The Majhis are one of the indigenous peoples of Nepal. Though their number is not very high as of today, their culture is quite rich. They have their own language, dress and traditional occupations.
The Majhis are quite polite and well-behaved. They are very friendly and helpful as a community. So everyone loves them.
Since fishing and ferrying people of the boats across the rivers are their traditional occupations, the Majhis have special love and close relationship with the rivers. So, most of their villages are located near to the riverbanks.
On the average, the Majhi people are dark brown in complexion, medium in height and well built. They have partly Mongoloid features, but are not fair like the tribes living in the mountainous regions.
Most of the Majhis are located near the riverbanks. The biggest population of the Majhis living in Nepal is found around the River Saptakoshi – a big river composed of seven major tributaries: Indrawati, Bhotekoshi, Tamakoshi, Sunkoshi, Arun, Barun and Likhu.
The Majhis have their own language. It is still widely spoken in Kavrepalanchowk, Ramechhap, Sindhuli, Dolakha, Okaldhunga and Khotang districts of Nepal.
In most of the cases, the Majhi women are more active in taking family decisions, though men and women share equal responsibilities inside and outside their houses.
The Majhis catch fish in the rivers with the help of self-made hooks and nets. They either sell them to earn their living, or dry and store for future use. Fish is an integral part of the Majhi food system. If a guest visits them, they necessarily serve a fish item if they can afford.
The Majhis have their own traditional songs, dances and ritual functions. They sing and dance with joy during their festivals and special social and familial occasions. Though they observe many festivals, the Koshi Puja is a unique festival of the Majhis of Nepal.Koshi Puja is a ritual that shows their river worship. Koshi, you know, is the name of a big river. This festival is observed on the third Tuesday of the month of Falgun. To observe the same, they travel to the Tamakoshi River bank and make their offerings to the river deity. As they move to the river, they play their traditional musical instruments.
Since time immemorial, the Majhis have been helping other people in crossing the many rivers of Nepal in their self-made boats. By doing this, they get money from the benefiters. For fishing, they move out to the rivers instead of having their own pools at home.
The Majhis marry only among themselves. They don’t marry outside their community. Marrying outside the Majhi community is strictly prohibited by their tradition.
Most Majhi people reside in ancestral places in simple round houses made of stone or clay, having a single door. The houses are very close to each other. They use straws for roofing. While making a new house a Majhi checks if the spot is suitable or not by mixing the soil of the four corners of the selected site with marcha, a spice used for brewing local liquor. If the soil is tasty, it is believed that the chosen house spot is suitable. If not, it is rejected as an unsuitable location.
The ancestral occupations of the Majhis, like boating and fishing, are now replaced by other activities. The rivers are no longer freely available to them for fishing. Motor boats have replaced the traditional boats in most of the places, and the Majhis are fast falling into trouble. Since their number is small, their economic condition still very poor and their educational level quite low, the Majhis are facing cultural and occupational crisis. They need immediate attention from everyone.