Lhops struggling to market their farm produce

Lhops, also known as Doyaps, of Namgyel-Tapa (Tapa Gaon) in Tading, Samtse, are struggling to market their farm produces like black pepper, pineapple and betel leaf. Before the pandemic, villagers sold the small-scale harvests across the border, but today, when production increased they could not sell anything because of the Coivd-19 pandemic. Phub Wangmo Doya …

Layaps get a winter home in Wophu

For the members of 197 Laya households, Wophu in Gasa will be their winter home after His Majesty The King granted 25 acres of kidu land to the people of Laya gewog. The new settlement, Layaps say, will take on the appearance of a small town once people start constructing houses in Wophu, located about …

Rich Layaps’ poor forests problems

… efforts are underway to help forests recover The prosperity of residents in Laya, a remote hamlet in Gasa dzongkhag, has carved a deep scar on their natural environment and is changing the landscape of their habitat. Some elders and foresters worry about the ominous signs that are becoming starker each year. Ap Passang, 64, …

Layaps and the bears

Pema Tshewang came home from work one day only to find someone had broken into his house. Inside, it was mayhem. It was the bear. In Laya, human-wildlife conflicts have been growing over the years. At the National Council’s question hour session Wednesday, MP for Gasa Dorji Khandu said that the bears had damaged 70-something …

Layaps to explore Italian cheese production

Highlanders in Laya gewog under Gasa dzongkhag will produce high-end yak cheese called Italian or caciocavallo cheese. This would add value to their dairy products apart from their usual cordyceps and porter businesses. The gewog livestock extension officer, Jigme Rinzin said that currently, the Layaps barter 60 percent of their dairy products with red rice …

Ngawang Dramtoe lhops struggle to save maize

Lhops (Doyas) of Ngawang Dramtoe in Tading, Samtse are struggling to save their maize from wild animals. Wild boar, deer, monkey, and porcupine are the biggest problem. Due to the growing threat, some have harvested their crops before time. But Semo Doya hasn’t yet. From far, Semo’s cornfield looks green and healthy but deep inside …

Lhops struggling to market their farm produce

Lhops, also known as Doyaps, of Namgyel-Tapa (Tapa Gaon) in Tading, Samtse, are struggling to market their farm produces like black pepper, pineapple and betel leaf. Before the pandemic, villagers sold the small-scale harvests across the border, but today, when production increased they could not sell anything because of the Coivd-19 pandemic. Phub Wangmo Doya …

Lhop villages in Tading see major land sales with development

It all began in 2005 when the construction of Phuentsholing-Samtse highway began. The highway passed through two Lhop (Doya) villages, Namgyel Tapa and Ngawang Dramtoe, among many villages. People from outside Samtse dzongkhags gradually began to buy land in the area. In 2007, the Lhops received land kidu. They received between three and eight acres. …

Lhops unhappy with surface collection worksLhops unhappy with surface collection works

The recent rainfall washed away a portion of Samtse-Phuentsholing highway at Darapani waterfall in Tading, Samtse. This, several residents of Ngawang Dramtoe, who are commonly known as Lhops said, was caused by surface collection of black stones (boulders) from private lands. A villager, Sonam Doya, said the surface collection has made soil unstable and heavy …

The Brahmis of Trashigang

A curtain is drawn on a crossbreed of cultures with the dawn of modernisation Lifestyle: Pushed to the hinterland of one of the remote pockets in Trashigang, the residents of Thongrong village in Phongmey gewog are referred as Brahmis or outsiders. They dress like the highlanders of Merak and Sakteng, but are not one of them.  Most are …

Bamboo craft on the verge of extinction in Phumzur

Tshazo (bamboo craft) one of the main sources of income for the people of Phumzur, a Monpa village, is disappearing. Only a few elders practice tshazo. This, according to the people, was due to a lack of raw materials and the younger ones not showing interest in the craft. “If the elderly people are not there, the …

Journey to Jangbi: Into Monpa village

Travelling from western to central Bhutan in April is a captivating experience, as nature showcases its beauty with vibrant colours. Picture-perfect landscapes greet travellers, with rhododendron flowers adding splashes of red, pink, and white to the lush green surroundings. As you journey beyond Pelela Pass, just imagine, the number of vehicles dwindles, offering a serene …

Documenting Bhutan’s vanishing cultures

“The deity of yaks, please come. Please come.”  Kungla, a yak herder, holding a staff on the lush herding ground in Ura, Bumthang, calls the yak deity for blessings and prosperity of his family and his cattle. He shakes the staff firmly and drags it inside the shed, a sign of inviting the deity to …

End of the road: The changing lives of Bhutan’s yak herders

In the mountainous far east of Bhutan, the hardy Brokpa tribe have herded yak for centuries. These are the last days of their isolated existence. Will the new road bring everything these communities hope, like better opportunities for their families, or will their unique identity be lost in the race to modernize? TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS …

Vanishing tongues

Languages of some remote communities are in immediate danger of extinction Lama Shacha Tenzin, Angay Choden and Dadum have one thing in common besides being elderly members of their communities. They share a concern for the tongues they speak. Lama Shacha Tenzin, 80, is from a remote village call Daksa in Gongdue, Mongar. Choden, 78, …