During the 19th century in Nepal, the Tamang people endured extensive labour servitude, where they were coerced into providing corvée labour to the state and its representatives. The rulers justified these atrocities by classifying the Tamangs as ‘masinya matwali’, a legally enslavable, alcohol-drinking group. Consequently, this form of slavery led to the degradation of the Tamangs’ situation for generations, pushing many families into extreme poverty. Subas’s large woodcut prints serve as a poignant reminder of those painful historical events.

For the Asia Pacific Triennial, Subas presents the animation Tamba, based on the Tamba Whyai of creation as sung by Dhawa Wangel Moktan. This work details the Tamang song of origin that recounts the process of life within each cycle of creation. Poetry, history and ritual intersect in this video, while visually recounting stories passed down from Tamang elders.

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