Aaqibjavaid at 19:49, 5 May 2026

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{{Short description|Ethnic group of India, Nepal, and Bhutan}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Lepcha, Róng ᰕᰫ་ᰊᰪᰰ་ᰆᰧᰶ ᰛᰩᰵ་ᰀᰪᰱ ᰛᰪᰮ་ᰀᰪᰱ
| image = An aboriginal man from the Lepcha people of Sikhim.jpg
| caption = A Lepcha man in 1868
| total = 80,316
| total_year = 2011
| region1 = {{flag|India}} ([[Sikkim]], [[Darjeeling district|Darjeeling]] and [[Kalimpong district|Kalimpong]] districts, [[West Bengal]]
| pop1 = 76,871 (2011 census)
| ref1 = <ref name="Census India">{{Cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/ST.html|title=A-11 Individual Scheduled Tribe Primary Census Abstract Data and its Appendix|publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|last=ORGI|website=www.censusindia.gov.in|access-date=20 November 2017}}</ref>
| region2 = {{flag|Nepal}} ([[Ilam District]], [[Panchthar District]] and [[Taplejung District]])
| pop2 = 3,445 (2011 census)
| ref2 = <ref name="Census Nepal">{{Cite web|url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/sources/census/wphc/Nepal/Nepal-Census-2011-Vol1.pdf|title=National Population and Housing Census 2011|website=UN Statistical Agency}}</ref>
| region3 = {{flag|Bhutan}} ([[Samtse District|Samtse]] and [[Chukha District|Chukha]] districts)
| pop3 = N/A
| region4 = {{flag|China}} ([[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet region]])
| pop4 = N/A
| langs = [[Lepcha language|Lepcha]], [[Sikkimese language|Sikkimese (Dranjongke)]], [[Dzongkha]], [[Nepali language|Nepali]]
| rels = '''Majority''': [[Buddhism]] '''Minority''': {{hlist| [[Mun (religion)|Mun]]|[[Christianity]]|[[Islam]]}}<ref name="Christian Lepchas">{{harvnb|Semple|2003|page=233}}</ref>{{sfn|Joshi|2004|page=130}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thakur |first=Rudranand |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cdYtAAAAMAAJ&q=lepcha+muslim |title=Himalayan Lepchas |date=1988 |publisher=Archives Publishers, Distributors |pages=62 |language=en}}</ref>
| related_groups = [[Bhutia]], [[Limbu people|Limbu]], [[Lhop people|Lhop]], Other [[Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino-Tibetan people]]
}}
{{Contains special characters|Uncommon Unicode}}
The '''Lepcha''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ɛ|p|tʃ|ə}};<ref>[http://www.dictionary.com/browse/lepcha "Lepcha"]. ''[[Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary]]''.</ref> also called '''Rongkup''' ([[Lepcha language|Lepcha]]: ᰕᰫ་ᰊᰪᰰ་ᰆᰧᰶ ᰛᰩᰵ་ᰀᰪᰱ ᰛᰪᰮ་ᰀᰪᰱ, ''Mútuncí Róngkup Rumkup'', "beloved children of the Róng and of God") and '''Rongpa''' ([[Sikkimese language|Sikkimese]]: {{bo-textonly|རོང་པ}})) are among the indigenous people of the [[India]]n state of [[Sikkim]] as well as the bordering [[Darjeeling]] and [[Kalimpong]] in the state of [[West Bengal]], and in the neighbouring country of [[Nepal]]. They number around 80,000.<ref name="Census India" /><ref name="Census Nepal" /> Many Lepcha are also found in western and southwestern [[Bhutan]], [[Darjeeling]], the [[Koshi Province]] of eastern [[Nepal]], and in the hills of [[West Bengal]]. The Lepcha people are composed of four main distinct communities: the Renjóngmú of [[Sikkim]]; the Dámsángmú of [[Kalimpong]], [[Kurseong]], and [[Mirik]]; the ʔilámmú of [[Ilam District]], Nepal; and the Promú of [[Samtse District|Samtse]] and [[Chukha District|Chukha]] in southwestern [[Bhutan]].{{sfn|Plaisier|2007|p=1–2}}{{sfn|SIL 2009}}{{sfn|NIC-Sikkim}}

== Origins ==
[[File:Lepcha women of Sikkim in the 1860s detail, from- Portret van een onbekende Lepcha vrouw uit Sikkim Lepcha female. Aboriginal. Sikhim (titel op object), RP-F-2001-7-1122A-49 (cropped).jpg|
thumb|200px|right|A Lepcha woman in the 1860s]]
[[File:A group of Lepcha shingle cutters at Darjeeling in the 1870s.jpg|thumb|200px|right|A group of Lepcha shingle cutters at Darjeeling in the 1870s]]
[[File:A group of Lepchas in Darjeeling (c. 1880).jpg|thumb|200px|right|A group of Lepchas in Darjeeling (''circa'' 1880)]]
Lepchas are said to have migrated from Cambodia and Tibet having a similar culture, dressup, traits and history.<ref name="West 2009 462">{{cite book|last=West|first=Barbara A.|title=Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania|year=2009|publisher=Facts on File|isbn=978-0816071098|page=462|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pCiNqFj3MQsC&q=origin+of+the+Lepcha&pg=PA462}}</ref> They speak a [[Tibeto-Burman language]] which some classify as [[Himalayish]]. Others suggest a more complex migration, a migration to [[Cambodia]], then a navigation of the [[Ayeyarwady River]] and [[Chindwin]] rivers, a crossing of the [[Patkoi]] range coming back west, and finally entering ancient India; this idea is supported by [[Austroasiatic languages|Austroasiatic language]] substrata in their vocabularies. While migrating westward through India, they are surmised to have passed through southern Bhutan before reaching their final destination near [[Kanchenjunga]]. The Lepcha people themselves do not have any tradition of migration, and hence they conclude that they are autochthonous to the region, currently falling under the state of [[Sikkim]], [[Darjeeling District]] of [[West Bengal]], [[Eastern Development Region, Nepal|eastern]] [[Nepal]] and the southwestern parts of Bhutan. In the [[Province No. 1|Koshi Province]] of Nepal, they form 7% of the population of [[Ilam District]], 2% in [[Panchthar District]], and 10% of the population in [[Taplejung District]]. In India's [[Sikkim]] as a whole they are considered to be around 15% of the population of the state.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lepchas of Dzongu, Sikkim |date=19 February 2022 |url=https://ekaxp.in/eka-experiences-blog/dzongu/}}</ref>

The Lepcha people were earlier ruled by Pano (King) [[Gaeboo Achyok]]. Gaeboo Achyok was instrumental in uniting the Lepcha people and to honour him, the Lepcha people celebrate 20 December of every year as Gaeboo Achyok celebrations day. Gaeboo Achyok extended the Lepcha kingdom from [[Bhutan]] in the east to Ilam ([[Nepal]]) in the west and from Sikkim to the northern tips of present-day [[Bangladesh]].<ref name="Telegraph India-1">{{cite news |date=18 December 2006|title=B'day bash for Lepcha king|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/b-day-bash-for-lepcha-king/cid/752810|newspaper=Telegraph India-1}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=November 2021|reason=Newspapers are not reliable sourcces for history.}}

== Language ==
{{main|Lepcha language}}

The Lepcha have their own [[Lepcha language|language]], also called Lepcha. It belongs to the [[Bodish–Himalayish languages|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 [[Tibetic languages|Tibetan]] script. It was developed between the 17th and 18th centuries, possibly by a Lepcha scholar named [[Thikúng Munsulóng]], during the reign of the third [[Chogyal]] (Tibetan king) of [[Sikkim]].{{sfn|Plaisier|2007|p=34}}

== Clans ==
Lepchas are divided into many clans ([[Lepcha language|Lepcha]]: ''putsho''), each of which reveres its own [[sacred lake]] and mountain peak ([[Lepcha language|Lepcha]]: ''dâ'' and ''cú'') from which the clan derives its name. While most Lepcha can identify their own clan, Lepcha clan names can be quite formidable, and are often shortened for this reason. For example, ''Nāmchumú'',<ref>A.R.Foning, ''Lepcha My Vanishing Tribe'', Sterling Publishers, 1987, pp. 123-136</ref> ''Simíkmú'', and ''Fonyung Rumsóngmú'' may be shortened to ''Namchu'', ''Simik'', and ''Foning'', respectively.{{sfn|Plaisier|2007|p=3}} Some of the name of the clans are "Barphungputso", "Rongong", "Karthakmu", " Zurabu", "Sungutmu", "Phipon", "Brimu", "Lickchingmu ", “Sadamoo”, “Kabomoo”, “Molomoo”, “Lingdamoo” etc.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}

== Religion ==
{{main|Mun (religion)}}

[[File:Kinthup.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Kinthup]], a noted Lepcha [[Pundit (explorer)|Pundit]], was a Buddhist pilgrim when he surveyed Nepal in the 1870s (photograph 1914).|left]]
Most Lepchas are [[Buddhists]], although a large number of Lepchas have today adopted [[Christianity]].{{sfn|Joshi|2004|pages=130,157}}{{sfn|Semple|2003|p=123,233}} Some Lepchas have not given up their [[shamanism|shamanistic]] religion, which is known as [[Mun (religion)|Mun]]. In practice, rituals from Mun and Buddhism are frequently observed alongside one another among some Lepchas. For example, ancestral mountain peaks are regularly honoured in ceremonies called ''tandong lho rumfát.''{{sfn|Plaisier|2007|p=3}} Many [[rituals]] involve local species. In Sikkim, Lepchas are known to use over 370 species of animals, fungi, and plants.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=O'Neill |first1=Alexander |display-authors=etal |date=29 March 2017 |title=Integrating ethnobiological knowledge into biodiversity conservation in the Eastern Himalayas |journal=Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine |volume=13 |issue=21 |article-number=21 |doi=10.1186/s13002-017-0148-9 |pmid=28356115 |pmc=5372287 |doi-access=free }}</ref> 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|Sikkim, Darjeeling]] and [[Kalimpong]] are Christians.{{sfn|Semple|2003|page=233}}{{sfn|Joshi|2004|page=130}}

== Clothing ==
[[File:Lepcha circa 1900.png|thumb|right|250px|Photograph of a Lepcha c. 1900, wearing the traditional cone-shaped hat]]
The traditional clothing for Lepcha women is the ankle-length ''[[dumdyam|dumvun]]'', also called ''dumdyám or gādā'' ("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.{{sfn|Plaisier|2007|p=4}}{{sfn|Dubey|1980|p=53, 56}}

The traditional Lepcha clothing for men is the ''[[dumpra|thakraw]]'' ("male dress"). It is a multicolored, hand-woven cloth pinned at one shoulder and held in place by a waistband, usually worn over 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 similar as the Mongol's. Rarely, the traditional cone-shaped [[bamboo]] and [[rattan]] hats are worn.{{sfn|Plaisier|2007|p=4}}{{sfn|Dubey|1980|p=53, 56}}

== Dwellings (place to stay) ==
Traditionally, the Lepcha live in a local house called a ''li''. A traditional home is made out of 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 conditioner and eco-friendly. The traditional Lepcha house has no nails used in the construction and it is seismic movement friendly since the weight of the house is rested over a large tablets of stones and not planted on the soil.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Human: The Definitive Visual Guide|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]]|year=2004|isbn=0-7566-0520-2|location=New York|pages=437}}</ref>

== Subsistence ==
The Lepchas are mostly agriculturists. They grow oranges, rice, cardamoms, and other foods.<ref name=":0" />

=== Cuisine ===
Lepcha cuisine is mild and not as spicy as [[Indian cuisine|Indian]] or [[Nepalese cuisine]]. Rice is the staple, whole wheat, maize, and buckwheat are also used. Fresh fruit and vegetables are used.<ref name="Encyclopedia">{{cite web|title=Lepcha|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/lepcha|publisher=Encyclopedia|date=1 August 2019}}</ref>
''Khuzom'' is a traditional Lepcha bread made from buckwheat, millet, and corn or wheat flour.
Popular Lepcha dishes include ''ponguzom ''(rice, fish, vegetable grill), ''su zom'' (baked meat dish), ''ihukpa'' (noodle, meat, and vegetable stew), and ''sorongbeetuluk'' (rice and nettle porridge).<ref name="Science Direct">{{cite journal|last1=Tamang |first1=Jyoti Prakash |last2=Thapa |first2=Namrata |title=Some nonfermented ethnic foods of Sikkim in India|journal=Journal of Ethnic Foods |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352618114000092|date=December 2014 |volume=1 |pages=29–33 |doi=10.1016/j.jef.2014.11.008 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

An alcoholic beverage called ''chi ''or ''[[chhaang]]'' is fermented from [[millet]]. ''Chi'' also has religious significance, as it is given as offering to the gods during religious ceremonies.<ref name="Live History-Chi">{{cite web|title=Chhang: The Beer of the Himalayas|url=https://www.livehistoryindia.com/history-in-a-dish/2017/05/28/chhang-the-beer-of-the-himalayas|publisher=Live History India|date=28 May 2017}}</ref>

== Arts, crafts, and music ==
The Lepchas are known for their unique weaving and basketry skills. They have a rich tradition of dances, songs, and folktales. The popular Lepcha folk dances are ''Zo-Mal-Lok, Chu-Faat, Tendong Lo Rum Faat'', and ''Kinchum-Chu-Bomsa''.<ref name="Lepcha Folk Dances">{{cite web|title=Lepcha Folk Dances|url=http://www.sikkimtourism.gov.in/Webforms/General/SikkimAtAGlance/LepchaFolkDances.aspx|publisher=Sikkim Tourism}}</ref> Musical instruments used are ''sanga'' (drum), ''yangjey'' (string instrument), ''fungal, yarka,'' flute, and ''tungbuk''.<ref name="Lepcha Folk Dances"/>
One popular instrument used by the Lepchas is a four-string lute that is played with a bow.<ref name=":0" />

== Marriage customs ==
The Lepcha are largely an [[Endogamy|endogamous]] community.<ref name=":0" />

The Lepcha trace their descent [[patrilineal]]ly. The marriage is negotiated between the families of the bride and the groom. If the marriage deal is settled, the ''[[lama]]'' checks 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, to gain the maternal uncle's formal consent.{{sfn|Gulati|1995|pp=80–81}}

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 marriage between the couple.{{sfn|Gulati|1995|pp=80–81}}

==Lepcha people in Nepal==
The [[Central Bureau of Statistics (Nepal)|Central Bureau of Statistics]] of Nepal classifies the Lepcha as a subgroup within the broader social group of Mountain/Hill Janajati.<ref>[https://nepal.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Population%20Monograph%20V02.pdf Population Monograph of Nepal, Volume II]</ref> At the time of the [[2011 Nepal census]], 3,445 people identified as Lepcha, one in every 7,690 of the total Nepalese population (26,494,504).

== See also ==
* [[Ethnic groups in Bhutan]]
* [[Ethnic groups in Nepal]]
* [[Indigenous peoples of Sikkim]]
* [[Lepcha language]]
* [[Lepcha script]]

== References ==
{{Reflist
| refs =
}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book
| last = Plaisier
| first = Heleen
| year = 2007
| title = A Grammar of Lepcha
| volume = 5
| series = Tibetan studies library: Languages of the greater Himalayan region
| publisher = [[Brill Publishers|BRILL]]
| location = Leiden, The Netherlands; Boston
| isbn = 978-90-04-15525-1
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=DpCXEc_9RWcC
}}
* {{cite web
| editor-last = Lewis
| editor-first = M. Paul
| year = 2009
| title = Lepcha
| work = [[Ethnologue]]: Languages of the World
| edition = 16th
| publisher = [[SIL International]]
| location = [[Dallas, Texas]]
| url = http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=lep
| access-date = 24 June 2011
| ref = {{harvid|SIL 2009}}
}}
* {{cite web
| url = http://sikkim.nic.in/north/html/lepcha.htm
| title = Lepchas and their Tradition
| publisher = National Informatics Centre, Sikkim
| work = Official Portal of NIC Sikkim State Centre
| date = 25 January 2002
| access-date = 24 June 2011
| ref = {{harvid|NIC-Sikkim}}
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171017203541/http://sikkim.nic.in/north/html/lepcha.htm
| archive-date = 17 October 2017
| url-status = dead
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Joshi
| first = H.G.
| year = 2004
| title = Sikkim: Past and Present
| publisher = Mittal Publications
| location = New Delhi, India
| isbn = 81-7099-932-4
| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=L7gIVNzkN2YC
| access-date = 24 June 2011
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Semple
| first = Rhonda Anne
| year = 2003
| title = Missionary Women: Gender, Professionalism, and the Victorian Idea of Christian Mission
| publisher = Boydell Press
| location = Rochester, NY
| isbn = 1-84383-013-2
| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=zKhSk_3nCvsC
| access-date = 24 June 2011
}}
* {{cite web
| last = Gulati
| first = Rachna
| year = 1995
| title = Cultural Aspects of Sikkim
| work = Bulletin of Tibetology
| publisher = Namgyal Institute of Tibetology
| location = [[Gangtok]]
| url = http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/bot/pdf/bot_1995_01_17.pdf
| access-date = 24 June 2011
}}
* {{cite book
| title = Family, marriage, and social change on the Indian fringe
| first = S. M
| last = Dubey
| editor = S. M. Dubey
| editor2 = P. K. Bordoloi
| editor3 = B. N. Borthakur
| publisher = Cosmo
| year = 1980
}}

{{Commons category|Lepcha people}}
* {{cite web|title=Lepcha script|publisher=Omniglot online|url=http://www.omniglot.com/writing/lepcha.htm|access-date= 17 April 2011}}
* {{cite web|first=Heleen|last=Plaisier|date=13 November 2010|title=Information on Lepcha Language and Culture|url=http://www.lepcha.info/|access-date=16 April 2011|ref=none}}
* {{cite book|last=Bareh|first=Hamlet|year=2001|title=Encyclopaedia of North-East India: Sikkim|chapter=The Sikkim Communities|publisher=Mittal Publications|location=New Delhi|isbn=81-7099-794-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jrr7HPr8NAQC|ref=none}}

;Folktale collections:
* {{Cite book |title=Folk Tales of Sikkim |first=George |last=Kotturan |publisher=Sterling Publishers |date=1976}}
* De Beauvoir Stocks, C. ''Folklore and customs of the Lepchas of Sikkim''. Asian Educational Services, New Delhi, Madras, 2001 [1925]. {{ISBN|81-206-1559-X}}.
* {{cite book |title=Legends of the Lepchas: Folk Tales From Sikkim |publisher=Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd. |first=Yishey |last=Doma |date=2023 |isbn=9780143460671}}
{{refend}}

{{Bhutanese society}}
{{Scheduled tribes of India}}
{{Hill tribes of Northeast India}}
{{Darjeeling}}
{{Ethnic groups in Nepal}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ethnic groups in Nepal]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Bhutan]]
[[Category:Sino-Tibetan-speaking peoples]]
[[Category:Himalayan peoples]]
[[Category:Social groups of Sikkim]]
[[Category:Buddhist communities of Nepal]]
[[Category:Buddhist communities of Bhutan]]
[[Category:Buddhist communities of India]]
[[Category:Tribes of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Scheduled Tribes of India]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Northeast India]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in South Asia]]
[[Category:Lepcha people| ]]

Lepcha people - Revision history

Aaqibjavaid at 19:49, 5 May 2026