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, …

Olep tribe on the cusp of change

Three decades after the tribe of hunters settled down in Rukha, the Olep community is not far from catching up with the rest of the country. On the foothills of southern Wangduephodrang, is a small village of Rukha in Adha gewog encircled by a mixed conifer forest, undergoing rapid change as the country itself braces …

Bhutan – The Olep community of Rukha

Bhutan’s government and royal family provide a role model in taking a long-term, holistic view on all decision making relating to its people and land and, with 70% of the country required by law to remain under forest cover, it is the only carbon negative country in the world. But Bhutan’s culture is vulnerable and …

Comprehensive Community Development for Poverty Alleviation [for Oleps]

Finalist 2015|Bhutan This project focused on the Olep ethnic group who live on the western fringes of an important national park in the west central part of Bhutan. Originally a nomadic hunter gatherer community, the Olep were encouraged by the government to settle in Rukha in the early 1970s, so that they could benefit from …

Rukha Community Centre in Wangdue to serve as Olep’s museum

Photo credit: BBS Her Majesty the Gyalyum Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, the Founder and President of the Tarayana Foundation inaugurated the Rukha Community Centre in Wangdue Phodrang on October 19.The centre is a part of the Cultural Sanctuary Project implemented by the Olep community of Rukha in collaboration with Tarayana and the Cultural Sanctuaries Foundation based …

Guesthouse for the Olep community to be completed soon

Photo credit: BBS Locals in Rukha chiwog under Wangdue Phodrang have to host visiting officials at their homes since the community is one of the most remote places without a proper guesthouse. However, with the ongoing construction of a two-storied guesthouse, the problem will soon be solved.Tarayana foundation provided the construction materials while the community …

The dying language of the Oleps

Only two people remain who speaks the language The Ole language which belongs to the Olep people is on the verge of extinction with only two Oleps who can speak the language. Currently there are only two old ladies, Choday and Mindu Gyem both in their 70’s who can fluently speak the Ole language at …

Saving the highlanders

In a few years’ time Yeedpa (fermented cheese) and yak meat might just make it to your last supper and chugo (hard cheese) maybe a story of a rock-hard milk candy that you tell your children about if yak herders opt off their nomadic life. This is indeed a possibility if there are no developmental activities to enhance the yak herders’ socio-economic …

How development and modernization has changed the lives of Brokpas

Although people of Sakteng Gewog under Trashigang dzongkhag are happy with development activities like road, electricity, network connection, health and education facilities, they are worried that with such development and with villagers exposed to new things, it might result in destabilization of their culture and traditions. The people of Sakteng are however determined to protect …

B-KIND to recognise impacts of climate change and find adaption methods

Chhimi Dema  Tarayana Foundation yesterday launched a programme to document and research the impacts of climate change faced by Bhutanese communities and find adaption strategies in consultation with policy-makers to benefit the communities. The programme, Bhutanese Knowledge for Indigenous Development (B-KIND), is undertaken by the Tarayana Centre for Social Research and Development­, the research and …

Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology

The Royal Thimphu College The programme aims to provide undergraduate students with a solid grounding in Anthropology, a field of study that is concerned with what it means to be human. The programme will familiarize learners with the breath of anthropological knowledge, theories, and methods as well as teach them how these are applicable to the …

Illegal occupancy in Merak

Land: When herders of Chebling in Merak started replacing their bamboo roofs with CGI sheets, eyebrows were raised on whether the nomads were building permanent structures in tsamdros (pastureland). After an inspection by officials from the dzongkhag land record office, it was found that the brokpas had indeed built permanent structures. This directly translates to a …

Serga mathang and serga khothkin in Eastern Bhutan (cross-cousin marriage)

Type of Cross Cousin Marriages Matrilateral Cousin Marriage A man marries his mother's brother's daughter. The kinship term given to maternal uncle's daughter is serga mathang. A mother's brother is termed as serga ajang. Patrilateral Cousin Marriage  This is another common marital tradition in which a man marries his father's sister's daughter. A daughter of …

Bonism in Bongo

The people of Bongo, a remote village under Chhukha dzongkhag, are optimistic that this year too, their crops will be bountiful, natural calamities will be less and there will be no sickness in their village. The Bongo Lhakhang houses the two local female deities The villagers as usual, invoked their Yul-Lha (local deities) and believe …