Aryan Books

THE LEPCHAS OF DZONGU REGION IN SIKKIM: A Narrative of Cultural Heritage and Folklore

By :- Anita Sharma

Price:

1500 $ 38

1200

Sale Price:

$ 30

QTY:

Available: In Stock

Pages: xx+170

Format: HB

ISBN-13: 978-81-7305-443-3

Place: New Delhi

Edition: 1st

Publisher: ARYAN BOOKS INTERNATIONAL

Size: 19cm x 25cm

Product Year: 2013

Add to Cart Buy Now

The Lepchas are the original inhabitants of Sikkim. The recorded knowledge of the social and domestic life of these shy and retiring Himalayan people is scanty. They are concentrated in the Dzongu Reserve of north-central Sikkim. Their age-old ethos of egalitarianism, good-citizenship and lack of aggressiveness combined with rich traditions and knowledge systems make them a fascinating subject of research. This book is a portrayal of Lepcha society in transition as a result of modern influences. The present study analyses the impact of modernity on the traditional society of the Lepchas and the impending threat of loss of oral knowledge, of the socio-cultural patterns and traditional knowledge systems. Their traditional wealth of knowledge in medicine and weather forecasting, hitherto unrecorded, has also been documented. An attempt has been made to give greater voice to the Lepcha individual and to step away somewhat from the anthropological trend of studying societies where the individual is often ignored.

Foreword v Preface vii List of Illustrations xiii Maps xvii 1. Introduction 1 2. Social Organisation 7 3. Socio-Cultural Biography 21 4. The Mun Religion 45 5. Festivals and Ceremonies 59 6. Behaviour and Morality 71 7. Knowledge 83 8. Traditional Practices 109 9. Tradition and Modernity 119 10. Development and Change 149 Notes 155 Glossary 161 Bibliography 165 Index 167

Anita Sharma has studied at Pondicherry, Delhi and Oxford Universities. She has conducted several years of ethnographic research on Himalayan communities including on the Bakkarwals of Jammu and Kashmir, the Sherthukpens of Arunachal Pradesh, the Hajong and Chakma refugees, the Lepchas of Dzongu, and the Limbus of Hee in Sikkim. She is currently working on a project on South Asian nomads for the Consortium for Research on Educational Access, Transitions and Equity, University of Sussex.

No review available. Add your review. You could be the first one. Please Login