Nepal, a small country with 124 languages spoken by 142 castes and ethnic groups, and with diverse cultures and religions, has a history of internal colonisation led by so-called superior caste elites, the Brahmins and Chhetris (hereafter, the internal colonisers), for more than two centuries. This history is characterised by oppression, subjugation, and the domination of Indigenous peoples. The Indigenous Bayung Rai people, therefore, endured colonial dominance through strict restrictions, severe threats and punishments imposed to exterminate their culture and language, and hence to erase their identity. Consequently, the Bayung Rai’s vital and revered ancestral ceremony, the Segro, along with their language, is critically endangered. This study examines the Segro, underpinning an overarching question: how the internal colonisers enforced systemic violence to destroy the Bayung culture, i.e., the Segro, to erase their identity. Exploring this question helps to uncover the then-institutionalised oppressions within the colonial structures: absolute monarchy, the tyrannical Rana regime, a Hindu-based hierarchical society, and the unfair judicial system. It employs Indigenous ethnography and tribal critical race theory as methodologies, along with unstructured interviews and group discussions for data collection. It engages with the Bayung Elders, community representatives, activists and Bayung scholars (n=20). The three findings generated by thematic analysis are: (i) cultural assimilation, (ii) a stronger sense/feeling of inferiority among the Bayung people, and (iii) the state’s discriminatory policies. The implication of this study is to revitalise Indigenous cultures and identity, thereby fostering a stronger sense of Indigeneity, both nationally and globally.

Authors:
Bali Rai, Royal Roads University, Canada

About the Presenter(s)
Mr Bali D. Rai, a Doctoral Candidate. My general Interests are Indigenous research, painting, singing and travelling. I am working on my doctoral dissertation that examines the interrelationships between the ancestors, nature, cosmos, and the spirit in the Bayung Rai's Segro ceremony and also investigates the cultural erasure due to colonial oppression in Nepal.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bali-rai-a0b29113b/

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