SCARY Old Tharu Bodhi Tree Wood & Yak Hair Shaman Exorcism Mask For Sale -

BEAITIFULLY CARVED

Old Tharu Bodhi Tree Wood & Yak Hair

Shaman Exorcism Mask

100% HAND CARVED

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST CARVED MASKS I HAVE COME ACROSS. THIS IS A VERY OLD THARU SHAMAN EXORCISM MASK THAT WAS HAND CARVED BY A THARU SHAMAN. THE THARU PEOPLE INHABIT THE TERAI REGION OF NEPAL AND SOME AREAS OF TIBET AS WELL. SHAMANIC MASKS LIKE THIS AREUSED IN RELIGIOUS RITUALS, FESTIVALS AND EXORCISMS BY SHAMAN AND SOMETIMES BY BUDDHIST MONKS. THEY WERE ORIGINALLY DERIVED FROM THE TOTEM WORSHIPING ETHNIC MINORITIES INNORTH & WESTERN CHINA, MONGOLIA, NEPAL AND TIBET. IT WAS CARVED FROM BODI WOOD. THE BODI TREE IS SACRED TO BOTH BUDDHIST AND THARU ANIMISTS AS WELL. THIS IS NOT A REPRODUCTION, IT IS AN ORIGINAL MASK THAT WAS USED IN SHAMAN RITUALS. IF YOU ARE A SERIOUS MASK COLLECTOR, THIS PIECE IS A MUST HAVE. DON'T LET THIS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY PASS YOU BY... BUY IT NOW.

NOTE: I HAVE INCLUDED MORE INFO ABOUT THE THARU PEOPLE BELOW.

SIZE: Mask Approx 9 inches X 5 inches (CAN BE SEEN IN PHOTOS)

MATERIALS: BODHI WOOD

AGE: 19TH CENTURY

DON'T LET THIS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY PASS YOU BY... BUY IT NOW!

THANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION.... DOBUYDON

SHIPPING (PLEASE READ)

I will ship your item via InternationalRegistered Air Mail as soon as payment is received. Registered Mail is the mostreliable and secure method of shipping and guarantees that your item willarrive. I have never lost any registered mail shipments. Normal shipping timeto most locations is 10-14 business days. Sometimes it can take longer… pleasebe patient. Onceyour shipment arrives, a signaturewill be required. If no one is available to sign for the shipment the postoffice should leave a notice and you may have to go pick up your item.

Expedited shipping viaInternational Express Mail Service (EMS) is available for an extra charge.Normal shipping time to most locations via EMS is 5 working days. Please emailme for a price quote if you desire express shipping.

Please remember to check customsregulations before importing items that may be restricted in your country.

PROBLEMS–If you haveany problems I ask that you please email me so that we can resolve any issuesbetween ourselves.

ONCE YOU RECEIVE YOURSHIPMENT-Iask that you please email and let me know that you have received the shipmentas soon as possible. If you are happy with the item and with the service that Ihave provided, I ask that you please leave POSITIVE response. I strive toprovide 5 STAR products and services...Thanks again for your support….Dobuydon.

Tharu peopleFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaTharu people थारू[1]Regions with significant region)3.96 Pradesh83,544[4]Languages

Tharu language

Religion

Hinduism,Buddhism, traditional beliefs

Related ethnic groups

Boksa (tribe)·Bhotiya·Pokhariya·Van Rawats

TheTharu people(Nepali:थारू, Thārū) are anethnic groupindigenousto theTerai, the southern foothills of theHimalayasinNepalandIndia.[5]The Tharus are recognized as an officialnationalityby the Government of Nepal.[6]

Contents[hide]

• 1Distribution
• 2Culture
  • 2.1Household structure
  • 2.2Language
  • 2.3Marriage system
  • 2.4Religion
  • 2.5Resistance to malaria
• 3History
  • 3.1Modern history (1846-1999)
  • 3.2Recent history (2000-present)
• 4References
• 5Further reading
• 6External links

Distribution[edit]

The majority of Tharu live in Nepal where they constitute 13.5% of the total population[7]or 3.96 million of Nepal's estimated 29.4 million population as of July 2010.[2]There are severalendogamoussub-groups of Tharu:[8]

Rana Tharu[9]in theKailaliandKanchanpurdistricts of the far western Nepal Terai; also in India, inNainital,UttarakhandandKheri Terai,Uttar Pradesh. Rana Tharu claimRajputorigin.
• Kathoriya Tharu,[10]mostly inKailali Districtand in India.
• Sonha[11]inSurkhet district
• Dangaura Tharu[12]in western style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Paschuhan (Western) TharuRupandehi,Nawalparasi
• Rautar TharuRupandehi,Nawalparasi
• Purbaha TharuRupandehi,Kapilvastu
• Aarkutwa or Chitwania Tharu[13]in central style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Kochila Tharu[14]in eastern Districts
• Danuwar[15]in eastern Terai:Udayapur,SaptariandMorang districts.
• Lamputchwa Tharu[16]inMorang District

Smaller numbers of Tharu reside in the adjacent Indian Pradeshstate; andNainital,Uttarakhandstate.[5]In 2001, Tharu were the largest of fivescheduled tribesinUttarakhand, with a population of 256,129 accounting for 33.4% of all scheduled tribes.[3]In the same year, they constituted 77.4% of the total tribal population ofUttar Pradeshwith a population of 83,544.[4]

Culture[edit]Tharu village nearBardia National ParkA Tharu man

The Tharu people themselves say that they are a people of the forest. In Chitwan, they have lived in the forests for hundreds of years practicing a short fallowshifting cultivation. They plantedrice,mustard,cornandlentils, but also collected forest products such as wild fruits, vegetables,medicinal plantsand materials to build their houses; hunteddeer,rabbitandwild boar, and went fishing in the rivers and oxbow lakes.[8]

The Tharus never went abroad for employment – a life that kept them isolated in their own localities.[17]In this isolation they developed a unique culture free from the influence of adjacent India, or from the mountain groups of Nepal. The most striking aspects of their environment are the decorated rice containers, colorfully painted verandahs and outer walls of their homes using only available materials like clay, mud, dung and grass. Much of the rich design is rooted in devotional activities and passed on from one generation to the next, occasionally introducing contemporary elements such as a bus or an airplane.[18]

Household structure[edit]

In the western Terai, most Rana Tharu prefer living inBadagharcalledlonghouseswith big families of many generations, sometimes 40-50 people. All household members pool their labor force, contribute their income, share the expenditure and use one kitchen.[19]

Language[edit]

There is no one Tharu language unifying Tharu communities in different parts of Nepal and India. Several speak various endemicTharu languages. In western Nepal and adjacent parts of India, Tharus speak variants ofUrduandAwadhi. In and near central Nepal, they speak a variant ofBhojpuri. In eastern Nepal, they speak a variant ofMaithili. More standard versions of these dialects are widely spoken by non-Tharu neighbors in the same areas so that there are no important linguistic barriers between Tharus and their neighbors. However, there are linguistic barriers between these dialects standing in the way of communication between Tharus from different regions.[20]

Tharu were already living in the Terai beforeIndo-Europeansarrived, raising the question what they may have been speaking at the time. The only surviving pre-Indo-European language in the Terai isKusunda,Santhalifurther west.

Marriage system[edit]

Traditionally, marriages were often arranged during the pregnancies of two women. If they gave birth to opposite sex babies, the two babies were supposed to be married if they grew up as friends. It was problematic if a boy or girl came of age and rejected their assigned fiance(e). Finding a replacement was difficult because most girls and boys were already engaged. However this custom has been disappearing. Most Tharus now practice conventionalarranged marriages. They also practice love marriages, marriage after courtship and eloping.

Religion[edit]

The spiritual beliefs and moral values of the Tharu people are closely linked to the natural environment. Thepantheonof their gods exhibits a large number ofdeitiesthat live in the forest.[8]

87.63% of the ethnic Tharu were Hindu according to the 2001 Census of Nepal, whereas 13.95% were Buddhist.

Resistance to malaria[edit]

The Tharu were famous for their ability to survive in the mostmalarialparts of the Terai that were deadly to outsiders. In 1902, a British observer noted: "Plainsmen and paharis generally die if they sleep in the Terai before November 1 or after June 1." Others thought that the Tharu were not totally immune.[20]

Contemporary medical research comparing Tharu with other ethnic groups living nearby found an incidence of malaria nearly seven times lower among Tharu.[21]The researchers believed such a large difference pointed togenetic factorsrather than behavioral or dietary differences. This was confirmed by follow-up investigation findinggenesforthalassemiain nearly all Tharu studied.[22]

History[edit]Modern history (1846-1999)[edit]

According to Nepali author Subodh Kumar Singh, a series of invasions by the other races, from north India across the border and from hills and mountains of Nepal, eroded the influence of the indigenous Tharus. In 1854Jung Bahadur, the firstRanaprime minister of Nepal, developed the Mulki Ain, a codification of Nepal's indigenous legal system, which divided society into a system ofcastes. The Tharus were placed at next to the bottom (lowest touchable, above untouchables) of the social hierarchy. Their land was taken away, disrupting their community and displacing the people.

In the 1950s, theWorld Health Organisationhelped the Nepalese government eradicatemalariain the Terai region. This resulted in immigration of people from other areas to claim the fertile land, making many Tharus virtual slaves of the new landowners and developing theKamaiya systemof bonding generations of Tharus families to labour.[23]

Recent history (2000-present)[edit]

The Government of Nepal outlawed the practice ofbonded labourprevalent under theKamaiya systemon July 17, 2000, which prohibits anyone from employing any person as a bonded labourer, and declared that the act of making one work as a bonded labourer is illegal.[23]Though democracy has been reinstated in the country, the Tharu community has called for a moreinclusive democracyas they are fearful of remaining a backward, underprivileged people.[24]

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