The lifestyle of Tamang can be best described as subsistence within a very simple living environment. Everything needed by the villagers in their daily life activities as well as ceremonial occasions are  produced by villagers within the villages. Borrowing and buying are considered to be unhealthy practices since it shows that the family is not capable of growing and producing food and things needed for the family and Tamang culture is a sharing culture and not a selling culture. The majority of villagers are therefore skilled. Tamang society is a matriarchal society.  Tamang women play decisive role in Tamang family compare to other Neapli Hindu women and have higher status.

Weaving tradition of Tamang Women

Tamang Women inherit the tradition of  weaving along with other skills. Still in majority of the Tamang villages, women weave for family members. They use simple but beautiful weaving methods.  The fabrics are strong, warm and beautiful.  Weaving of textile almost fall in the woman domain in Tamang community. The weaving includes from weaving "Gundri" straw mat and "Radi" (rough and tough rug, woven with rough sheep wool) to rare and beautiful textile.  It has been the responsibility of woman to weave for all the members of the family.  The family with women skilled in weaving is ideal Tamang family. The "Surkai" a strong jacket of Tamang man, "Shyama" a kind of skirt and "Gya" a shawl, all are the products of Tamang weaving.  These textiles have its own unique colour combination and patterns.  A woman with good weaving skills are an honour and pride of the family and the community.

 The importance of weaving for Tamang women is well expressed by Kathryn S. March in her book "If Each Comes Halfway", her account of meeting Tamang Women in Nepal. She describes, "Weaving was in practice and in myth, central to western Tamang ideas about women's and men's rightful work in the world..  The moral importance of weaving is apparent in the " Song of the Loom". This song was said to have orginated as a competition between a brother and a sister.  The sister was learning to weave and proud of her womanly work,  while her brother was proud of learning to read and write so that he could be a lama.  The sister matched her brother's challenges item for item; for each piece of the lama's paraphernalia he sang about, she retorted by singing about a part of her loom.  Since the beginning of Tamang time, asserts this song, work has bound men and women to their respective roles.

"When the cycle of rebirths was beginning,
the woman straightened out the hollow behing her knee,
pushing against the footboard of her loom.

This is the work that anchors women,
this is the one work that anchors them alike,
When the cycle of rebirths was beginning,
the woman straightened out the hollow behind her knee,
and used the shuttle of her look.

The lama has his thighbone trumpet,
This is the one work that anchors them alike,
When the cycle of rebirths was beginning,
the woman had the beater of her loom.

The lama had his ritual swords.

This is the one work that anchors them alike,
When the cycle of rebirths was beginning,
the woman had her device for wetting her weaving.

The lama has his bamboo pen.

This is the one work that anchors them alike,
When the cycle of rebirth was beginning,
the woman had her device for keeping her selvages straights,
The lama has his printing of books with woodblocks,
This is the one work that anchors them alike,
When the cycle of rebirths was beginning,
the woman had lease and hettle rods,
The lama has his walking stick,
This is the one work that anchors them alike. 

The traditional weavings includes spinning wool to dyeing. The Tamang women therefore also possess knowledge about spinning wool and dyeing it too.  The spinning tools are simple made of bamboo or wood.  The most common spinning tool is the hand spinning portable top which they spin while talking and walking.  The Tamang women have good knowledge about the plants and roots use for dyeing. The mother would teach her daughters to weave. It has been the tradition that the best weaving daughter gets the loom of her mother as the gift on her wedding.  The girls learn weaving through songs. There are weaving songs and these songs contains information on weaving.  One can find activity related with weaving in almost every household in Tamang village.

The weavings were orginated for fulfulling family need and not for profit making. Weaving is not just for providing dress for family members it is more than that. Weaving traditions are connected with various social, cultural and religious values and practices of Tamang. It is unfortunate that modern technology with aggressive mass production is replacing such tradition and skilled.  Displacing Tamang weaving means disappearing of some of the Tamang culture, values and practices.  

Until these textiles do not find meaningful expression and great appreciation within our own country Nepal and abroad, women weavers from remote villages who are  economically under-privileged will not be able to contribute to the family income to meet the need of the family. Bikalpa Gyan Kendra, an alternative traditional school for indigenous young women has been therefore trying to make special provisions to build self-esteem of girls and young indigenous women and by diligently improving the weaving skills instill confidence so that they can embrace a better standard of living for her family.