Monday, May 5, 2014

Dress



Welcome back!

This post is going out for the dress of the Lepcha people.

They have their own independent and unique style of dress, that is colorful, comfy, and attractive, all without being flashy. 


(Lepcha dress)

The male clothing consists of pagi which is the striped cotton dress. The trousers, which are called tomoo, reach up to the calf, in between the ankle and knee. The purpose of this was so that field workers could easily get rid of leeches during the Monsoon season. 

(Lepchan dress)
Back in the day, Lepchas wouldn't wear shoes. Due to the unhygienic conditions in towns and cities today, they only stay bare feet up in the villages. 

Extra Extra!!



Hello! Welcome back!

If you have been keeping up with this blog from the beginning, you'll see that in my first post, which also happened to be my first ever blog post, I put up and introduction/index. Now according to that index the last post, which was the references post, was supposed to be the last post.  
I found some of what I have learned in my research about the Lepcha people to be quite interesting. So I've decided to just tack on a couple more posts. Hope you enjoy. 

Marriage Customs

"Naamko Bree" the literal meaning of this in Lepcha is 'uniting a man and woman in matirmony'. If you were to break it down either further 'Naamko' means union and 'Bree' means to twist two strands of thread into one. 
Divorce is not common among the people of Lepcha. 

(Lepchan couple)

Along with a long list of customary laws that a Lepchan couple and their families must follow, comes the tradition of getting married.
The process of getting married is usually dealt with by the parents of the bride and groom and a priest. The two sets of parents will meet with the priest who will check their horoscopes to see if they are compatible. If so, they set a wedding date and the rest is handled by the girls maternal uncle and the boys maternal uncle. 
The guys maternal uncle, along with other family members approach the girls maternal uncle with a ceremonial scarf and one rupee. If the girls uncle accepts this khada he is also accepting the marriage proposal. 


Thanks for reading!

References


Welcome back!

This post is entirely going to be dedicated to all the references I have used throughout this semester.
(I have also made the links "clickable")



Cultural Survival


Welcome Back!

This weeks posts is talking about cultural survival. 
But going back to the interview with Mickey from the last post, I decided look further into the hunger strikes and the protests against the hydroelectric dams. Because, this seems like a topic that would put the Lepcha culture in a predicament. 

Many people associated with the Lepcha culture refuse to move away from Sikkim. They want to stay where they have always been, and they want the hydroelectric dams to go away and stop harming their environment.

(Demonstrators along the Teesta River)


On June 10, 2012 the Sikkim government withdrew their plans to build four hydroelectric power plants along the Teesta River. There were a lot of factors that went into ultimately making this decision. Some factors included, environmental concerns, a very strong public opposition, and a lot of the apprehension came after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit this side of the region in 2011. 

(Teesta River)

Because of the Lepchans perseverance and refusal to move, they have in a sense moved forward by stopping the hydroelectric dams and could be potentially fatal to the rich biodiversity that is along the Teesta River.

Thanks for reading
Next time: References

Interview


Hello! Welcome back!

This time, its going to be a little different. Today's post is the interview.

Now before I dive right in, here's a little background information...

The person I interviewed was 16 year old Mickey. He lives in Sikkim and is currently is in school. I found Mickey while I was searching the "Lepcha" tag on Tumblr. He was really excited when I messaged him, and insisted that we talk on the phone, so he could practice his English on me. I was on board, until I realized that his English wasn't up to par. So forgive me, I tried interpret, to the best of my ability, what he said. 

(... after the formalities have been made)

Priya (P)- Anything interesting happening over there that you would like people to know about?

Mickey (M)- Everything is the same over here. People don't want the hydroelectric dams to be installed. People are going on hunger strikes, but nobody seems to care. 

(P)- That sounds scary, is it getting out of control? Is there violence as well?

(M)- Its not out of control. People just don't pay attention to the strikers anymore. No violence, just protest. 

(P)- Well its good that there's no violence involved... What is something that you like to do in your free time? 

(M)- After I have finished with my after school studies, there are many things I like to do. I like to hangout with my friends, or I like going on the Internet. My favorite websites are Facebook, Tumblr, and YouTube. 


...Our conversation lasted a couple more minutes, but the overall gist I got from it was that Mickey was a very excited 16 year old boy, who felt like he was getting his 15 minutes of fame. So here's to you Mickey, my new Lepchan  friend. 

Thanks for reading, as always
Next time: Cultural Survival

Migration and Diaspora


Welcome back!

This time I am going to go more in depth on the migrations and diaspora of the Lepcha.

(Tibet Map)

       The migration and diaspora of the Lepcha first began long ago when they were believed to migrated down from Tibet. After making the trek down, the people of Lepcha settled in what is Sikkim, Nepal. After settling down in Nepal, the Lepcha community has not seen much movement else where. Because they are a community of only about 3,400 they tended to stay around the Himalayan Mountain region. 


(Tibetan Mountain Monastery)

          Although the Lepchan people are faced with the hardship of hydro electric planting; which will be further discussed in another post, another time, they still are persevering and refuse to move to relocate their families. 
(Sikkim hydroelectric dam)
Thanks for reading!
Next time: Interview



Neighbors



Welcome Back!

         This post is going to be dedicated to talking about the neighbors of the people of Lepcha. As I have mentioned so many times before, the people of Lepcha are indigenous people of Sikkim, Nepal. The current population stands as 13% Lepcha, 16% Bhutia, and 67% Nepali. I will be focusing this post on the people Bhutia and Nepal. 
(Map of Sikkim)

     The Bhutias are a group of people numbered around 70,300 located in Sikkim. They come from Tibetian ancestry and speak a Tibetian langauge that can be understood by other Tibetians. 
(Two Bhutia Couples) 


     Nepali people are.. well from Nepal. But earlier then that they were descendants of migrants from Kashmir, Tibet, India, Burma, and Yunnan. The total population for the Nepali people is around 35.15 million, with 29,519,114 people living in Nepal alone. There are three main ethnicity's within Nepal; Khas, Mongoloid, and mixed. The people of Lepcha rank around 0.02% with only 3,360 in population throughout Nepal. 

(Nepalese Landscape)

(Old Nepali Lady) 


     Thanks for reading!
Next time: Migrations 

Birds



Welcome back!

     This post is going to discuss the birds. Wherever you are in the world, there are birds. Where you are also determines the types of birds you are going to encounter. 


The state bird for Sikkim-the Indian landlocked state where most of the Lepcha people are located, is the Blood Pheasant.

     The Blood Pheasant is a small short-tailed bird with a strong black bill and a small crest of different colored feathers.

(Blood Pheasant)


Some birds that you may encounter in your travels through the Himalayan Mountains include..

(White-collared, Grey-winged blackbird)

(Yellow-bellied Fantail)

(Long-tailed Minivet)




October to February is heaviest with snow, which causes some exotic species to migrate. Some of these species include..
(Wren Babbler)

(Golden Bush Robin)

(Spectacled Finch)


There are also a few species that migrate longer distances but eventually end up at the Great Himalayan National Park . These species include..


(Black-throated Accentor)

(Blue-capped Redstart)

(Black-throated Thrush) 


Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed learning about the birds!

Next time: Neighbors 

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Cosmos


Welcome back!

     Today, I am going to be discussing the cosmos of the Lepcha. By this I mean, what do they believe about the world? In my research, I have found that the people of Lepcha have a distinct belief on how illness, disease, or just overall bad luck is brought upon people. They also have their beliefs on how to get rid of these mungs (evil spirits). 

(http://indianamulets.com.au/tag/sikkim/)

Mungs are a host of harming agents, and they can cause a number of things:
- fever
- headache
- epilepsy
- madness
- quarreling
- envy
- miscarriage
- bad mood

There is also a belief that Gods, rums, can cause disease and bad luck onto people when displeased.


(http://www.lepcha.info/religion.htm)

When the Lepchas are looking for a remedy from these ailments, they turn to shamans for guidance. The shaman will figure out the cause of the illness and from there they will use a variety of rituals, prayers, sacrifices, charms, and amulets to try and ease the suffering. 


 
Damaru
(http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/505242)





One of the rituals I found to be quite interesting involved the offering of chi, which involves the offering of flowers, eggs, and animal scarifies; presented on a tray made of banana leaf. 










                                  
Ghanta               
(http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details/collection_image_gallery.aspx?assetId=890901&objectId=249564&partId=1)

Thanks for reading this week!

Next time: Birds 


Homeland


Welcome back!

     This week I am going to talk about the homeland or physical landscape for the Lepcha people. As I've mentioned before, the origins of the Lepcha are unknown but they are indigenous people of Sikkim, located in Nepal.


     The Lepcha people are made up of four distinct main communities:

Renjóngmú of Sikkim
(http://gatewaytoeast.blogspot.com/2010/11/sikkim.html)


 Támsángmú of Kalimpong
(http://wbnorthbengaldev.gov.in/HtmlPage/Kalimpong.aspx)


(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurseong)


Promú of Samtse and Chukha in southwestern Bhutan
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/4782636.stm)



Thanks for reading! 

Next time: Cosmos

Thursday, April 3, 2014

World of Lepcha

Welcome back!

This week I am going to be discussing the world of the people of Lepcha. Due to the people of Lepcha being such a small community, I am going to focus mainly on the 'World of Sikkim'; which is the Indian landlocked state I have previously mentioned.

Sikkim is located in the Himalayan Mountains just west of Nepal. Their location is key into how they make a living. Within the last 20 years, Himalayas have boomed as a tourist site.  As a result, the states revenue has increased 14 times!
(Himalayan Mountains)

A large number of the articulate, younger generation have been seeking employment as tour guides. With tour guides readily available, tourist are given the opportunity to view the incredible Himalayan Mountains as well as trek the hillsides.


(Sikkim farming)

Aside from tourism, farming is the main way of making a living for the people of Sikkim. Many of the cultivated crops include:
-Rice
-Maize
-Millet
-Wheat
-Barley
-Oranges
-Tea
-Cardamom

Thanks for reading!

Next time: Lepcha Cosmos



Sunday, March 23, 2014

Homeland of Lepcha

Welcome back! 
This week I will be posting about the homeland of the Lepcha. 
Hope you learn and enjoy!
Map of Nepal 


As I mentioned in my previous blog post, the origin of the Lepcha is unknown, but anthropologists believe that they originated from Eastern Nepal, West Bengal, Tibet, or Mongolia. Because the Lepcha are considered among the indigenous people of Sikkim with numbers of 30,000 to 50,000, I will be focusing on eastern Nepal near the Himalayan mountains. 

Sikkim is an Indian land locked state that's located in the mountains. To the west is the border of Nepal; to the north and east is the Autonomous Region of China; and to the south lies West Bengal. 



Due to the geographical location of the Himalayan mountains, the climate can range from subtropical to high alpine. Including the four seasons that we experience here in America, people of Sikkim also experience a fifth season that takes place June to September; monsoon season. They have also become accustomed to regular snowfall, which is unlike any other state or region of India. 

Next time: World of Lepcha



History of Lepcha

The Lepcha or Rong people are a culture of about 30,000 to 50,000 people found throughout eastern Nepal and West Bengal. The word Lepcha happened to come from the Nepalese word lepche which meant "inarticulate speech", although the word is no longer looked down upon an a negative.
Because the origin of the Lepcha is unknown, some anthropologists believe that the Lepcha originated from Tibet or Mongolia. They speak a Tibeto-Burman language that can also be classified as Himalayish. The Lepcha people have also created their own language script known as Rong. 
Come back next time to learn more about the Lepcha people!
-Next week: Homeland of Lepcha 



  

Introduction

Come along with me as I set out to discover all about the people of Lepcha. Throughout the next few weeks I will be posting all types of information about the people of Lepcha. Join me on this expedition across the world to South Asia. I hope you enjoy!

Weekly topics:
1- Introduction/ Index
2- History of Lepcha
3- Homeland of the Lepcha
4- World of Lepcha
5- Lepcha Cosmos
6- Birds of Lepcha
7- Lepcha and their neighbors
8- Lepcha Migrations & Diaspora
9- Interview
10- Lepcha Cultural Survival
11- References

Stay tuned for more!