Impact of Christianity on indigenous Chepang spirituality in Nepal · Global Voices in Spanish

Surkhandi and Korak, Chepang villages of Rapti municipality, in the eastern part of Chitwan district, Bagmati province of Nepal, where the majority of the population converted to Christianity. Photo by the author.

Nepal’s indigenous Chepang community, a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group, has traditionally maintained a deep connection with forests and nature. Over generations, the community has developed various adaptation mechanisms and sustainable practices. However, in recent decades, significant and complex social and cultural transformations have been taking place within it.

There has been a rapid increase in conversions to Christianity among the Chepang and other marginalized communities, often driven by the efforts of NGOs. As a consequence, traditional shamanic practices are harmed. A recent report titled “Cultural Changes in the Chitwan Chepang” highlights that this indigenous community is undergoing considerable changes in its cultural and spiritual landscape. The growing influence of Christianity contributes to the erosion of indigenous spirituality within the Chepang community.

On November 29, 2024, Diana Riboli, professor at the Department of Social Anthropology at Panteion University of Social Sciences and Psychology in Greece, presented captivating research at the Central Department of Anthropology at Tribhuvan University in Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal , which the author of this article attended. His keynote presentation, “Death and life after death in times of crisis: the case of the Chepang of south-central Nepal,” gave complex anthropological perspectives on the cultural transformations within that indigenous Nepalese community.

Keynote presentation by Diana Riboli. Photo by the author.

The Chepang culture remains deeply connected to forests and nature, despite current restrictions on carrying out many of their traditional activities in forested areas due to national conservation measures. Like other communities, the Chepang are prohibited from accessing forests designated as parks or nature reserves, which appear to be reserved exclusively for wildlife, plant conservation and tourism.

Conversion to Christianity

In recent years, the number of Chepang and members of other marginalized communities converting to Christianity has rapidly increased. Excluded by social elites and disillusioned by insufficient government support, the Chepang take with special interest the stories of Christ told to them by those who provide them with food, clothing, cooking utensils, and the opportunity for their children to receive an education in boarding schools, far from their homes.

While proselytizing remains prohibited under Nepali law, Christian groups frequently interact with these communities through NGOs, offering them humanitarian aid, education and medical care. This growing trend did not go unnoticed by the Nepalese media, which reported extensively on it.

Hattibang, a village in the Chitwan district, whose population is mostly from the Chepang community. Photo by the author.

The isolation of Chepang settlements in remote areas, extreme poverty, poor health conditions and structural violence allowed Christian missionaries to influence the community, even during the panchayat regime (1961-1990), which prohibited promote Christianity. Many Chepang converted to Christianity primarily to avoid being marginalized and discriminated against by other ethnic groups.

Diana Riboli’s research work revealed that the Chepang perceive Christianity as a way to overcome discrimination, access education, and achieve social justice, especially for the younger generations. However, in the early years of evangelization, Christianity also caused social divisions within the community and often separated households into Christians and non-Christians.

In the 1990s, while conducting her research, Diana Riboli documented an incident from the late 1980s, during the panchayat period in Nepal (1961-1990), in which missionaries secretly visited a Chepang village. The appointment of indigenous pastors was a global strategy to increase converts to Christianity, and many Chepang youth became pastors with the aim of obtaining social and political leadership alongside religious authorities.

The missionaries told the villagers that converting to Christianity would eliminate the need to offer animals or fruits during the bid (editorial note: it is a ritual of veneration of ancestors). an old man pande (“shaman” in Chepang) converted after being assured that he would ascend to the Christian Kingdom of Heaven upon death. Protestant pastors urged converts to abandon their ancestral rituals and assured them that the Christian God did not require offerings. However, this created tensions within the community, as many Chepang feared that by not fulfilling ancestral offerings, their ancestors would go hungry and could be dangerous to the living.

Cultural impact

The Chepang Association of Nepal, which functions as an umbrella organization for the entire Chepang community, does not identify the Chepang people as Hindus but as prakritik pujak (nature worshipers). However, their festivals, indigenous practices, shamanic rituals, knowledge of the healing powers of nature and their language are gradually being forgotten, due to the increasing conversion to Christianity.

Riboli’s research findings indicate that shamanism is declining in the Chepang community and could be at risk of extinction, largely due to the growing influence of Christianity. A significant reason is that becoming a shepherd requires only a few months of preparation, while being a shaman (pande) is not a personal choice and usually involves an extensive and rigorous process.

Conversion to Christianity improved the quality of life for many, as there are converts who now live in concrete houses, their children go to quality schools and receive outside help. Consequently, Christianity is generally perceived as a path to modernity, progress and better opportunities. Christian NGOs provide considerable funds to rebuild schools and to assist communities affected by environmental disasters. However, this change has contributed to a decline in traditional sustainable practices.

Tensions sometimes arise between Christian and non-Christian chepang. For example, Diana Riboli said that during her fieldwork, Chepang pastors denied her access to Saturday religious ceremonies, despite the principle that churches should be open to all, regardless of ethnicity or religion.

One of the slides from Diana Riboli’s presentation, showing the stark contrast between two houses that are located opposite each other: one belonging to a family converted to Christianity and another to a non-converted family. Author’s image.

Tensions also arise within families, as sometimes grandparents or parents resist converting to Christianity, while their children wish to be baptized. The president of the Chepang Association of Nepal, in an in-person interview, observes that this division between Christians and non-Christians is eroding traditional Chepang values ​​of sharing and families helping each other. The communal nature of Chepang society, especially evident in funeral rites, is in a state of tension.

In Chepang communities, funeral rites can only be performed by shamans (pande), which guide the soul of the deceased to the land of their ancestors. This complex ritual can only be carried out by a pande powerful. It is believed that a poorly done funeral can lead to misfortune and illness. However, converts to Christianity are often excluded from traditional funerals, such as those of their grandparents, which has psychological consequences and fuels fears that unduly honored souls may remain in the human world and cause harm to their families.

Traditional Chepang spiritual beliefs and practices, such as nature veneration, oral traditions, and sustainable ways of living, are gradually disappearing. The rise of Christianity diluted their cultural identity, leading to the decline of community knowledge keepers such as shamans and disrupting the transfer of knowledge between generations.