The main occupations of the Sonaha tribe, who live on the banks of the Karnali River, are fishing, boating, and collecting gold from the river.
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Their demands are not for food, shelter, or cotton. Nor are they demanding employment. The Sonaha community, residing in Rajapur Municipality-1 under Bardiya-2, demand that they be listed among the tribals in every election when candidates come to seek votes.
The minority Sonaha community is now disappointed after their demands were not met. Their faith in the promises made by candidates during elections has been broken. Bal Bahadur Sonaha, a leader of the Sonaha Bikas Samaj, expressed his sorrow over the false promises made to address the demands of the Sonaha community during elections. Bal Bahadur said that despite years of pressure from this community to list them as a tribal community, no one has taken the initiative. ‘Now, during the election season, the process of making promises has started again,’ he said.
They, who are facing a crisis in their ancestral profession, have said that they will vote for those who list them as a tribal community this time too. They said that they have been deprived of the facilities they will get from the state because the government has not listed them. Community leader Shanti Sonaha said that even though candidates promise to resolve this issue in every election, they will not return to the settlement after being elected. ‘Now, we no longer believe in the promises made by candidates,’ he said.
The main occupation of the Sonaha tribe, which lives on the banks of the Karnali River, is fishing, boating, and collecting gold from the river. During the armed conflict in the country, most of the Sonaha men, who were persecuted by the state and rebel forces, fled to India. Now, the men here have reached Kathmandu and other Indian cities in search of work.
This time, the state is demanding that the Sonaha be removed from the list of others and included in the tribal community, provided with facilities like freed Kamaiya, and allowed to fish in the national park. Shanti Sonaha said that she will vote only if she gets a written promise to fulfill these demands. ‘Not only should they be listed as tribals, but also arrangements should be made for employment, free education, and health,’ she said. ‘The state should recognize the Badgharia custom.’
The local community does not know much about the history of this tribe. According to locals, they migrated from Rakam in Dailekh to Bardiya, Kailali and Kanchanpur districts. The language they speak is Kham. It is customary to celebrate Nag Panchami as a doll festival. There is a population of 1,200 Sonaha caste in Bardiya, Kailali and Kanchanpur. There are 729 people in Bardiya.
