LIMBU KINSHIP TERMINOLOGY A DESCRIPTION

The following is a description of 'the kinship terms in the Lirnbu language as it is spoken in Tamphula village in the Koshi Zone of Eastern Nepal. A brief historical sketch is provided to place the Limbus in a socio-historical perspective for the reader unfamiliar with Nepalese society. The Limbu terminology of kinship is described, and subsequently a nurober of kinship terms are related to Tibeto-Burman etyma. Finally, some concluding remarks are made, and diagrams and an alphabetical list of glossed kinship terms are included at the end of the article. The definition of kinship adhered to throughout this article is that given by Sheffler (1972): A kinship term is employed to designate a category of kinsrnen; a kinsman is an individual to whom one (Ego) is related by genealogical connection, and ge-nealogical Connections are those culturally-posite