Tamang are one of Nepal’s most numerous indigenous ethnic groups and speak a Tibeto-Burman language of the same name. According to the 2001 census of Nepal, there are 1,282,304 ethnic Tamang who account for 5.64 percent of Nepal’s total poulation, of whom 1,179,145 speak Tamang as a mother tongue. (Mark Turin – June 01, 2004)