The Yolmo or Hyolmo (Tibetic: ཡོལ་མོ་) are a people mainly from the Eastern and Northern Himalayan Regions of Nepal called Helambu.
They are among the 59 indigenous groups officially recognized by the Government of Nepal as having a distinct cultural identity[1] and are also listed as one of the 645 Scheduled Tribes of India.
Some refuters of this explanation argue that "Helambu" is an ambiguation of the word "Yolmo" phonetically contoured by the speakers of Nepali.
Some favour "Yolmo" while others prefer "Hyolmo" or "Yholmo" wherein the presence of the letter "H" indicates that the first syllable of the word is spoken with a low, breathy tone.
[7] Their primary religion is Tibetan Buddhism of the Nyingmapa school, intermixed with animism and paganism as incorporated within the general dimensions of Bon.
Potatoes, radishes, and some other crops constitute their primary sustenance, along with milk and flesh from the yak which the Yolmo are known to herd.
An ethnic group related to the Yolmowa are the Kagate (or Kagatay) who stem from the original Yolmo inhabitants of the Helambu, Melamchi Nimadumbu valleys.