Limbu Myths in Cyberspace: Intracultural Dialogue Within an Ethnic Group

Traditional societies are inevitably influenced by processes happening in the modern informational world. The internet is a place for active distribution of traditional texts, which formerly had limited circulation. The Limbu (or Yakthung) people of Nepal have created a Facebook group where they post their myths, genealogies, tales and legends. The social network makes it easy for these myths to reach a broad audience and provides an opportunity for active discussion. The language used is changing — from the Limbu language to Nepali — as well as the medium of speech (from the poetry to prose). The posted myths are based not on a shaman’s words but on written sources, i.e. Sanskrit texts, and works of local or foreign scholars. This shows how the Limbu aim to raise the profile of their religion and tradition. A rupture may be seen in mythical and ritual practices. Ritual is only discussed in the context of sacrifices, which some of the Limbu consider a sign of social backwardness. On the other hand, the anthropogonic myth has been gaining additional importance because the belief in common ancestry constitutes one of the most important criteria of ethnicity. Active sharing of anthropogonic myths on the social network thus allows the Limbu to preserve their sense of ethnic unity