Kumal community

The community that makes clay pottery is called Kumal (कुमाल) or Kumhar. Kumals are distributed all over Nepal, and are considered touchable. There are ten subcastes of Kumals in eastern Nepal. They are equate to Newars in social rank. Kumals in Achham district of Seti zone are equal to Chhetris and have marital connections with them.
Kumals are scattered in various areas of Jhapa, Morang, Sankhuwashabha, Dolakha, Dhading, Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Palpa, Gorkha, Lamjung, Parbat, Tanahu, Syangja, Gulmi, Arghakhachi, Kapilbastu, Rupandehi and Dang Deukhuri districts. They are also found scattered in almost all the other districts of Nepal. The main occupation of the Kumals is pottery(not all of them). Their language is more accentuated to the Tibeto-Burman family. Their preferred inhabitation is on riverbanks, inner valleys and tropical areas. They relish pork and buffalo. The Kumals seek assistance from the Dhami and Jhankri shamans. They either bury their dead or consign them to the flow of the rivers. According to Census 2001, their population is 99,389.
The Kumals, mainly found in the outskirts of hills and the Terai, are regarded as one of the ancient indigenous peoples/nationalities of Nepal. In most of the cases they have settlements of clusters at one place. The Kumals of Mongoloid stock resemble Magar, Newars, Tharu, Danuwar, Darai, Majhi and Bote in physical structure. The name, Kumal, according to experts, was derived from the Sanskrit word, 'Kumbhakar'. The census of 2001 records their population at 99,383.
Kumals have their own language. According to some linguists, their language falls under the Magadheli branch of the Indo-European family (Rimal, BS2053:44). They have their own traditions or cultural practices, customs and lifestyles. They sing and dance while celebrating the birth of a child and on the occasion of ‘chhaithi', or the sixth day of the birth of a child, by partaking of jand (home-made beer) and spirit with meat. The son-in-law officiates the christening process. They give a name to the child and complete the process by slaughtering cock or hen. Marriage can take place by arrangement or by mutual consent of the girl and the boy. Those marrying by consent should go through the customary process. At the time of bride entering the bridegroom's home and at the time of bridegroom entering the bride's home, a cock is slaughtered and they walk on the track smeared with the blood of the cock. The future life of the couple is usually forecast on the basis of the direction in which the cock is seen lying dead. Widowed wife of older brother can, if they wish, be married to the younger brother.
Kumals have a practice of either burying the dead or immersing it in the river. Mourning is observed for five, seven or 13 days. There is a practice of helping the family of the deceased with resources by each family. Kumals are animists or worshippers of nature. They worship their family god, Same (god of beasts), snake gods and goddesses, Banaskhandi, or gods and goddesses of forests (numbering 50 to 100), Mandali Mai, Semare Mai, Desantari Mai, Chandi, etc. (Gautam and Thapa Magar, 1994:329-332). They believe in dhami-jhankris (shamans).
The traditional occupation of Kumals is making of clay pots. Nowadays, they have become dependent on agriculture and animal husbandry. Since majority of the families do not own land enough for their livelihood, they cultivate others' land to earn their living. Women have equal status with men and the parents, based on the merit of the case, distribute share of parental property to daughters, too.