གློ་སྐད་
Loke
Woodside +4As many as a quarter of the 9-10,000 culturally Tibetan people from Nepal's Mustang District are estimated to live in New York, driven by changing climatic and economic conditions, coupled with access to new opportunities. Approximately half may be from the Upper Mustang region of Nepal (speaking the Tibetan language Loke) while the other half are from Lower Mustang (speaking the related Baragaun variety). Almost all Mustangis also speak the national language, Nepali, and many, especially those who spent time as Buddhist monks, also speak Tibetan (to which Loke and Baragaun are closely related). Those from a five-village area of Upper Mustang called the shöyul may speak Seke as their native language and Baragaun or Loke as a second language.
T
hrough Queens-based organizations like the Mustang Kyidug, the Lo Nyamship Association, and others, speakers of the Tibetic language varieties Loke (from Upper Mustang) and Dzardzongke (from Lower Mustang/Baragaun) are working simultaneously to maintain their traditions and to adapt to American life. The community comes together not only for major occasions like Tibetan New Year (Losar) and Phaknyi, but also for monthly "Mani gatherings" for prayer, usually held in a private apartment. The majority of New York-based Mustangis live in western and central Queens, from Astoria to Elmhurst, but a small number of Baragaun speakers have recently moved to Richmond Hill and elsewhere in the borough.
Note that the language above may be used throughout the New York area — this is just one significant site.