for shopping or health-care needs. It is the nearest sizable population center. Among Hedangna respondents, 85 of them said they use Nepali when shopping.
Looking at the bio-data from the interviews we conducted, we can see that 100 of married people we interviewed in Hedangna are married to Yamphu spouses. Due to strong ethnic identity and strong
language vitality, in Hedangna people reported that whenever there is marriage between a Yamphu person and a non-Yamphu person, the non-Yamphu person learns to speak Yamphu.
The Yamphu speech community of Hedangna is the only one in our study that is at an EGIDS level of 6a
“Vigorous”. All parents are transmitting it to their children and it is used almost exclusively in the home.
5.4.2 Devitar
Devitar is a strong Yamphu community, but there is also a sizable Gurung population in the upper part of the village. Internally and externally, Devitar is recognized as a Yamphu village, though people are
quick to point out that there are other more “pure” or prestigous Yamphu villages.
In Devitar respondents reported using Yamphu more than Nepali in four domains pujaprayer -
92; family gatherings -83; scolding children -58; and joking -50. In the domains of quarreling and telling stories to children, an equal number of respondents reported using Yamphu and Nepali 33
for Nepali and Yamphu in both domains. A higher percentage of respondents reported using Nepali in the remaining seven domains ranging from 50 to 83.
People living in Devitar most often travel to Bharabise bazaar, a half-day’s walk southeast of Devitar, or to Khandbari for shopping. Among people interviewed in Devitar, 66 said they usually use
Nepali for shopping; 25 use Yamphu and 8 said they use both. Intermarriage between people groups occurs in all of the villages, though Devitar reported lower
degrees of it in during our leader interview. The percentage of respondents married to Yamphu spouses in Devitar is 90.
In Devitar, Yamphu is usually the language of the home +. Some children are learning Yamphu, but others are not intergenerational transfer: +–. The youngest generation with some proficient
speakers is the children. The combination of these two factors means Devitar is at an EGIDS level 6b, known as
“Threatened” see Appendix F.
5.4.3 Seduwa
There seems to be external recognition of Seduwa as a predominately Yamphu society, though there are people from other ethnic groups living there as well Dalit, Kulung Rai, Gurung, Sherpa, and Chettri.
The results for Seduwa display an interesting mix of langu age use. Yamphu was reported by 79 of
respondents to be used more frequently than Nepali in the domain of family gatherings. In two domains shopping and quarreling many respondents said they use both Yamphu and Nepali often 50 in
shopping and 43 in quarreling. In the domain of telling stories to children, an equal number of respondents reported using Nepali and Yamphu 43 in each domain. In the other nine domains, Nepali
use was reported to be highest 43 to 93. The domain of pujaprayer stands out among in Seduwa when looked at next to the other villages. Seduwa is the only village where Nepali was reported more
frequently 78 than Yamphu 21 for the domain of pujaprayer. Residents of Seduwa all travel to Num for shopping or health-care needs. It is the nearest sizable
population center. Fifty percent of people interviewed in Seduwa responded that they use both Nepali and Yamphu when shopping. The reason for the lower percentage of reported Nepali use in Seduwa
could be that it is a shorter distance to Num and also lies along the main trekking route for Makalu; therefore goods and services may be more likely to be brought to Seduwa, reducing the need to travel to
Num and use Nepali.
The percentage of respondents married to Yamphu spouses in Seduwa is 83. The non-Yamphu spouses that we met could understand Yamphu to some degree, though they did not speak it well. There
did not seem to be a strong societal pressure for them to learn Yamphu as outsiders. In Seduwa, Yamphu is usually the language of the home +. Some children are learning Yamphu,
but others are not intergenerational transfer: +–. The youngest generation with some proficient speakers is the children. The combination of these two factors means Seduwa is at an EGIDS level 6b,
known as “Threatened” see Appendix F.
5.4.4 Rajarani
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