Mustang, Nepal

Of the approximately 10,000 residents of Mustang, a historic Himalayan kingdom and now district of central Nepal, as many as a quarter are now living in New York. Initially the community, which includes native speakers of Loke, Baragaun, Seke, and Thakali, settled in central Brooklyn, though many are now also in Queens, New Jersey, and elsewhere. Most also speak Nepali, the national language, and have some familiarity with Tibetan, to which all of Mustang’s languages are closely linked and to which there are deep cultural and religious ties.