1858.] On the Vayu tribe of the Central Himalaya. 113 



On the Vayu tribe of the Central Himalaya. — By B. H. 

 Hodgson, Usgr. 



The Vayus, vulgarly called Hayus, inhabit the central Himalaya, 

 and the central region of that part of the chain.* They are sub- 

 jects of Nepal, tenanting the basin of the river Kdsi between the 

 confines of the great valley of Nepal proper and that point where 

 the Kosi turns southwards to issue into the plains. The Vayus belong 

 to that interesting portion of the Himalayan population which, in 

 the essay adverted to, I have denominated the broken tribes — tribes 

 whose status and condition, relatively to those of the unbroken 

 tribes, sufficiently demonstrates that they are of much older stand- 

 ing in Himalaya than the latter. The Vayus are in an exceedingly 

 depressed condition, gradually passing to extinction probably. Their 

 numbers do not now exceed a few thousands, how many, I have no 

 means of ascertaining. 



Their high antiquity and the complex character of their language, 

 give them, especially in connexion with other tribes of Himalaya 

 similarly characterised, very great interest as an element of Hima- 

 layan population. They consider themselves as a single people 

 distinct from all their neighbours. Their language, which has no 

 marked dialects, and is quite unintelligible to any but themselves, 

 supports this view. !3o also does their perfect community of habits 

 and customs, though they recognise certain distinctions among 

 themselves, of no practical importance, but marked by specific desig- 

 nations, of which the chief are Yakiim, Dophoin, Konsino, Balung, 

 Phoncho, Kamalechho, &c. 



Balung, I know, means exorcist in the Vayu tongue ; and the 

 other terms probably point to some perhaps now forgotten avoca- 

 tions. At all events they cannot explain the force of the terms. 



They have a tradition of a very remote time when they were a 

 numerous and powerful people, but never having had the use of 

 writing, their remote past is too vague for ascertainment, no foreign 

 and cultivated people having ever noticed and recorded their exist- 



* See new edition of essay on physical geography of Himalaya now issuing from 

 the press under the auspices of Government. 



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