KUSUNDAS

Kusundas are  one of the endangered communities of aboriginal ethnic groups of Nepal. This small community prefer to live separately and alienated from other communities. They choose secluded forest areas for their inhabitation. Sparsely found in the districts of Gorkha, Kaski, Salyan, Pyuthatn, Dang, Dailekh and Surkhet, the Kusundas resemble the Chepangs in their observances. Kusundas are often termed as  Ban Manchhe meaning wild  people and some time as Ban Raja or the kings of the forest. They have their own native language. Some Kusundas call themselves Chhatyals where as many of them do not address themselves by their ethnic surnames. Not to talk of their language and culture, but their communities as well are on the brink of extinction. For their livelihood, they prefer to forage for tubers than to opt for cultivation. They do not drink bovine milk and that cow dung is almost a taboo for them.