Mundhumi Natak – The Limbu Oral Tradition in Contemporary Nepali Theatre

Abstract

The Limbu (Yakthung) mundhum is a rich body of oral texts containing ritual invocations, origin myths, ancestral stories, and various forms of traditional knowledge, acting as key archive of indigenous memory. This paper explores how the mundhum and its associated cultural practices are recontextualised and creatively adapted in contemporary Nepali theatre in Kathmandu, focusing on two plays: Mukkumlung, Aba Andolan (Shilpee Theatre, October 2024) and Mukkumlung Chotlung (Mandala Theatre, January 2025). Based on these plays and ethnographic research, the paper traces how motifs, symbols and narratives from an oral tradition of shamanic recitations in rural eastern Nepal are transferred and translated to the urban stage. Analogous to the terms “mundhumi culture” and “mundhumi heritage” already established in the discourse, I use mundhumi natak (“mundhum theatre”) to group these productions. The analysis shows how mundhumi natak serves as a medium for challenging cultural domination, celebrating indigenous identity, and asserting oral traditions as alternative archives, particularly in the context of ongoing struggles over indigenous land rights and religious sites in eastern Nepal. This is exemplified by protests against a private cable car project at Mukkumlung—a site of deep cultural and religious significance for the Limbu—which the plays under discussion address. Thus, the paper illustrates how mundhumi natak emerges at the intersection of indigenous memory and resistance.