Lepcha Narratives of their Threatened Sacred Landscapes
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Published:
Feb 25, 2008
Keywords:
environment, Lepcha, landscapes
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Abstract
Dorjee Tshering Lepcha rises with the sun each morning. He walks out of his living room into the crisp early air and enters a small prayer room. The room is sparsely decorated, an altar on one side and a cushion and small stool on the other. The altar is modestly adorned with leaves, flowers and fruit. Dorjee sits cross-legged on the floor, the cushion softening the impact of the cold concrete, and places the manuscript for a Lepcha prayer on a small stool in front of him. To his side, he rests a bamboo flute. First he chants; the morning chant to Mother Nature, informing her that he will surely intrude on her that day and asking her forgiveness in advance. Then he lifts the flute to his mouth and gently blows a welcome to the new day, its melancholy sound sending an apology simple and pure; its sincerity clear. In his village, Manegumboo, at 12th Mile in Kalimpong, the same ritual is taking place in seven of the 30 households. For these are animist homes, where the Children of Mother Nature live.
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Chamling, P (2001) Politics, Programmes and Vision for the new Century, New Year speech, Gangtok.
Choudhury, M (nd) Carrying Capacity Study of Teesta Basin in Sikkim Volume-X, Socio-cultural, Environment, Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India, Delhi.
Dharmadhikary, S (2007) Have river, will dam, HIMAL SOUTHASIAN, September.
Dutta, S (2007) Lepcha v hydropower, HIMAL SOUTHASIAN, September.
Foning, A (2003) Lepcha, My Vanishing Tribe, Kalimpong, Chyu-Pandi Farm.
Harding L (2000) Climbers Banned from North East Face of Kanchenjunga, The Guardian, London.
Hooker, J D (1999) Himalayan Journals, Natraj Publishers, Dehru Dun (first published 1854).
King Gaeboo Achyok Birth Anniversary (2006) A Lepcha Bilingual Magazine, Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, Kalimpong.
Mitra, M (2007) Sikkim’s tribesfolk protest against damming river Teesta, Down to Earth, New Delhi.
Morris, J (1938) Living with the Lepchas, William Heinemann Ltd, London.
Rai, R (2006) CM offers to review ‘every aspect’ of North Sikkim, NOW! Daily, Gangtok.
Ramakrishnan, P S (1998) Ecology and Traditional Wisdom, The Cultural Dimension of Ecology, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and D. K. Printworld Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi.
SE News Bureau (2006) Concerned Lepchas of Sikkim backs ACT, Sikkim Express.
The Land Use and Environment Circle, Forest, Environment and Wildlife Management Department (2005) Report on World Environment Day, 2005, Government of Sikkim, Gangtok.
Wangchuk P (1995) Hunger strike against Rathong Chu Project, Hill People, Gangtok.
White, J.C. (2000) Twenty-one Years on the North-East Frontier 1887-1908, Asian Educational Services, New Delhi 2000.
Zulca, M (2007) Protest in the Hills, Talk Himalaya, Little Kingdom, Gangtok.