https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.

au/nepalese-culture/nepalese-culture-core-concepts

This article was published by an organization called the Cultural Atlas. It began as a project that was
joint operation conducted SBS, International Educational Services, and Multicultural NSW, all
organizations based in Australia. It’s purpose is to bring about knowledge to Australians, and it
involves the work of various collaborators and researchers who have cultural ties to the culture
they are writing about. I think I can trust it, because the research is clearly done with a sense of
appreciation, sensitivity and understanding towards the culture

Friends and family are very important

- People rarely go anywhere without a friend or family member coming along
- Elders within a family are looked up to and deeply respected
- Friends and family members often look to each other for favors

Nepalese Society is deeply entrenched in religion

- As decreed by their religion(s), Nepalis will often dress and act modestly and in good faith
- Highly fatalistic- a belief that everything that occurs is the result of the work of God or spirits
- Strong belief in karma—what goes around comes around, especially for Hindus and
Buddhists
Resilience
- Turbulent history and present with poverty and instability
- Many Nepalis still value kindness and friendliness and companionship
- Still find happiness and love in the simple things in life
- Respect elders https://www.roughguides.com/nepal/c
- Hospitality is important ulture-etiquette/
- Resilience https://volunteersummernepal.org/ne
pali-customs-etiquette
- religious/ethnic tolerance https://activeadventures.com/blog/ne
- Education is highly pal-culture-and-customs/
prioritized https://www.thelongestwayhome.com/
travel-guides/nepal/culture-and-etique
- Deeply religious (for many tte-in-nepal.html
people at least)
- Occasionally superstitious
- Driven by collectivism
- Loyal to family and friends
- Modesty in regards to
behavior and dress
- Hard work is emphasized
- Usually PDA is
inappropriate
- Always use the right hand
for certain tasks
- Finish your food; don’t
waste any of it
Nepal is home to a beautiful culture and its people are proud
- Resilience and resilient. I think that due to Nepal having been through
- Be grateful for what you such turbulent times in its history made it to be so. Also, I think
that religion has a substantial influence on the way people act
have and conduct themselves in society, especially when things get
hard, but because oftentimes things are the way they are, there
is occasionally a need to preserve and protect what they have,
whether it be food or education. Yet, many Nepalis still find it
within themselves to appreciate the simple things in life.
 https://www.businessinsider.com/the-worlds-most-savage-soldier-201
6-6

This article was published on Insider, and written by David Choi. David Choi is a former reporter
working for Insider and he extensively covered politics and has served in the US Army and the
California National Guard. I think because of his military experience, he felt compelled to write
about the Gurkhas, who are people with extensive military experience as well. The company,
Insider, in general, has been a reliable resource for many people, including myself. They have likely
researched extensively to make this article, which in turn will help me in my research.

The Gurkhas are brave and heroic

- Served in almost every military conflict Britain has found themselves in

- Lachhiman Gurung - Fought in World War II and single-handedly fought off many
Japanese soldiers while injured
- 43,000 were killed in World War One and World War Two
The Gurkhas are well-trained
- 28,000 people compete for less than 200 spots in the British army every year
- Training is grueling and extremely physically demanding

The Gurkhas are under-appreciated

- Advancements in technology have dwindled the need for Gurkhas

- Budget cuts have reduced the pensions for former Gurkhas
- The UK has refused to give Gurkhas citizenship despite their service
- Recruited by Indian and British
forces and very brave, highly
skilled and well-trained
- First recognized by British
forces over 200 years ago, as
Nepal and Britain fought
against each other in the
Anglo-Nepalese War
- 26 Gurkhas have been
recipients of the Victoria
Crosses, the UK’s highest
military award
- Training is intense: 75 bench
jumps in 1 minute, 70 sit-ups in
two minutes and running 5 km
up the himalayas carrying 25 kg
of rocks in under 55 minutes.
- Once they complete training, they
are awarded a Kukri, a
traditional knife of Nepal
- 28,000 Nepalis compete for less
than 200 new annual spots
- In recent years, the Gurkha
regiment has suffered from
budget cuts and dwindling
numbers in British army, reduced
pensions and social services.
https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/co
rps-regiments-and-units/brigade-of-gurkh
as/gurkha-history/
https://www.gwt.org.uk/about-the-gurkha
s/gurkhas/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gurkha
-people
https://thegurkhamuseum.co.uk/blog/gur
khas-and-ww2/
https://www.popularmechanics.com/milit
ary/research/g2173/10-amazing-gurkha-s
tories/
The Gurkhas are world renown for their courage and deadly
skill, and I think their spirit reflects that of their nation:
strong, proud and resilient. The Gurkhas are as important to
the world’s history as they are to Nepal and they are widely
respected amongst their countrymen, so not including them
into my research and my product would be a sin. I think I can
include them into my art piece as what they symbolize does
reflect the spirit and culture of their country, which I hope to
represent to the best and fullest extent possible.
 https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/nepal

This source is from Human Rights Watch, which is a global organization devoted to
researching and bringing awareness to human rights or a lack thereof. I think I can
definitely trust them because this organization has been operating for many years
and has been a reputable source of information for many researchers and activists.
It is also significant because it has caught the attention of many governments
around the world and has impacted the lives of so many people around the world.

Nepal does not have adequate legal protections from discrimination

- One of the highest rate of child marriage in Asia
- Ongoing problem of rape and sexual/marital abuse
- Caste-based discrimination is still there
Lack of accountability
- Police brutality against LGBTQ+ individuals, women, lower castes and
minorities
- Government corruption is also widespread
Low Standard of Living
- Poverty is high, especially in rural areas
- Lack of access to healthcare is devastating, especially during COVID
- Food insecurity and lack of access to education, especially for girls
- Heavily affected by COVID-19
- Government is heavily reliant
on international aid
- Caste-based discrimination
- Discrimination of minorities
- Highest rates of child
marriage in Asia - 33% of girls
wed before age 18, 8% before
age 15, 9% of boys wed before
age 18
- Rape, sexual assault towards
women, lack of legal
protection
- Police brutality against
human rights activists, LGBT
community
- Free speech suppression
- Still suffers from the legacy of
10-year civil war
- Much of the population in
poverty, lack of access to
proper health care, food
insecurity
- Many deaths in pregnancy issues, but I think it is necessary to include this so that I, and the
complications
https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/
asia-and-the-pacific/south-asia/nepal/r
eport-nepal/
https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-co
untry-reports-on-human-rights-practic
es/nepal/
https://www.usip.org/publications/200
5/08/nepal-rule-law-and-human-rights-
challenges
https://kathmandupost.com/national/
2023/01/12/nepal-has-failed-to-ensure
-justice-to-conflict-victims-human-right
s-watch
I think Nepal is one of the most beautiful places in the world, but
to truly appreciate something’s beauty, one must take in
everything, the good and the bad. And indeed, Nepal has many
audience, are able to better understand it’s multifacetedness.
Nepal is an underdeveloped country and yes it but I think by
explaining its issues, I can emphasize the progress it has made
and how strong its people are.
 https://www.britannica.com/art/Nepali-literature

This article was published by a website called Encyclopaedia Britannica. This is a website similar to
Wikipedia, however, unlike Wikipedia, all of the writers on this website are verified and credible
experts on the topics they are writing about. Moreover, I have used this website many times before
and I have come to rely upon it greatly, because the content is presented in an unbiased and
thoroughly researched manner.

The primary language has changed over time

- Originally, literature was split between the languages of Newari, Nepali and Sanskrit
- Nepali was the language of the Gurkhas who conquered Nepal in 1768.
- After they conquered Nepal, Nepali was the primary language used in writing

The Hindu Epics

- In the 1830s, some Nepali poets rewrote the Ramayana and the Bhagwat-purana
- Not long after, the poet Bhanubhakta rewrote the Ramayana, and his version was and
remains to this day, very popular.

Modern literature is recent

- It began only in the early nineteen hundreds and flourishes to this day
- As the country began to accept foreign influences, it began to expand its literary forms to short
stories, prose poetry and tragedy and drama.
- Nepali literature is also primarily about social issues like poverty that plague the nation
- Nepali is the native https://mofa.gov.np/about-nepal/cultu
language of the Gurkhas re-society/
- Before Gurkha conquest, https://offlinethinker.com/nepali-litera
language use was split ture/
between Sanskrit, Newari https://kathmandupost.com/columns/
2022/04/16/the-nepali-literary-environ
and Nepali
ment
- Nepalese literature began https://www.recruitment-empire.co.uk
in 1800s /the-nepali-language-and-literature/
- Bhanubhakta - the https://globalvoices.org/2020/06/16/h
Ramayana ow-can-nepals-literary-tradition-make-
written/translated into the its-mark-on-the-global-scene/
Nepali language
- Nepal has multiple
languages like India, but
Nepali is the mostly
widespread mother tongue
for many
- Nepalese short stories have
topics based on social
justice and the reform
necessary to achieve it
- Influenced by India and the
Western world
The research on literature that I have done will likely have an impact
- Drama, tragedy, prose, on the English portion of the project that I will make. I think I might try
poetry, etc. to honor the Nepali tradition of bringing awareness to social issue by
incorporating some social commentary into my narrative. Aside from
that, I am glad that I learned a great deal about Nepali literature
because literature and humanities in general, form the basis on how
to preserve one’s cultural and national identity, and in many ways,
they are footnotes in history, footnotes which have been crucial in
building my understanding of Nepal.
 https://www.sourcenepal.com/dance-of-nepal/

This article was published by a website called “Source Nepal.” This website is an information hub
that deals with the culture, news, and geopolitical environment of Nepal. I’m also pretty sure that
most of its contributors are also from Nepal or living there. I think this article for this reason and
because the writers and researchers are Nepali, they are likely going to represent their culture in an
authentic way compared to how other researchers in the Western world might do it.

Nepali dance is diverse

- There are many different dance forms spread all out over the country
- They are influenced by various different religions and regions
- They are also influenced by Indian, Chinese, Tibetan and Western styles of dance and
music
Nepali Dance is heavily influenced by religion/superstition
- In the Jhankri Dance, rural shamans perform a ritual dance to ward off witches
- In the Sangini Dance, women of the Brahmin or Chettri caste, perform holding a diyo or
Kailash (Lord Shiva’s abode) atop their heads

Nepali Dance reflects the identity of the group that created or traditionally performed the
dance
- The Sherpa Dance was created and performed by the Sherpa community of the Himalayas for
celebrations
- The Khukri Nach is performed by Gurkha soldiers or soldiers in the Nepali army
- Influenced by different cultures, https://mofa.gov.np/about-nepal/cultu
ethnicities and religions over re-society/
time https://www.gonepaltours.com/the-10-
- It is ancient nepal-traditional-dances/
- Evolved over time and very https://english.onlinekhabar.com/cultu
diverse ral-dance-nepal-communities.html
https://www.imnepal.com/nepali-danc
- Classical Dances of Nepal and
es/
Folk Dances of Nepal https://www.merokalam.com/folk-dan
- Classical: Kumari Dance - ces-of-nepal/
concerns the living goddess
“Kumari”, in INdra Jatra festival
of Newari culture, living
Goddess Kumari is adorned
with jewelry. During festival,
thousands gather and pay
homage to the goddess
- Folk : Jhankri Dance - dance in
rural areas by “witch
doctors”/shamans to treat sick
people, involves various
postures and gestures
- Folk: Chandi Dance - Performed
by Kirat Rais people to appease
Dancing is often used as a form of entertainment and
Lord Shiva and Parvati in hopes self-expression, as well as storytelling. This could not be
of gaining a good harvest more true, in my opinion, for the various dances found in
South Asia. These dances have evolved as a response to
changes in time and how people saw the world around
them. These dances, therefore, and in fact, much of the
arts and humanities in Nepal, are as much part of the
history of this country as the battles and politics are.
 https://yunahandicrafts.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-handicrafts-in-nepal/

This source is from an online store called Yuna Handicrafts, and it sells traditional and
contemporary handicrafts from Nepal that are “high-quality, carefully selected and ethically
sourced.” This is a website entirely based upon providing knowledge about these handicrafts, as
well as the handicrafts themselves. That, and the fact that the people conducting and producing
this business and information hub are all Nepali themselves, I can trust that I will get the most
authentic perspective regarding this information.

Nepalese handicrafts are very respected

- Sought after all over the world, including the EU, UK, Canada, the US, and more.
- Acknowledged and appreciated by Tibetans, Chinese, Indians
- Major trading items between travelers and tourists, even to this day.

Nepalese handicrafts are very old and diverse

- Date back to the stone age
- Different mediums used; ceramics, painting, jewellery making, wood carving
- Influenced by religion, region, and ethnicity of the artist(s)

Nepalese handicrafts are very relevant today

- Sold online by various artisans or companies
- The money generated by these handicrafts helps make up a great deal of Nepal’s income
- Mediums have expanded in the modern day to include home furnishings, pashmina, leather
and more.
- The advancement of technology
https://imartnepal.com/blog-article/his
has made the Nepalese tory-of-nepalese-handicraft/
handicrafts product accessible to a https://www.canacapri.com/blogs/blog
wider range of audiences. /the-artisan-culture-of-nepal-a-rich-her
- Wanuhushe and Juanseng from itage-of-handicrafts
China in 648AD remarked once https://www.himalayastrek.com/infor
upon the skill of Nepalese mation/traditional-handicrafts-in-nepa
craftsmen. l/v
- Ancient and steeped in tradition, http://infoeduntech.blogspot.com/201
reflects diversity of nepal 5/08/history-of-handicraft-in-nepal.ht
- Believed to have begun in 5th ml
century, or the Stone Age, but https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/f
exact date is unknown
eature/2018/02/07/artisans-in-nepal-h
onoring-tradition-crafting-modern
- Nepal’s industry first included
good quality waterproof woolen
blankets, and grew to others.
- Contemporary crafts: furnishing
material, floor covering, patina
products, pashmina, leather, and
decorative items
- Traditional crafts - metal statues,
traditional silver, jewelry, wood
carving, painting,
- religious/ritual objects like bells,
vajra, stone sculpture, metal For my art portion of the project, I am essentially making a
utensils and ceramics. piece of art inspired by a Nepali handicraft, specifically the
traditional art form of the Paubha painting. That is why it was
- Traditional crafts were used by imperative that I understand the history and significance of
royal families and every house in Nepalese art and also what it means to the Nepali people,
Nepal should have at least 1 idol before embarking on a path to create something like it myself.
But besides that, art is part of a legacy, one passed down from
of deity generations, and this age-old gift is filled with a beautiful
narrative that contains a great deal of love and passion.
 https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/mount-everest/

This article was published by National Geographic, and they have been a prestigious news
organization dedicated to educating the everyday person about the world. They have also been a
trusted and credible resource for many people and for many years. I have come to rely upon their
articles because they are always presented in an unbiased and thoroughly researched manner. I
also appreciate that most of their articles are done in a way that is acknowledging to different
cultures if the said topic is significant to them, which in this case, it is.

It is culturally significant
- Indigenous peoples live in areas surrounding Mount Everest, including the Sherpas
- Significant to the Tibetans and the Nepalis
- National symbol of Nepal

It has a history of climbing

- The Sherpas have long been acting as mountain guides and are experienced climbers
- First (recorded) climbers are Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary in 1953
- Today, many climbers have attempted to climb up to the top

It is dangerous to climb
- It is the highest peak in the world, meaning that the top can have very low oxygen levels.
- People have been known to die on the way there
- Risks of altitude sickness, avalanches, bad weather, brain swelling, asphyxiation, etc.
- Mount Everest is the highest
https://www.britannica.com/place/Mo
peak on the Himalayas, and the unt-Everest
world https://www.livescience.com/23359-m
- Located between Nepal and ount-everest.html
Tibet https://artsandculture.google.com/stor
- It is 8,849 meters high and y/mount-everest/kAWhL0aq-oU_-Q?hl=
(29,032) en
- Named after George Everest, https://explorerspassage.com/chronicl
Surveyor General of the country es/facts-mount-everest/
of India in the 1800s. https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.as
- Tibetan name is Chomolungma px?pid=10640
(Mother Goddess of the World)
- Nepali name is Sagarmatha,
meanings are disputed and
various
- Himalayas houses indigenous
peoples including the Sherpa
- The Sherpas are an ethnic
group living the valleys of the
Himalayas, have climbed
mountains for generations and
help mountain climbers today
- Lifestyle includes farming,
herding, trade, and they also
live with low oxygen levels year In many ways, Mount Everest is to Nepal as Mount Fuji is to Japan.
round Even if people have never heard of Nepal or know much about it,
they are likely to know at least something about Mount Everest. It
holds the record for being the highest peak in the world, and
holds a great deal of significance to the cultures that surround it,
and is a symbol of Nepal today. I will also be including the symbol
in my painting, and perhaps mentioning it in my narrative, but I
thought it was imperative that I first know the context of its
significance before recontextualizing it in my project.