“We´ll pay you a handsome fare,” one of the Rautes was heard requesting the driver. [break]
The nomadic tribe, which had kept away from modern civilization, is gradually seen adopting modern ways of life due to growing awareness. The Rautes till recently lived in the jungles away from modern life. But they have gradually moved to areas linked by motorable roads. The group has settled near the Lanti Bazaar area which is touched by the Tulsipur-Salyan road.
The community has also started using rice as their staple food instead of wild yam and air potatoes. “Life in the jungle is difficult. So we have moved to areas linked by motorable roads,” Ain Bahadur Shahi, a Raute. “Here we can travel from one place to another and also enjoy other facilities,” he added.
The community has also begun rearing chickens and goats. Children and youths in the communities have begun emulating the habits of people from the nearby community. Especially, young girls have become conscious of their looks and have also started wearing makeup.
Similarly, the young boys in the Raute community have started chewing tobacco, drinking alcohol and puffing cigarettes. They spend a huge chunk government allowance on pleasures offered by modern life. The boys in the community start chewing tobacco and drinking alcohol from a very early age.
Boys and girls in the community do not marry outside the community. Some of the boys in the community are still unmarried at the age of 27.
According to Satyawoti Adhikari, Chairman of Raute Utthan Pratisthan (RUP), the endangered indigenous group has gradually been adopting modern lifestyle. “The community has started travelling in motor vehicles. Rautes are changing gradually and we are helping them adapt to the modern society by preserving their original culture,” she added.
Adhikari also informed that the community has also started paying attention to their health by taking modern medicines and visiting hospitals when they fall sick. Earlier, nursing mothers in the community were not allowed to eat anything touched by people from outside the community.
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Warm clothes, nutritious foods distributed to Rautes
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