Rautes the last nomads of Nepal
The Rautes of Nepal Mostly found in the forested areas of Jajarkot and Dang in Nepal. The people from this tribe are generally short and stocky. They are dark skinned with Australoid like features.
They speak a Tibeto Burman language called Khamchi but generally tend to converse in Nepali.
HUNTING TECHNIQUE:
The hunt for monkeys is an important part of Raute life, and their traditional hunting technique is intriguing. When a group of monkeys are spotted in the jungle, they quickly go
to the place. Then, they pray before they hunt. To trap the monkeys, they put nets on the ground under the trees. The Rautes make a loud sound to scare the monkeys, who leave their trees and get caught in the nets on the ground. Hunting takes about one third of their total time.
GENDER ROLES:
Most men of the tribe produce wood utensils, which they barter in the neighboring villages in exchange for food grains. They make wooden chests, trays and bowls. The Rautes just cut a part of the tree, and leave the rest of it alive. The women spend their days in child rearing and sourcing food for the family.
HOMES: The region they traverse is in their wanderings spread from the Siwalik Hills in the south to the Himalayan hills in the north. There are several taboos which they follow such as: allowing counting of the members of the tribe,
inviting strangers along for the monkey hunt or give access to the inner area of the camp.
