What makes Green Chwadi unique, perhaps in all of Nepal, is the extent to which it embraces the indigenous communities around it, and the embrace by those communities of Green Chwadi. Bordered on the east by river and jungle, on all other sides Green Chwadi is touched by Tharu and Bote, and other indigenous as well.
The government says about 35 percent of the country’s population is comprised of indigenous peoples. Researchers contend it’s as high as 50 percent. Whatever the number, Nepal has well over 100 ethnic groups and castes and about as many languages, all living in one of three geographic areas - the mountains, the hills, and the plains.
Since leaving Kathmandu, Pa and I have had conversations with those who know something about the character of the country’s indigenous. Our take away is that they not only co-exist but do so in harmony.
The lives of Green Chwadi’s neighbors are by no means easy, but there’s an ease in their way of being in the world that’s palpable, and that few westerners experience day to day.
Knowing little else about the matter, we’ve been content to just walk through nearby villages, letting it soak in.
Great photos. That bridge is really neat.