The Tamang are indigenous inhabitants of the Himalayan regions of Nepal. They are one of the major Tibeto-Burman speaking communities and trace their ancestry from Tibet, and even further back to Mongolia. Lamas preside over memorial death feasts that rescue the shadow-souls of the dead into rebirth and regenerate order into the local society of intermarrying clans. These socially encompassing rituals are the most important lamaic performances and are integral to the meaning of lamas and Buddhism in Tamang culture.