103.94.114.237 at 19:13, 15 August 2021

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{{Short description|Ethnolinguistic group of India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2017}}
{{more citations needed|date=June 2010}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Kumaonis
| image =
Boat-Man at Naini Lake.jpg
| caption = A Kumaoni man on [[Nainital Lake|Naini lake]], Nainital City, Kumaon {{circa|2007}}
| poptime =
| popplace =
|region1 = {{flag|India}} ([[Kumaon division|Kumaon]])
|pop1 = 2.2 million* (2011 census)
|region2 = {{flag|Nepal}} ([[Doti]])
|pop2 = 273,000*
|ref1 = <ref name="Ethnologue21">{{e21}}</ref>
| langs = [[Kumaoni language|Kumaoni]]
| religions = '''Majority'''<br />[[File:Om.svg|15px]] [[ Hinduism]]
<br />'''Minority'''{{hlist|
[[File:Dharma Wheel.svg|18px]] [[Buddhism]]}}
<ref>[http://www.himalayanlanguages.org/files/driem/pdfs/2014a.pdf Trans-Himalayan]", Trans-Himalayan Linguistics 266 (2014): 11-40.</ref>
| related = other [[Indo-Aryan peoples|Indo-Aryans]], [[Khas people]], [[Garhwali people]]
| native_name = कुमाऊंनी, कुमयी
| native_name_lang = [[Kumaoni language|Kumaoni]]
| footnotes = *The population figures are only of the number of speakers of the Kumaoni language. May not include ethnic Kumaonis who no longer speak the Kumaoni language, but other languages.
}}
'''Kumaonis''', also known as '''Kumaiye''', are people who speak [[Kumaoni language]] as their first-language and live mostly in [[Kumaon division|Kumaon]], in the [[Indian Himalayas]].

Kumaoni is also used as an address for people who have their origin in Kumaon, I.e. they are ethnically Kumaonis. The word ''Kumain'' is a direct derivative of Kumaoni.<ref>{{cite book|title=Dynamics of a hill society: in Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas|author=Subba, Tanka Bahadur|date=1989|publisher=Mittal Publications|isbn=9788173041143|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1yZuAAAAMAAJ}}</ref>

[[File:MountainWomen.jpg|thumb|A group of Kumaoni women near Pithoragarh]]

==History==
The history of Kumaon is older than that of the Vedic period. Worshipping [[Vishnu]] and [[Shiva]] is predominant in this region. According to ''[[Skanda Purana]]''. Kumaon is believed to be the birth place of Kurma avtar of Hindu god Vishnu.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sternbach|first1=Ludwik|last2=Gupta|first2=Anand Swarup|last3=Bhattacharya|first3=Ahibhushan|last4=Mukherji|first4=Satkari|last5=Varma|first5=Virendra Kurma|last6=Rai|first6=Ganga Sagar|last7=Gupta|first7=Anand Swarup|date=April 1974|title=The Kūrma Purāṇa|journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society|volume=94|issue=2|pages=250|doi=10.2307/600927|jstor=600927|issn=0003-0279}}</ref>

===Kurmanchal Kingdom===
[[Kumaon Kingdom|Kurmanchal kingdom]] was a medieval kingdom of Kumaon. it was established by Vasudeo Katyuri and capital was Baijnath, it was one of the oldest Himalayan kingdoms and unified most of the Himalayas and was extended from [[Sikkim]] in the east to [[Kabul]] in the west at its peak, after the fall of the kingdom it was divided into 8 different princely states. The next ruling clan of Kumaon was 'Chands' the dynasty at its peak controlled [[Tons River|Tons]] to [[Ghaghara|Karnail]] river. Kumaon was one of the few countries of South Asia that were never ruled or conquered by any Muslim dynasties.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pande, Badri Datt|title=History of Kumaun (English version of "Kumaun ka itihas").|date=1993|publisher=Shyam Prakashan|isbn=81-900209-4-3|oclc=833063116}}</ref>

===British Raj===
[[File:Almora Bazaar. c1860.jpg|thumb|Almora Bazaar, c1860]]
There was widespread opposition to British rule in various parts of Kumaon. The Kumaoni people, especially from the [[Champawat]] District, rose in rebellion against the British during the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]]. Under the leadership of [[Kalu Singh Mahara]], many Kumaonis also joined the [[Indian National Army]] led by [[Subash Chandra Bose]] during the [[Second World War]].<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20091108/dun.htm#2 The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – Dehradun Edition]. Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved on 27 September 2011.</ref>

===In other countries===
In Nepal there are certain castes of Brahmins who migrated from Kumaon to Nepal during the medieval period now characterized as 'Kumain bahun' or 'Kumai bahuns'.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gellner, David N., editor. Hausner, Sondra L., editor. Letizia, Chiara, editor.|title=Religion, secularism, and ethnicity in contemporary Nepal|year=2016|isbn=978-0-19-946772-3|oclc=959843644}}</ref>

==Language==
{{Main|Kumaoni language}}
[[UNESCO]] designated Kumaoni as language in the ''endangered and unsafe'' category which requires consistent conservation efforts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unesco.org/culture/languages-atlas/en/atlasmap/language-id-1565.html |title=UNESCO Interactive Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger |publisher=[[UNESCO]] |access-date=3 September 2010}}</ref>

==Culture==
===Traditional attire===
There are various attires worn in Kumaon.
[[File:Chanchari dance.jpg|thumb|Kumaoni women from Danpur performing Chanchari wearing the traditional Kumaoni pichaura(yellow-saffron colour)]]
[[File:Munsiari DSC 7704 (32873389712) (2).jpg|thumb|A man wearing Kumaoni cap in Munsiyari]]
Pichhaura is a notable traditional attire of Kumaoni women generally worn for religious occasions, marriage, and other rituals. Traditionally handmade using vegetable dyes, Pichhauras are available in red and saffron. Local designs made in Almora, Haldwani and other parts of Kumaon use [[silk]] fabric and accessories made of [[pearl]]. It is also contemporarily made using machines.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Upadhyay |first1=Vineet |title=NRI pahadi brides eye Kumaoni 'Pichora' |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/NRI-pahadi-brides-eye-Kumaoni-Pichora/articleshow/50163441.cms |access-date=11 January 2020 |work=The Times of India |date=13 December 2015 |language=en}}</ref>

Kumaoni men wear Kumaoni cap, which is a black colour headgear. Apart from it, white colour Kumaoni cap is used during festivals, especially, during [[Kumaoni Holi|Kumaoni holi]].

===Festivals===
After harvesting season people mostly relax, rejoice, dance and sing, and thus a festival is generated. At the transition of the sun from one constellation to another Sankranti is observed. Each Sankranti has a fair or festival connected to it somewhere in Kumaon. Fooldeyi, Bikhauti, [[Harela]], Ghee Sankranti, Khatarua, Ghughutiya are the most-observed Sankranties throughout the region. Other festivals have the bearings in the moon and thus the dates change frequently in the Gregorian Calendar. [[Basant Panchami]], Shiv Ratri, [[Kumauni Holi]], Uttarayani,<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last1=Jha |first1=Prashant |title=Uttarayani Mela starts in Bageshwar |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/uttarayani-mela-starts-in-bageshwar/articleshow/73255317.cms |access-date=6 February 2020 |work=The Times of India |date=15 January 2020 |language=en}}</ref> Samvatsar Parwa, [[Ram Navami]], Dashra, Batsavitri, [[Rakshabandhan]], Janmastmi, Nandastmi, and [[Deepawali]] are some of the auspicious occasions.<ref>[http://www.euttaranchal.com/culture/fairs_festivals/ Uttaranchal Fairs and Festivals of Uttarakhand – Kumbh mela, Uttarayani, Nandadevi Raj Jat Yatra] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100411204148/http://www.euttaranchal.com/culture/fairs_festivals/ |date=11 April 2010 }}. Euttaranchal.com. Retrieved on 27 September 2011.</ref>

====Dashain or Vijaydashmi====
{{Main|Dashain}}
Dasshera festival starts in Kumaon with the performance of ''[[Ramlila]],'' which is itself unique as it is based on the musical rendering of the ''katha'' or story of [[Rama]] based on the theatrical traditions set by [[Uday Shankar]] while on his stay in [[Almora]]. These traditions were further enriched by [[Mohan Upreti]] and Brijendra Lal Sah. Known as the Almora or Kumaon style, Ramlila has been recognised by [[UNESCO]] as one of the representative styles of Ramlila in India.<ref name=un>[http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?RL=00110 Ramlila – the Traditional Performance of the Ramayana] ''[[UNESCO]]''.</ref> The 150-year-old ''Kumaoni Ramlila'' was declared as the longest running opera in the world by UNESCO.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/do-you-know-that-kumaons-ram-leela-is-the-oldest-in-the-world/as71441650.cms|title=Do you know that Kumaon's Ram Leela is the oldest in the world?|date=4 October 2019|work=Times of India Travel|access-date=11 January 2020}}</ref>

===Folk Dances===
[[File:Cholliyar.jpg|thumb|Chholiyars performing Chholiya]]
[[Chholiya]] is popular dance in Kumaon region. It is the oldest folk-dance of Uttarakhand.<ref>{{cite news |title=उत्तराखंड में छोलिया है सबसे पुराना लोकनृत्य, जानिए इसकी खास बातें |url=https://www.jagran.com/uttarakhand/dehradun-city-choliya-is-the-oldest-folk-dance-of-uttarakhand-19707465.html |access-date=12 March 2020 |work=Dainik Jagran |date=29 October 2019 |language=hi}}</ref>
Jhoda and Chanchari are other folk dances of Kumaon.

===Theatre===
Kumaoni theatre, which developed through its 'Ramleela' plays,<ref>[http://www.iloveindia.com/indian-traditions/theatre.html Indian Traditions] Theatre at iloveindia.</ref> later evolved into a modern theatre form through the efforts of theatre stalwarts like [[Mohan Upreti]] and Dinesh Pandey and groups like 'Parvatiya Kala Kendra' (started by Mohan Upreti) and 'Parvatiya Lok Kala Manch'. Besides this the famous Hindi poet, Sumitranandan Pant also hailed from Kausani, district Bageshwar.

===Radio===
* Trans World Radio (USA) – 7320 Hz (Shortwave)<ref>[http://users.fulladsl.be/spb13810/swlist/KUM/index.htm Shortwave Language lists] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803191849/http://users.fulladsl.be/spb13810/swlist/KUM/index.htm |date=3 August 2009 }} KUM Kumaoni/Kumauni.</ref>

===Cuisine===
{{Main|Kumaoni cuisine}}
[[File:Traditional_Kumaoni_Thaali.jpg|alt=|center|thumb|270x270px|''Traditional'' ''kumaoni'' ''meal with various food items'']]
Kumaoni food is simple and comprises largely of vegetables and pulses. Vegetables like [[potato]] (''aaloo''), [[radish]] (''mooli''), colocacia leaves (''arbi ke patte'', ''papad''), [[pumpkin]] (''kaddoo''), [[spinach]] (''palak'') and many others are grown locally by the largely agrarian populace and consumed in various forms.

==Kumaoni Diaspora==
There is a large Kumaoni diaspora in other states as well as outside India. However, due to the usage and acceptance of Hindi as their mother tongue, many Kumaonis do not list the Kumaoni language as their mother tongue. Hence there is an absence of data number of ethnic Kumaonis living outside Kumaon.
===Kumaoni speakers in other Indian states===
''Source:'' <ref>{{cite web|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16.html|title=Census of India}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! State || Kumaoni speakers(2011) || Percentage of Kumaoni Population
|-
| '''[[India]]''' || 2081057 || 0.17%
|-
| [[Kumaon division|Kumaon]] || 1,981,062 || 95.19%
|-
| [[Delhi]] || 32674 || 1.57%
|-
| [[Garhwal division|Garhwal]] || 30224 || 1.4%
|-
| [[Uttar Pradesh]] || 11059 || 0.53%
|-
| [[Haryana]] || 4427 || 0.21%
|-
| [[Maharashtra]] || 3582 || 0.17%
|-
| [[Rajasthan]] || 3223 || 0.15%
|-
| [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]] || 2096 || 0.1%
|-
| [[Himachal Pradesh]] || 1746 || 0.08%
|-
| [[Punjab]] || 1362 || 0.06%
|-
| [[Gujarat]] || 1284 || 0.061%
|-
| [[Madhya Pradesh]] || 1133 || 0.054%
|-
| [[Manipur]] || 1127 || 0.0541%
|-
| [[Chandigarh]] || 1076 || 0.0517%
|}
There are Kumaoni speakers in almost all Indian states, however, their numbers are very less.
===International Diaspora===
There is a large Kumaoni diaspora in neighbouring [[Nepal]], because of Katyuri and Kumaon Kingdom. The actual speakers of Kumaoni in other countries, however, are not known. Though there is a presence of Kumaoni speakers outside India and Nepal, especially in Western countries. The Kumaoni NRIs are again returning to their culture with more awareness and concern about its importance and survival. <ref> https://m.timesofindia.com/city/dehradun/NRI-pahadi-brides-eye-Kumaoni-Pichora/articleshow/50163441.cms </ref>

==Notable people==
{{Main|List of Kumaonis}}

==See also==
{{colbegin}}
* [[Kumaoni (disambiguation)]]
*[[Maneaters of Kumaon]]
*[[Kumaon Regiment]]
*[[Garhwali people]] {{Div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|35em}}
{{coord missing|Uttarakhand}}
{{Kumaon}}
{{Ethnic groups in Nepal}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Uttarakhand}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumauni People}}
[[Category:Kumaon division]]
[[Category:Social groups of Uttarakhand]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in India]]
[[Category:Khas people]]
[[Category:Indo-Aryan peoples]]

Kumaoni people - Revision history

103.94.114.237 at 19:13, 15 August 2021