Bhutanese Kirat Rai Organization of America

The Bhutanese Kirat Rai Organization of America (BKROA), also known as BKROA-Yayokkha America, is a cultural and religious organization established in 2014 to preserve and promote Kirat Rai identity among Bhutanese refugees in the United States. Registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 81-0962155) and headquartered in New Carrollton, Maryland, BKROA serves the approximately 9,000 Kirat among the resettled Lhotshampa population — roughly 10% of the Bhutanese refugee community in America. The organization has branches in Akron and Cincinnati, Ohio, and is an American branch of the broader Kirat Rai Yayokkha movement established in Nepal in 1990.^[1]

Kirat Identity

The Kirat are an indigenous people originating from the eastern Himalayan regions of Nepal, India, and Bhutan. The identity encompasses several ethnic communities — Rai, Limbu, Yakkha, and Sunwar — each with distinct languages, clans, and rituals, while sharing broader cultural elements. The Kirat religion, known as Kirat Mundhum or Kiratism, is an indigenous oral tradition encompassing creation myths, ritual practices, and ethical guidelines. It is rooted in animism, ancestor veneration, and nature worship.

Religious specialists include Nakkchong practitioners among the Rai and Phendgaba or Samba priests among the Limbu. The Rai tradition centers on worship of Sumnima (Mother Earth) and Paruhang (sky god). Among the Bhutanese refugee population, the religious breakdown in the camps was approximately 60% Hindu, 27% Buddhist, and 10% Kirat, with the remainder identifying as Christian.^[2]

Organization and Branches

BKROA has established multiple chapters across the United States, with Ohio hosting the largest Kirat population in the country:

National headquarters — New Carrollton, Maryland
Akron, Ohio — One of the most active branches, formally registered as "Bhutanese Kirat Rai Organization (Yoyakkha) of America, Branch Akron"
Cincinnati, Ohio — Active chapter that participates in national Bhutanese community events
Vermont — Local chapter that has organized Sakela celebrations in Burlington

Sakela Festival

The most important Kirat Rai festival is Sakela, celebrated twice a year:

Ubhauli (spring, April–May) — Marks the beginning of the farming year and symbolizes "upward migration" to the hills for planting. Celebrated on the full moon day of Baisakh for fifteen days.
Udhauli (autumn, November–December) — Marks the harvest season and symbolizes "downward migration" to lower altitudes. Celebrated on the full moon day of Mangsir as a thanksgiving to nature for a good harvest.

The Sakela dance is central to both celebrations. Men and women dress in traditional Rai attire, forming large circles and performing rhythmic steps to the beat of traditional drums (dhol) and cymbals (jhyamta). Each movement mimics daily life, nature, and agricultural activities — sowing seeds, planting, or harvesting. BKROA has organized Sakela Sili (dance) competitions, with the 3rd Sakela Sili Competition held in May 2024.

In Vermont, community leader Harka Rai organized Ubhauli Sakela celebrations at the Old North End Community Center in Burlington in April 2018, after having been unable to perform the ceremonial rituals for three years since resettling in 2014. Bidur Rai, another community leader, participated in similar events in Springfield, Massachusetts (2016) and Cincinnati (2017) before the Vermont celebration.^[3]

Related Organizations

The Kirat Community Organization of Ohio (KCOO), established in 2009 in Akron and formally registered in 2015, operates a Community Center with a hall and Manghim (place of worship). KCOO programs include daily morning prayers, weekly hymn singing, traditional dance instruction (mang lang, ke-lang, sakela), weekly educational classes, and monthly public prayers. KCOO is pursuing construction of a National Kirat Community Center in Akron with a modern stage and dedicated spiritual space.^[4]

The parent organization, Kirat Rai Yayokkha, is headquartered in Koteshwor, Nepal, and has international branches in the U.S., UK, Hong Kong, UAE, and other locations.

Significance

BKROA represents the effort of a minority within a minority to maintain its distinct identity. The Kirat Rai were a relatively small group within the Lhotshampa population, and in the diaspora they face the compounded challenge of preserving traditions that are endangered not only by the displacement from Bhutan but also by the pressures of assimilation in the United States and the dominance of Hindu and Christian religious institutions within the broader Bhutanese American community. The organization's work to maintain Sakela celebrations, Nakkchong practices, and Mundhum traditions ensures that one of the oldest indigenous spiritual traditions of the Himalayan region continues in the diaspora.

References

ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. "Bhutanese Kirat Rai Organization of America (EIN 81-0962155)." https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/810962155
Asian Services in Action (ASIA). "A Glimpse into Kirat Culture." https://www.asiaohio.org/a-glimpse-into-kirat-culture/
Seven Days (Vermont). "Bhutanese Community Prepares to Host Major Kirat Rai Festival." April 2018. https://www.sevendaysvt.com/arts-culture/bhutanese-community-prepares-to-host-major-kirat-rai-festival-15107319/
Kirat Community Organization of Ohio. "About Us." https://kiratcommunityoh.org/about-us/kirat-community-organization-of-ohio-inc/
Wikipedia. "Sakela." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakela