BHUTIA LEPCHA

BHUTIA

Bhutia ( Denzongpa, Bhutia, འབྲས་ལྗོངས་པ་) are a community of people of Tibetan ancestry, who speak Sikkimese, a Tibetan dialect fairly mutually intelligible to standard Tibetan. In 2001, the Bhutia numbered around 35,000.The language spoken by the Bhutias in Sikkim is Bhutia, which is 85% intelligible with either Tibetan or Dzongkha. Most Bhutias practice the Nyingmapa school, followed by the Kagyupa school of Tibetan Buddhism. The Bhutias are spread ,especially in the towns of Kalimpong and Darjeeling. when Sikkim was an independent monarchy; the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Sikkim before the mid-1970s plebiscite was the Bhutia Namgyal dynasty.Bhutia lepcha  aristocrats were called Kazis after similar landlord titles in neighboring regions. This feudal system was an integral part of the Chogyal monarchy prior to 1975, when Sikkim was an independent monarchy Among the Bhutias, the Lachenpas and Lachungpas have their own traditional legal system called the "Dzumsa" which means the meeting place of the people. The Dzumsa is headed by the village headman known as the Pipon. People of North Sikkim have been given full protection by the state government by deeming a status of Panchayat ward and the Pipon, a status of Panchayat head.

Clothing

The traditional outfit of Bhutias is called a bakhu (similar to the Tibetan chuba, but sleeveless) which is a loose cloak type garment that is fastened at the neck on one side and near the waist with a silk/cotton belt. Male members array thebakhu with a loose trouser. The womenfolk don the bakhu with a silken full sleeve blouse called honju; a loose gown type garment fastened near the waist, tight with a belt. In the front portion a loose sheet of multi-coloured woollen cloth with exotic geometric designs is tied. This is called the pangden and is a symbol of a married woman. This traditional outfit is complemented by embroidered leather boots by both men and women. Bhutia women enjoy a much higher status than their counterparts from other communities. Both women and men have a special weakness for gold in its purest form and, traditional jewellery is mostly made of 24 carats (100%) gold.

Houses

A traditional Bhutia house is called a "khim" and is usually rectangular.

The Bhutias have a stone structure outside the house which is used for burning incense. It is called "sangbum." "Sang" means incense and "bum" means vase; the shape of the structure is like a vase. It is used for burning sang, a sacred offering to the deities. The deities are offered scented dried leaves/stalks of rhododendron anthopogon, juniperus recurva, rhododendron setosum or incense sticks made of pine.

Cuisine

Bhutia people traditionally eat rice with animal-fat-fried vegetables or meat, usually pork or beef, and occasionally mutton or chicken. Other well-known foods are momo, steamed meat dumplings, and the thukpa, noodles in broth. The Losar and Loosong are two among many festivals celebrated by the Bhutia community. Almost all Bhutia festivals and holidays hold Buddhist religious significance.

Chyang is the favourite drink of the Bhutias, and increasingly of other communities coexisting with the Bhutias as well. It is made of fermented barley or millet, and is served in a bamboo container called the Tongba. Tea with milk and sugar, and butter tea, are also served at religious or social occasions.

Religion

Bhutia are  Buddhist by religion either Nyingma or Kagyu .Most of the  Monastery  practices   either Nyingma or Kagyu buddhist and accordingly there is a little differences  of their heads / Rinpoches  (Chowai-lam) meaning lama /guru which will lead our soul after death. 

LEPCHA

 Lepcha / Róng people also called Róngkup (Lepcha: ; "children of the Róng"), Mútuncí Róngkup Rumkup (Lepcha: ; "beloved children of the Róng and of God"), and Rongpa (Sikkimese: རོང་པ་), are among the indigenous peoples of Sikkim and number between 30,000 and 50,000. Many Lepcha are also found in  Kalimpong, Darjeeling in the hills of West Bengal. The Lepcha people are composed of four main distinct communities: the Renjóngmú of Sikkim; the Támsángmú of Kalimpong, Kurseong, and Mirik; the ʔilámmú of Ilam District, Nepal; and the Promú of Samtse and Chukhain southwestern Bhutan.

The origin of the Lepcha is unknown. Lepcha people themselves firmly believe that they did not migrate to the current location from anywhere and are indigenous to the region.The Lepchas, who call themselves “Mutanchi-Rong-kup” or “Rongpa” or only “Rong”, were, perhaps, the indigenous inhabitants of Sikkim and Darjeeling in the lap of the Great and Lower Himalayas. Mutanchi Rong-kup means the most cared loved offspring of Mother Earth; and this traditional belief exists in Lepcha Lore. Previously it was commonly held by scholars that the Lepchas migrated from Tibet or southern China; but the Lepchas hold on a story mentioned in Chunakh-Aakhen, a Lepcha book of history, tradition and folk-lore that a Lepcha king named Pohartak Panu sent his army to help Chandragupta Maurya, the Mauryan emperor in his war with the Greeks in Takshashila. In the book, the name of Alexander is mentioned as the leader of the Greeks. The Lepcha word Panu means king; and in Chunakh-Aakhen Chandra Gupta is named as Chandra Gop Panu. Historically there did not take place any war between Chandragupta Maurya and Alexander; but the war mentioned in the Lepcha book could the one between Chandragupta Maurya and the Greeks after the departure of the Great Macedonian from India.

Language

The Lepcha have their own language, also called Lepcha. It belongs to the Bodish–Himalayish group of Tibeto-Burman languages. The Lepcha write their language in their own script, called Róng or Lepcha script, which is derived from the Tibetan script. It was developed between the 17th and 18th centuries, possibly by a Lepcha scholar named Thikúng Mensalóng, during the reign of the third Chogyal (Tibetan king) of Sikkim. The world's largest collection of old Lepcha manuscripts is found with the Himalayan Languages Project in Leiden, Netherlands, with over 180 Lepcha books.

Clans

Lepchas are divided into many clans (Lepcha: putsho), each of which reveres its own sacred lake and mountain peak (Lepcha: dâ and cú) from which the clan derives its name. While most Lepcha can identify their own clan, they do not always know the corresponding lake or mountain peak. Lepcha clan names can be quite formidable, and are often shortened for this reason. For example, Simíkmú and Fonyung Rumsóngmú may be shortened to Simik and Foning, respectively. Some of the name of the clans are "Sada", "Rongong", etc.

Religion

Most Lepchas are  Buddhist by religion, which was brought by the Bhutias from the north, although a large number of Lepchas have adopted Christianity today. Some Lepchas have not given up their shamanistic religion, which is known as Mun. In practice, rituals from Mun and Buddhism are frequently observed alongside one another among some Lepchas. For example, ancestral mountain peaks are regularly honored in ceremonies called cú rumfát. According to the Nepal Census of 2001, out of the 3,660 Lepcha in Nepal, 88.80% were Buddhists and 7.62% were Hindus. Many Lepchas in the Hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong are Christians.

Clothing

The traditional clothing for Lepcha women is the ankle-length dumdem, also called dumdyám ("female dress"). It is one large piece of smooth cotton or silk, usually of a solid color. When it is worn, it is folded over one shoulder, pinned at the other shoulder, and held in place by a waistband, or tago, over which excess material drapes. A contrasting long-sleeved blouse may be worn underneath.

The traditional Lepcha clothing for men is the dumprá ("male dress"). It is a multicolored, hand-woven cloth pinned at one shoulder and held in place by a waistband, usually worn over a white shirt and trousers. Men wear a flat round cap called a thyáktuk, with stiff black velvet sides and a multicolored top topped by a knot. Rarely, the traditional cone-shaped bamboo and rattan hats are worn.

Marriage customs

The Lepcha trace their descent patrilineally. The marriage is negotiated between the families of the bride and the groom. If the marriage deal is settled, the lama will check the horoscopes of the boy and girl to schedule a favourable date for the wedding. Then the boy's maternal uncle, along with other relatives, approaches the girl's maternal uncle with a khada, a ceremonial scarf, and one rupee, and gains the maternal uncle's formal consent.

The wedding takes place at noon on the auspicious day. The groom and his entire family leave for the girl's house with some money and other gifts that are handed over to the bride's maternal uncle. Upon reaching the destination, the traditional Nyomchok ceremony takes place, and the bride's father arranges a feast for relatives and friends. This seals the wedding between the couple