ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how naming practices intersect with political transformation to produce new identities through the case study of the Thangmi, a recognized Indigenous, ethnolinguistic community whose traditional homeland lies in central Nepal. As Nepal has transitioned from a unitary Hindu monarchy to a secular federal democratic republic, Thangmi community members have been actively renaming and reimagining their social worlds. These include names for their own community, names for their children, and names for specific sites within their territory. Naming conventions are an active arena for the Nepali state to enforce regulation and compliance, as well as a site of Indigenous resistance.
