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Socio-Cultural Environment - Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT)

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8<br />

CISMHE<br />

The ethnic groups residing in the district are indo-mongoloids belonging<br />

to two dominant groups, namely the Lepchas and the Bhutias. A third<br />

group consisting <strong>of</strong> the people <strong>of</strong> Nepalese origin inhabiting the southern<br />

villages <strong>of</strong> the district includes a host <strong>of</strong> tribes and castes belonging to<br />

Indo-Aryan, Indo-Mongoloid and Proto-Australoid groups.<br />

The Lepchas are believed to be the earliest settlers <strong>of</strong> Sikkim. The<br />

origin <strong>of</strong> the Lepchas is somewhat obscure. According to the early<br />

anthropologists, the Lepchas migrated to Sikkim from the East, i.e. from<br />

the border regions <strong>of</strong> Tibet and Myanmar. The exact period <strong>of</strong> their entry<br />

in Sikkim could not be ascertained as the anthropologists and historians<br />

never established proven facts about their place <strong>of</strong> origin and reason <strong>of</strong><br />

migration. According to some the Lepchas belong to a Naga tribe while<br />

others have found likenesses with some tribes in Arunachal Pradesh.<br />

Still others contend that the Lepchas came from the west, i.e. from the<br />

Mech country in neighbouring Nepal. However, the Lepchas or the<br />

Rongs (the ravine folks), as they prefer to call themselves, are <strong>of</strong> firm<br />

belief that the land <strong>of</strong> Khangchendzonga is their own country and they<br />

know <strong>of</strong> no other country as their habitat. To quote a Lepcha writer, “On<br />

the slopes <strong>of</strong> these magnificent hills (Khangchendzonga) the Lepchas<br />

are born; there they live and there they die” (A.R. Foning, 1987). It is<br />

commonly agreed that the Lepchas are the most ancient inhabitants <strong>of</strong><br />

Sikkim and adjoining hills <strong>of</strong> Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Ilam in Nepal.<br />

The fact that most <strong>of</strong> the rivers, mountain tops, and places in the area<br />

have Lepcha names further substantiate the fact that the Lepchas had<br />

knowledge <strong>of</strong> all these landmarks much before the Bhutias or any other<br />

tribe reached this country.

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