Layaps do things differently now

With their newfound affluence, the highlanders' winter lifestyle has changed as well. Migration: Although the almost ancient ritual of nomads of Laya descending to the warmer valley in Punakha every winter continue even today, what has changed is the way they do it. From makeshifts, they have moved to imported camping tents, and from rudimentary …

Layaps more vulnerable to STD, HIV/AIDS

The small Layap community of a little more than 800 people that live in the northern borders of remote Gasa dzongkhag are at enormous risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS, according to study report by the health sector. "All the risk behaviours that increase HIV transmission are highly prevalent within the nomadic community," …

Laya-Gasa: Layaps

A decade ago, the semi-nomadic yak herders Layaps called their home be-yul, the hidden land, where Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal first entered Bhutan. Sitting at 3,800m above sea level on the lap of the 7,100m Masagang, one of Bhutan's 20 spectacular peaks, Laya had little contacts beyond its confines, some of the only exposure being an …

Horses and vehicles replace yaks for Layaps

Recent developmental activities in Laya and change in lifestyle of Layaps have not changed its age-old practice of migrating to the lowlands in winter and returning home by spring. More than a decade ago, Layaps depended on yaks to move to the lower lands. Many made sure to travel before monsoon. Pem Tshewang, 50, from …

Layaps say their youth are dropping out of school

But there is no data to substantiate the claim Education: Cordyceps has come as a blessing for highlanders but it is also seemingly proving to be a disadvantage to the youth. While there is no data to substantiate the claim, many Layaps in Gasa say youth from their locality are dropping out of school to collect …

Royal Highland Festival lifts spirits, creates friendships

Festival: The heavy rain-laden clouds parted and Laya turned golden under the sun’s warm embracing rays. The valley was drenched in heavy rain until the eve of the first day of the festival. The three-day Royal Highland Festival that saw hundreds of highlanders and both local and international tourists ended yesterday. The first livestock festival, an …

Custodian of northern borders are leaving their homes

Every year people from the mountains descend to the plains for warmth and comfort. But for some this is no more a seasonal migration. People of Laya and Lunana have bought houses and settled in places like Punakha and Wangdue. In the east, natives of Merak and Sakteng are seen running shops in Mongar and …

Laya : not quite a hidden land

Kuensel’s Kencho Wangdi who recently visited Laya writes about the changes taking place in one of Bhutan’s remotest geogs.  A cigarette is lit. Nine Layap teenagers wait outside a house in the cold October night. As the cigarette is passed from one shivering mouth to the other thick wisps of smoke is visible in the …

Tribe – Layab

The villages of Laya and Lunana in the Bhutanese Himalayas are some of the highest and most remote human settlements on earth. The people who live there, the Layaps and the Lunaps, are semi-nomadic yak herders who spend time between the villages and the high altitude yak herding camps. The villages and yak camps cling …

A life-changer for the highlanders

But there is a downside to the new prosperity – crime and sloth chief among them Layaps may live in the remote northern frontier, but the granaries in their beautifully painted traditional houses are full, and solar energy lights up their rooms, which have imported woven carpets and blankets. Generators provide energy to entertainment amenities like …

The Layaps Go Home

The mule skids on the wet ice and slides forward on the steep track. The man springs forward and grabs it by the muzzle. They both strain against the slope, breaking the skid on the edge of the sheer precipice. The mule is lying on its belly, its forelegs dangling over the cliff. Braced precariously, …

The last hat weavers of Laya

There are only two traditional hat weavers in the gewog today  Tradition: When the village festivals draw near, many women in Laya flock to the village hat weaver, Dodo. The festivals are times women in the village don new traditional attire including the conical headgear. Layaps are ethnically distinct and a majority of them continue their traditional …

The disappearing hat of Laya

Only two Layaps know the art of weaving the bamboo hat  One of the distinctive features of the women of Laya is their bamboo hat worn that is with colourful beads. The hat hardly covers the head. It neither protects them from rain or the sun but for the young women of Laya today, the …

Layaps have come a long way

Not just in distance, but thanks to income from cordyceps collection, in lifestyle as well COVER STORY: Wangmo, 58, a highlander from Thangzo, Laya was in Punaka to attend the three-day Punakha tsechu that concluded last week.  She comes to Punakha every winter.  This time, she was with her mother and friends.  Wangmo has with her some thick Chinese …

Weaving Conical Hats; A Dying Craft

The remote highland community of Laya comprising five chiwogs with 246 households and a population of 1,000 can be distinguished by their unique apparel, especially the women’s. The Layap women wear a thick, long, black, ankle-length skirt (zim) and jacket (khothay) made of yak wool and conical hats woven from bark strips of the birch …