Damai ( ne, दमाइँ) is an occupational caste found among

Khas people Khas people (; ne, खस) popularly known as Khas Arya are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the Himalayan region of South Asia, what is now present-day Nepal, Indian states of Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Sikkim. Histor ...

. They comprise 45 subgroups. Their surnames take after the subgroup they belong to. People belonging to this caste are traditionally tailors and musicians. They are adept at using the naumati baja- an ensemble of nine traditional musical instruments. Damai is coined from musical instrument

Damaha Damaha () is a drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, tha ...

. The 1854 Nepalese Muluki Ain (Legal Code) categorized Damai as "Lower caste” category. Thus, the tribal designation of

Khas Khas people (; ne, खस) popularly known as Khas Arya are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the Himalayan region of South Asia, what is now present-day Nepal, Indian states of Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Sikkim. Historicall ...

is given only in few context to

Kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...

, Damai and Sarki due to traditional status. Due to many caste-based discriminations in

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

, the government of

legally abolished the caste-system and criminalized any caste-based discrimination, including "

untouchability Untouchability is a form of social institution that legitimises and enforces practices that are discriminatory, humiliating, exclusionary and exploitative against people belonging to certain social groups. Although comparable forms of discrimin ...

" (the ostracism of a specific caste) - in the year 1963

A.D. The terms (AD) and before Christ (BC) are used to label or number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term is Medieval Latin and means 'in the year of the Lord', but is often presented using "our Lord" instead of "the Lord", ...

With Nepal's step towards freedom and equality, Nepal, previously ruled by a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

monarchy was a

nation which has now become a

secular state A secular state is an idea pertaining to secularity, whereby a state is or purports to be officially neutral in matters of religion, supporting neither religion nor irreligion. A secular state claims to treat all its citizens equally regard ...

, and on 28 May 2008, it was declared a republic, ending it as the Hindu Kingdom with its caste-based discriminations and the

roots. According to

2011 Nepal census Nepal conducted a widespread national census in 2011 by the Nepal Central Bureau of Statistics. Working with the 58 municipalities and the 3915 Village Development Committees at a district level, they recorded data from all the municipalities and ...

, Damai make up 1.8% of Nepal's population (or 472,862 peoples). Damai are categorized under "Hill

Dalit Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold varna system of Hinduism and were seen as forming ...

" among the 9 broad social groups, along with

, Badi, Sarki and Gaine by the Government of Nepal.

References

Bibliography

* Caste system in Nepal Dalit communities {{Asia-ethno-group-stub