A Polyandry Community in Nepal

In the remote hills of Humla in Nepal women have more than one husband. The older members of the Lama community say the tradition has works well.  It saves money and makes running a family easier.

Twenty-nine year old Maya Lama has two husbands, Luptup and his younger brother Rayapunjok Lama.

“We are poor people and as everyone else is following this custom we did it to. It’s easier to raise child this way.”

Maya’s younger husband Rayapunjok father; grandfather and great grandfather followed the tradition.

“When I go out for work, my brother stays here and takes care of the home, when he is out of home, I take care of the family.”

Around 150 families make up the Lama community here in the remote Bargaun district.

And local authorities are here gathering information about the practice.

Ram Lal Pandey is the secretary of the Bargaun Village Development Committee.

“The practice is on the decline but it’s still being practice because it’s a tradition. We are documenting families were a women is married to two brothers. We hope this will help them get citizenship certificates.”

But the old tradition is slowly fading.

Rijeen Lama’s husband doesn’t want her to take a second husband.

And as a result has been isolated from the community and his family.

“He will not get any land or support from the family. He has to leave the family. ”

She says it was a tradition that worked in the pass but she doesn’t want her daughters to have two husbands.

“Great grand fathers used to follow this it was all because it was hard living in the Himalayan region. And anyone who follow this would be rich because the land, money will not be divided among brothers. And if they didn’t follow it, they were poor.”

Maya has three daughters, two with her older husband and one with her younger. Maya decides which child is whose.

She thinks her children will not continue the tradition.

“I think it will stop with my generation.”