Yakkha

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This article is about the Nepalese ethnic group. For the creature of Buddhist and Hindu mythology, see Yaksha.

The Yakha population of 17,000 is centered in the Central part of East Nepal in the area around the Kosi River. Their dialect, Yakkha, belongs to the Tibetan-Burman family. According to the 2001 Nepal Census out of the 17,003 Yakkha in the country, 81.43% were Bon, 14.17% were Hindus and 1.04% were Buddhists.

The Yakha are Agriculturalists. Most Yakhas are able to own their own land and to raise a few animals. On these farms, they raise their staple foods, such as maize, rice, and potatoes. They typically live in double storied houses made of timber, mud, and stone and covered with a thatched roof.

Due to their proximity to the Kiranti, many of them have intermarried with the Limbu and the Rai. In most marriages, usually the boy choose the girl he wishes to marry, and if her parents agree to it, then the wedding can take place, regardless of what the girl's opinion is. As a result of the common intermixing with other Nepali groups, most Yakha men and women can speak basic Nepali as their second language.

Most Yakha are Buddhists, but they are influenced by both Hindu and Animist beliefs. This is evidenced from the fact that they celebrate and observe all of the important Hindu and Buddhist festivals such as Durga puja and Losar as well as performing ancestral worship. Their pujhari or priests play an important role in their communities and are necessary for the performing of marriage and death rites as well as the puja or worship ceremonies at festival times.