Trilingual Dictionary of Nepal’s Indigenous Yakthung Mundhum Vocabulary Launched

A new trilingual dictionary documenting specialised words used in the Mundhum, the sacred religious and cultural text of Nepal’s indigenous Yakthung, or Limbu, community, has been launched in Lalitpur.

Titled Yakthung Samjik Mundhum Dictionary, the 420-page publication has been compiled and written by DB Angbung and Bishnudatta Angbuhang and published by the Mundhum Academy.

Former Chancellor of the Nepal Academy of Literature, Arts and Culture and Mundhum scholar Bairagi Kainla unveiled the book at a programme in Lalitpur.

The dictionary contains more than 1,500 specialised words used in Mundhum recitations and traditional religious rituals. It presents their meanings and contexts in three languages: Yakthung, Nepali and English.

According to co-author Bishnudatta Angbuhang, the publication uses three scripts: Sirijanga, Devanagari and Roman.

The authors say the dictionary aims to clarify the meaning and usage of specialised terms found in Mundhum traditions.

It is also expected to support the study, documentation and preservation of the Yakthung language, literature and indigenous knowledge systems.