For too long, the lowlanders of Nepal have neglected and denigrated them as unkempt "Bhoteys". The cultural and economic distress of Humla's Tibetan-speakers is fed by the ignorance and disinterest in Kathmandu.
Other than the Drukpas of Bhutan, the Tibetan-speaking inhabitants of the High Himalaya comprise ethnic minorities which are invariably persecuted within their respective countries. In Nepal, there is overt prejudice against the "Bhotey", inhabitants of the Himalayan rimland. They have always been treated as second-class citizens by the Rongba (or Monba), the low hill people who are closer to the epicentre of power.
Fleeing political and religious persecution in Tibet during different periods of history, the ancestors of the Nepali Tibetan-speakers found refuge in Himalayan sanctuaries. These historical migrants brought their lamas, religion and customs with them. Isolated from South Asian cultural influence by rugged geography, from Olangchung Gola in eastern Nepal to Dolpo, Mugu and Humla in the west, they tenaciously held on to traditions and lifestyles, which have remained practically intact to the present day.
This cultural resilience of Nepal's Tibetan-speakers, however, is now being affected by economic and geo-political forces beyond their grasp. They are now more exposed to the push and pull of external interests than before. Over the last couple of years, due to the opening up of remote areas, their valleys have suddenly gained a high touristic profile. But Kathmandu's policy-makers seem not to know that most of the northern peoples have historically survived on trade and transhumance. On both counts, this ignorance has hit the Nepali Tibetan-speakers hard.