Christianity's impact on Chepang Indigenous spirituality in Nepal
The rising influence of Christianity is often blamed for the erosion of Indigenous spirituality
Originally published on Global Voices
Surkhandi and Korak, Chepang villages in Rapti Municipality, in the Eastern part of Chitwan district in Bagmati Province of Nepal, where the majority of the population has converted to Christianity. Photo by the author.
The Indigenous Chepang community in Nepal, a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group, has traditionally maintained a profound connection with forests and nature. Over generations, the community has developed various adaptive mechanisms and sustainable practices. However, in recent decades, significant complex social and cultural transformations are occurring within the community.
There has been a rapid increase in conversions to Christianity among the Chepang and other marginalized communities, often driven by the efforts of NGOs. Traditional shamanic practices are consequently in decline. A recent report titled “Cultural changes in the Chepang caste of Chitwan” highlights how this Indigenous group is undergoing significant changes in its cultural and spiritual landscape. The growing influence of Christianity is contributing to the erosion of Indigenous spirituality within the Chepang community.
On November 29, 2024, Diana Riboli, a professor in the Department of Social Anthropology at Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences in Greece, delivered a compelling research presentation at the Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal, where the author was present. Her keynote paper, titled “Death and Afterlife in Time of Crisis: The Case of the Chepang of South Central Nepal,” provided intricate anthropological insights into the cultural transformations within this Indigenous Nepalese community.
Chepang culture remains deeply connected to forests and nature, even though they are now restricted from engaging in many of their traditional activities in forested areas due to national conversation efforts. Like other communities, the Chepang are prohibited from accessing forests designated as Natural Parks and Nature Reserves, which appear to be reserved exclusively for wildlife, plant conservation, and tourism.
Christian conversion
In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in the number of Chepang and members of other marginalized communities converting to Christianity. Ostracized by societal elites and disillusioned by the government’s inadequate support, the Chepang are particularly receptive to the stories of Christ shared by people who provide them with food, clothing, kitchen utensils, and opportunities to educate their children in residential boarding schools far from home.
Although proselytizing remains prohibited under Nepalese law, Christian groups often engage with these communities through NGOs, offering humanitarian aid, education, and medical care. This growing trend has not gone unnoticed in the Nepali media, which continues to produce numerous reports on the issue.
A village named Hattibang of Chitwan District where the majority of population are from Chepang community. Photo by Author.
The isolation of Chepang settlements in remote areas, extreme poverty, poor health conditions, and structural violence provided opportunities for Christian missionaries to influence the community, even during the Panchayat regime (1961–1990), when the promotion of Christianity was banned. Many Chepang have converted to Christianity primarily to escape marginalization and discrimination by other castes.
Research by Diana Riboli revealed that the Chepang view Christianity as a pathway to overcoming discrimination, accessing education, and achieving social justice, particularly for younger generations. However, in the early years of evangelization, Christianity also caused social divisions within the community, often splitting households between Christians and non-Christians.
During her research in the 1990s, Diana Riboli documented an incident from the late 1980s, during Nepal's Panchayat period (1961–1990), when missionaries secretly visited a Chepang village. Globally, the nomination of Indigenous pastors was a strategy to grow Christian converts, and many young Chepang men became pastors, aspiring to gain social and political leadership alongside religious authority.
The missionaries told the villagers that converting to Christianity would eliminate the need to offer animals or fruits during puja. One elder Pande (shaman in the Chepang language) converted after being assured that he would ascend to the Christian Kingdom of Heaven upon death. Protestant pastors urged converts to abandon ancestral rituals, asserting that the Christian God required no offerings. However, this created tension within the community, as many Chepang feared that neglecting ancestral offerings would leave their ancestors hungry and potentially dangerous to the living.
Cultural impact
The umbrella organization of the Chepang community, the Nepal Chepang Association, identifies the Chepang people not as Hindus but as Prakritik Pujak (worshippers of nature). However, their festivals, Indigenous practices, shamanic rituals, knowledge of nature’s healing powers, and language are gradually being forgotten due to the increasing conversion to Christianity.
Riboli's research findings reveal that shamanism within the Chepang community is declining and potentially at risk of extinction, largely due to the growing influence of Christianity. One significant reason is that becoming a pastor requires only a few months of preparation while becoming a shaman (Pande) is not a personal choice and typically involves a lengthy and rigorous process.
Conversion to Christianity has improved living conditions for many, with converts now residing in concrete houses, sending their children to quality schools, and benefiting from foreign aid. Thus christianity is generally perceived as a pathway to modernity, progress, and better opportunities. Christian NGOs provide significant funding for rebuilding schools and offering relief to communities affected by environmental disasters. However, this shift has contributed to the decline of traditional sustainable practices.
Tensions sometimes arise between Christian and non-Christian Chepang. For example, during fieldwork, Diana Riboli recounted being denied access by Chepang pastors to Saturday church ceremonies, despite the principle that churches should be open to all, regardless of ethnicity or religion.
One of the slides presented by Diana Riboli, depicted a striking contrast between two houses: one belonging to a family that converted to Christianity and another to a family that did not which is located opposite to each other. Image by the author.
Tensions also arise within families, as grandparents or parents may resist converting to Christianity while their children seek baptism. The Chairperson of the Nepal Chepang Association, in a face-to-face interview, notes that this division between Christians and non-Christians is eroding traditional Chepang values of sharing and mutual aid among families. The communal nature of Chepang society, particularly evident in funeral rites, is now under strain.
In Chepang communities, funeral rites are exclusively performed by shamans (Pande), who guide the soul of the deceased to the land of the ancestors. This complex ritual can only be conducted by a powerful Pande. It is believed that improperly performed funerals can result in misfortune and illness. However, Christian converts are often excluded from traditional funerals, such as those of their grandparents, which has psychological consequences and fuels fears that improperly honored souls may remain in the human world, bringing harm to their families.
Traditional Chepang spiritual beliefs and practices, including the worship of nature, oral traditions, and sustainable ways of living, are gradually fading. The rise of Christianity has diluted their cultural identity, leading to the decline of community knowledge keepers like shamans and disrupting the transfer of knowledge between generations.