The religion, customs, manners, and fashions of dress of the various
tribes composing the population of Nepal vary to quite a considerable
extent, and I have here not the space to go into them fully. But I will
quote a few.
The Brahmins differ little from their co-religionists of India, except
that they are not so strict in the observance of prejudices; the form
of Buddhism practised closely resembles that of Tibet. Superstitions
are rampant, both among Brahmins and Buddhists, and of course even more
so among the wilder tribes.
The Gurkhas, on the occasion of the birth of a child, indulge in
rejoicings for eleven consecutive days, the father being restricted to
the company of his relatives only. On the eleventh day a name is given
to the offspring. The child is suckled by the mother for a
comparatively short period of time, when a festival and dinner are
given, the child being made to swallow a grain of rice from each
friend.
Marriages are, as in India, arranged at a very early age, sometimes
when children are not more than six or seven years old, the betrothal
taking place a year or two before. Widows cannot marry again, but a
widower can. Divorces can be obtained in some tribes, by somewhat
simple methods, but fidelity is one of the chief virtues of Nepalese
women, and it is seldom that separation takes place. Besides, divorces
are a very expensive luxury. Moreover, an unfaithful wife may find
herself in prison for life, whereas the co-respondent is handed to the
mercy of the husband, who is expected to “chop him up” in public with
his vicious-looking kukri. They say that the offender’s life may be
spared if he submits to crawl under the husband’s leg, raised for the
occasion, a most humiliating alternative seldom accepted.
As in India, among Brahmin tribes, a great many misdeeds of vanity or
breaches of caste-rules are forgiven on payments in cash to the
priests, or the giving of the usual feast and feed.
The custom of shaving the head, moustache, and eyebrows in sign of
mourning at the death of near relations is followed by the Brahmin
tribes, and the body of the deceased is buried and not cremated.
Several non-Brahmin tribes, however, cremate their dead.
The Gurkhas who are recruited for the British army are nearly all
Magars and Gurungs, they being considered the best fighting material.
Members of the Khas tribe are enlisted solely for the 9th Gurkha
regiment. Recruiting parties are sent out from every regiment which
recruits for itself, and these bring down their recruits to the dépôt
at Garakpur. Here a primary medical inspection takes place, and
clothing is issued to the men before they are despatched to their
future corps. They wear a dark green uniform with black or red facings,
and are armed with Martini-Henry rifles, a bayonet, and a kukri.
The Gurkha Brigade consisted in 1899 of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th,
9th, 42nd, 43rd, and 44th Regiments. The first five regiments have two
battalions; the 9th, 42nd, 43rd, 44th are single battalions. There are
eight British officers to each battalion (plus some others attached), a
medical officer, and sixteen Gurkha officers.
The men are, as a rule, excellent shots, fond of sport of all kinds,
and passionate fishermen and shikaris, knowing instinctively and
intimately the habits of most animals. They are hardy, cheery, and
willing to obey, but detest “nagging.” They are devoted to their
officers and proud of their corps; and, taking things all round,
possibly they may be put down as the most loyal native troops we have
in India. They know no fear. If an orderly were by chance to leave an
officer dead or wounded, either in the field or out on a sporting
expedition, he would lose his caste, be generally boycotted, and very
likely killed by his comrades.
The Gurkhas are inveterate gamblers and fond of all games, showing
great quickness in learning British games, at which they become quite
proficient—football particularly.
They are superstitious beyond measure, good or evil spirits playing an
important part in every day’s occurrences. Thus astrologers find plenty
of remunerative occupation in predicting events and showing how to
propitiate certain demons rather than others.
A curious feature of these fighters is their tender affection for
flowers. Indeed, there are many tender strings to the heart of a
Gurkha. They are devoted to their families, and most gentle and suave
in their home manners. They are jealous of their women, whom they do
not beat nor usually turn into beasts of burden like the natives of
India, and they show great pride in displaying their women-folks loaded
with jewellery from head to foot. The women are quite pretty, cheery,
and do not exhibit the affected shyness of the women of the Indian
plains, for instance.
One of the most notable features about a Gurkha is the marvellous skill
with which he handles his heavy-bladed kukri. It may be said that from
the days of his childhood, since as soon as his little hands become
strong enough to lift one, he is never without one; hence, when older,
he is very adept in its manifold uses. With one of those knives Gurkhas
can cut a buffalo’s head off at one stroke; and they can make fairly
good shots, at considerable distance, when throwing the kukri. They can
use it in such delicate work as shaping a toothpick or sharpening a
pencil. With it they chop firewood, and use it freely as a cooking
utensil.
When going bear-hunting they wind a blanket round the left arm and
carry a loaded stick in the right hand, the kukri being held between
the teeth or thrust in the girdle in front. When the bear gets on his
hind-legs to close with them, they hit him on the nose (being the
tenderest spot), and, before he has time to recover from the pain and
astonishment, they polish him off with their knives.
They delight in the company of tame animals, such as dogs or birds.
They are fond of smoking and drinking—and they can stand a lot—a fact
which makes them great chums with British white soldiers. They simply
adore Tommy Atkins, especially if he be a Highlander or a rifleman, and
they delight in his company; but they show the utmost contempt—racial
and general—for the natives of India. Their unbounded conceit is easily
forgiven and counterbalanced by their extreme truthfulness and honesty,
especially when first recruited.
Many Gurkha regiments have for some years taken up the system of
training a few picked men of good physique and sight, and of unusual
agility and sporting instincts, as recognised scouts. They are clad
more lightly than ordinary soldiers—generally in “cut short” football
knickers. Besides the scouts’ duty of discovering the enemy’s strength
and position, they are also used as sharpshooters, and specially
instructed for stalking “snipers” at night. When in India I had the
pleasure of inspecting the scouts commanded by Lieutenant G. Kendall
Channer, of the 1st Battalion 3rd Gurkhas, and I was much impressed by
them and by the business-like qualities of the officers and men.