Byangsi (also called Byansi, Byãsi, Byangkho Lwo, Byanshi, Bhotia, and Byangkhopa) is a West Himalayish language of India and Nepal. Estimates of numbers of speakers vary, but some sources say that the language is spoken by about 1,000-1,500 people, while others estimate as many as 3,300. Byangsi is from a region of high language density, that is to say that there are many languages among few people. It is the most dominant language in this region, although it is not widely known outside of its small hill district and those who speak it have difficulty classifying themselves for central government dealings.
The term Byangsi may also refer to the people that speak the language. There are also three variants of it: Pangjungkho Boli, Kuti, and Yerjungkho Boli. It is considered an endangered language, and it is most likely to be replaced by Hindi if it disappears.
Geographic distribution
Byangsi is part of a group of four small West Himalayish languages spoken in the former "state of Almora", now divided between India's Uttarakhand and far-western Nepal, viz., Rangkas, Darmiya, Chaudangsi and Byangsi.
In Uttarakhand, the Byangsi area extends from Budi () in the south to Kuti village () in the north. The area is located in Dharchula and Munsiyari tehsils of the Pithoragarh district, and the majority of it is in the Kuthi valley near the Tibet and Nepal borders. Other villages of the area include Nabi, Gunji, Napalchyu, Rongkang, and Garbyang.
In Nepal, Byangsi is traditionally spoken in Chhangru () and Tinkar () in the Tinkar river valley. The villages are in the Byans municipality in the Darchula District of Sudurpashchim Province. Later, two new villages called Rapla and Sitola were founded by Byangsi speakers to the south of the original area.
History
The speakers of Byangsi believe themselves to be descended from the Darchula Byangsi people, high-caste Parbatiya, and Tibetans. Until recently, the hill region where the people live was closed to foreign researchers, so very little information has been gathered on the languages of the area.
Culture
The people who speak Byangsi may be called Byangsi, but the people prefer Bura.
In Nepal's national caste system, which the Nepalese government used to replace the three previous regionally-distinct hierarchies, the mountain peoples to which the Bura belong are placed near the middle. For legal matters with the government, the Bura consider themselves Chetri, specifically, Matwali Chetri, which signifies that they align with Chetri in social customs and structure, but do not follow all of the practices of the Chetri caste.
The Humla region in which the Bura are found is inhabited by three ethnic groups: the Bura, the Nepali Parbatiyas, and the Tibetan speakers, which are all distinct in altitude at which they live, economic activities, and social customs. However, these ethnic boundaries are not rigid, unlike in surrounding areas; ethnic accommodation occurs in which individuals, groups, or even whole villages will change their ethnic affiliation as needed by economic and lifestyle changes. The Bura reside midway along the mountains and make their living by farming the hillsides and recently cleared forest land. The Chetri caste to which the Bura belong is a high caste within the Humla region, though the peoples there are generally very poor. The Matwali Chetri are the result of acculturation of traditional tribal practices to Nepalese society in order to fit a caste model, the Chetri; they share marital, family, and inheritance customs; a ritual calendar; and life crisis rituals with the Chetri, though they, like the rest of the mountain peoples, use cheaper spiritual mediums for their rituals.
Within the Bura ethnic group, the people divide themselves into two classes: jharra ("true") and Tibetan Bura. These classes are divided in that the jharra claim themselves to be descended much more from the Darchula Byansi and high-caste Parbatiya than Tibetan origin and say that they ceased intermarriage with Tibetans long ago, while the Tibetan Bura do allow intermarriage with Tibetans and speak the Tibetan language. There is a low degree of intermarriage between speakers of the different Tibeto-Burman languages of the region.