3. A Very Short History of Sikkim
Little is known of Sikkim’s
history prior to the 17th
century. The state’s name
is derived from
the Limbu words su him,
meaning “new house.”
The Lepcha were early
inhabitants of the region,
apparently assimilating the
Naong, Chang, Mon, and
other tribes.
4. Tribes Of Nepal
• As of now, Nepal has three different tribes.
Each of different culture and practices.
• They are:-
Tribes Of
Nepal
The
Lepchas
The
Bhutias
The
Nepalese
But today let's focus on the
first tribe that settled in Nepal,
5. The Lepcha Tribe
Let us look into the Lepcha tribe in
the following ways:-
-Origin
Origin Cuisine
Clothing
Language
Religion Dwellings
6. Origin
The original inhabitants of Sikkim
are said to be Lepchas. They
existed much before the Bhutias
and Nepalese migrated to the
state. Before adopting Buddhism
or Christianity as their religion,
the earliest Lepcha settlers were
believers in the bone faith or
mune faith. This faith was
basically based on spirits, good
and bad. They worshipped spirits
7. Clothing
Life in a Lepcha dwelling is
very simple. The male
Lepcha wears a dress
called a “pagi” made of
cotton, which is stripped.
The female Lepcha wear a
two-piece dress. The
Lepchas speak the
8. Language
The Lepcha have their own language , also called
Lepcha. 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
9. Religion
Most Lepchas are Buddhist, a religion brought by
the Bhutias from the north, although many Lepchas have
today adopted Christianity. 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,
The man you see over here is a
shaman. The Shamanism is a
religious practice that involves a
practitioner, a shaman, who is
believed to interact with a spirit
world through altered states of
consciousness, such as trance. The
goal of this is usually to direct these
spirits or spiritual energies into the
physical world, for healing or some
other purpose
10. Cuisine
Lepcha cuisine is mild and not as spicy
as Indian or Nepalese cuisine. Rice is the staple, while
wheat, maize and buckwheat are also used. Fresh fruit
and vegetables are used. Khuzom is a traditional Lepcha
bread made from buck wheat, millet, and corn or wheat
flour. Popular Lepcha dishes include Ponguzom (Rice,
Chhaang Thukp
Nepalese cuisine
11. Dwellings
Traditionally, the Lepcha live
in a local house called a li. A
traditional home is made
from logs of wood and
bamboo and rests around 4
to 5 feet (1.2m to 1.5m)
above the ground on stilts.
The wooden house with
thatched roof is natural air
12. I hope that now you would have a
better understanding about the
Lepcha Tribe of Sikkim.
