The Origin of Yuma Sammang, the Ancestral Mother Goddess, is a sacred and ancient folktale that forms the foundation of the Limbu people's spiritual and cultural identity. This story explains the creation of the Limbu cosmos, the birth of their ancestors, and the divine connection that binds the community with nature and the supernatural world. Yuma Sammang is revered as the supreme household deity—a nurturing grandmother figure who embodies wisdom, protection, and the creative power of the universe.
In the beginning, before the existence of the universe as we know it, there was only a vast void and silence. From this nothingness emerged the great creator deity of the Limbu people, Lord Tagera Ningwaphuma Mang. This supreme deity shaped the sky, stars, planets, sun, and moon, bringing light and order to the cosmic expanse. After establishing the celestial bodies, he crafted the earth alongside essential elements like water, fire, and air to create a balanced world. The land was covered with lush forests, mountains, rivers, and fertile valleys where life would flourish.
To populate this new world, Tagera Ningwaphuma Mang created the first human ancestors, the Sawayethang, who were made in his divine image. These Sawayethang were given special teachings and instructions on how to live harmoniously with nature and each other. Once this creation was complete, the creator returned to his heavenly abode at Sodhung Pomu Lepmu Tembe and began to meditate upon his creation from afar.
Many seasons passed, and the creator deity grew curious about the well-being of his children on earth. He wondered if they were thriving with food, happiness, and peace. To see for himself, he descended again but took the form of a mortal woman named Yuma Sammang. This form was resplendent, clothed in shining gold and silver ornaments, carrying a silver-golden basket filled with weaving materials, and wearing a golden khurmi belt symbolizing her divine strength and beauty.
Yuma Sammang traveled to the sacred land of Sodhung Munatembe, where she expected to find her children—the Sawayethang—but she found the land empty. Confused and worried, she journeyed across seas and lands in search of her people. She crossed Miring Warak, the Blue Sea, and Hembang Warak, the Red Sea, eventually reaching the ancestral lands of the Chinese and Tibetan peoples, but still found no sign of her children.
Exhausted yet determined, Yuma Sammang rested briefly in Tibet but resumed her journey southward across snow-capped mountains, dense forests, rivers, and hills. Finally, she arrived at Sawayethang Pangphe, the forested ancestral home of the Limbu people. There, she saw living beings—two brothers named Jayachitre and Kharbale—struggling with a miraculous fish that healed itself whenever cut into pieces. Puzzled by this strange fish, the brothers prayed to Mang for guidance.
In response to their prayers, Yuma Sammang revealed her true identity as the incarnation of the creator deity. She told the brothers she had come to bestow wisdom, intellect, and blessings upon them to help their community prosper. She instructed them to take the small fish from the river and perform a sacred worship ceremony in her honor before releasing the fish back to its home.
Following her instructions, the two brothers performed the worship devoted to Yuma Sammang. They addressed her with praises, calling her "decked in gold and silver ornaments," "the benefactor of well-being," and "my loving grandmother." Through their devotion, they recognized her divine nature, and Yuma Sammang blessed them with the power to prosper and protect their land.
Yuma Sammang, as the ancestral mother goddess, became the chief deity of the Limbu people, symbolizing not only creation but also wisdom, protection, and cultural heritage. She is worshipped daily at the Mangdhan altar inside Limbu homes, where offerings of rice, flowers, and incense invite her blessings for health, prosperity, and harmony.
This folktale emphasizes the spiritual connection the Limbu people share with nature, their ancestors, and the divine. Yuma Sammang represents the nurturing and creative force that sustains life and community, serving as a constant reminder of the values of respect, unity, and reverence for life. Her legend continues to inspire the Limbu community to preserve their language, culture, and traditions amid changing times.
Passed down through generations in oral form, the story of Yuma Sammang captures the essence of Limbu spirituality and identity. It asserts the importance of ancestral worship, the sacredness of natural elements, and the enduring presence of the divine in everyday life.
To this day, Yuma Sammang is revered as the grandmother who watches over families, the protector of crops and animals, and the source of knowledge, art, and household prosperity. She embodies the timeless spirit of motherhood and divine care that guides the Limbu people across generations.
This great ancestral tale reminds all that life itself is a gift from the divine forces, and through wisdom, respect, and reverence, humanity can live in harmony with the universe and with each other.
Thus, the Origin of Yuma Sammang is not merely a story but a living tradition that continues to shape the Limbu people's worldview, rituals, and communal bonds, anchoring them firmly to their past and empowering their hopes for the future.
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