The Meche of Nepal and their Life Cycle

Abstract

The Meche community is one of the indigenous tribal communities of Nepal. They have been living on the bank of Mechi River in the eastern border of the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal.The majority of the Meche people are concentrated in the Jhapa District from time immemorial. They are considered as the subgroup of the Bodo community. It is considered as one of the endangered ethnic tribes numbering 10 out of 59 indigenous communities of Nepal. They worship a commonly grown cactus plant called ‘Siju or Sijou’ (Euphorbia roylena; Euphorbiaceae) in the name of BathouBwrai (God). They are agrarian and living with a simple life. The economic condition of Mechecommunity is not sound but they manage their daily meals well by various means. TheMeche follows age-old cultural traditions over the years. They have a rich cultural heritage with their own identity and a way of life. They have a religion, language, literature, customs and traditions etc. The majority of the Mechepeople concentrated in the Jhapa District of Nepal. The Meche follows an age-old cultural tradition over the years. They have a well organized religion, culture, customs and traditions. Hence, the present study would focus on their ethnic background; society and their life cycle i.e. birth rites, marriage and death rites.