Hangma Hukpa Chongbang: I remember how my non Limbu friends tried to pronounce my full, hefty name. Whenever someone new gets to know that I am not just ‘Hangma Limbu’ but ‘Hangma Hukpa Chongbang’, there is always a confused and curious face behind it. I am not lying, it's quite funny to see that. They ask me, "What is Hukpa Chongbang? Is it a surname? Is it a middle name? Or something entirely different?”
Well, let me tell you what ‘Hukpa Chongbang’ is. It is a sub clan in the Limbu community. ‘Chongbang’ being the clan and ‘Hukpa’ being the sub clan. Each has its own story of how it came into being. It is believed ‘Chongbang’ means people who have their home on the hillside, ‘Dadaghare’ in Nepali. And as for the word ‘Hukpa’, it’s quite funny to say what it means and how it originated. Many genealogical books say that ‘Hukpa’ were people who would shout “Huk-Huk” in the forest while trying to forage for food and living. Eventually, they were called ‘Hukpa’.
From the large clan of ‘Hukpa Chongbang’ in Tehrathum, my family traces its roots to Jaljale, Nigale. The branch of that place is said to derive from a profound Yeba (Limbu Priest). We did have quite a few renowned Yeba in our past generations, but now in the newer generation not many are inclined to that occupation. In my Limbu friend circle, we have quite an ongoing joke with my clan name. We say that if you are Hukpa Chongbang, you have a high chance of being a relative to any Limbu person. Well, truthfully I hardly meet anyone who isn't my relative in community gatherings.
All in all, it is a large family. I am in the 47th generation. I am of the younger generation as people who are younger than me in my clan could be my uncle, aunts, baje, boju due to our generation number.
Oh, to chase them saying baje, boju around the gatherings while they cry saying don’t say it, is humorous.
In those gatherings I am cheli of Hukpa Chongbang, Hangma Hukpa Chongbang. From every genealogical book to wedding guest lists, I would be a Hukpa Chongbang. Even when I marry someone else I would still be their cheli, as Limbu women don’t change their surname to their husband’s.
I believe that in the coming days and years, I will still carry my clan name as my identity. I would still tell the story of what it means and how it came to be even when I have said it many more times. I would still get the funny and confused looks, and hear the new, different pronounceable way of saying my full name. I would still be ‘Hangma Hukpa Chongbang’ and be proud of it.
Fun fact: There are supposedly only two Hangma Hukpa Chongbang ever recorded till 2019, one being me and the other is my relative.