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The paper dwells into the concept of death and afterlife for the Lepchas. The Lepcha concept of death and funeral is in itself one of the earliest ideas which have existed for a very long time. The Lepcha ritual practice varies from their traditional to the so called present day syncretised methods and ideals. From the importance of Bongthings and muns, to the cultural beliefs of purity and mourning, the paper aims to describe the rituals and the concept of death from a Lepcha's perspective. From the observation of the death of a family member to the purification of the family members, it aims to look into the various stages through which the funeral ceremony passes through. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lepcha community of Sikkim is primarily confined to the Dzongu area of the state. The people of this community are mostly dependent on the forest produces for their livelihood since the ancient times and used plant resources to cure daily ailments. In the present work, extensive field surveys conducted in different corners of Dzongu to document the ethnomedicinal plants and their uses from the traditional practitioners as well as the local people. As a result of which new information on the ethnomedicinal uses of 40 plant species have been recorded and these are presented here for future reference. The uses of plants have been validated statistically following Use Value (UV) and Fidelity Level (FL) methods.

We compared the perception of two ethnic groups in relation to health, obesity and blood pressure problems and its management, and to compare the body fat patterning and blood pressure levels between Rai and Lepcha ethnic groups. We chose Rai and Lepcha ethnic groups living in Ranka, a place which is 16 kilometres away from the city of Gangtok, Sikkim. The study involved 160 males (Rai = 80 and Lepcha = 80) of age 25–35 years. The participants were initially interviewed about their perception towards health, obesity and blood pressure problems and its management along with other socio-demographic and lifestyle variables. Later, body fat patterning and blood pressure levels of the participants were measured and compared between these two groups. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to understand the association of body fat patterning and blood pressure levels with socio-demographic and lifestyle variables. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used to examine the relationship of ethnicity with both body fat patterning and blood pressure levels. We found a noticeable difference between Lepcha and Rai ethnic groups in perception towards health and obesity, blood pressure problems and its management. Similarly, a significant difference was observed in body fat patterning and blood pressure levels between Rai and Lepcha participants. MANCOVA revealed that the measures of body fat pattering and blood pressure levels differed significantly between these two ethnic groups, after controlling for lifestyle variables and age of the participants at time of interview. We concluded that there remains ethnic diversity, embedded in cultural behaviours and practices concerning health and obesity, hypertension and associated lifestyle patterns. Such practices, rooted in the belief system of an ethnic group is likely to inform the health condition of group members.

Background: Fertility is the physiological ability to have children or to produce offspring whereas; mortality means death of any member of the population. In demographic study which is basically the study of any population, fertility rate and mortality rate are considered to be important determinants alongside migration which is the settlement pattern of people from one place of origin to another. Objectives: The objective of the present cross-sectional investigation is to analyze the association of socio- economic factors with fertility and mortality among the Lepcha tribal population of North Sikkim, India. Methods: For the present investigation, data was collected from 110 married women aged 18- 60 years from different villages of Dzongu, North Sikkim. Data on fertility and mortality information were obtained from each married woman along with their spouses. Results: The mean age at marriage and age at first child birth were observed to be higher and the difference was statistically significant (p

Background: Fertility is the physiological ability to have children or to produce offspring whereas; mortality means death of any member of the population. In demographic study which is basically the study of any population, fertility rate and mortality rate are considered to be important determinants alongside migration which is the settlement pattern of people from one place of origin to another. Objectives: The objective of the present cross-sectional investigation is to analyze the association of socio- economic factors with fertility and mortality among the Lepcha tribal population of North Sikkim, India. Methods: For the present investigation, data was collected from 110 married women aged 18- 60 years from different villages of Dzongu, North Sikkim. Data on fertility and mortality information were obtained from each married woman along with their spouses. Results: The mean age at marriage and age at first child birth were observed to be higher and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). Live births and surviving children with respect to education of women is statistically significant, with values for live births (F= 5.088, p<0.01) and surviving children (F=4.040, p<0.05). The number of mothers with infant mortality was observed to be higher in the low-income group (1.29±0.18). Results indicated that 81% from the low-income group have not opted for family planning, but 44.4 % have reported the use of contraceptive methods. Conclusion: The study indicates that socio-economic, socio-cultural and biological factors have an impact on fertility and mortality and has led to its decrease among the Lepcha tribal population of North Sikkim. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lepcha community of Sikkim is primarily confined to the Dzongu area of the state. The people of this community are mostly dependent on the forest produces for their livelihood since the ancient times and used plant resources to cure daily ailments. In the present work, extensive field surveys conducted in different corners of Dzongu to document the ethnomedicinal plants and their uses from the traditional practitioners as well as the local people. As a result of which new information on the ethnomedicinal uses of 40 plant species have been recorded and these are presented here for future reference. The uses of plants have been validated statistically following Use Value (UV) and Fidelity Level (FL) methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a proposal to encode the Lepcha script in the international character encoding standard Unicode. The script was published in Unicode Standard version 5.1 in March 2008. Lepcha, or Rong, is the name of the Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Sikkim and West Bengal and the script used to write it. The script is said to have been invented about 1720 CE.

Sikkim is one of the most beautiful tourist hill states with tremendous biodiversity wealth. Cymbidium orchid dominates the states for hobby gardeners and commercial cultivating farmers. Handicraft is a part of hobbies and livelihood of the indigenous communities of the region. The Lepcha tribe craftsmen based on dried leaves of Cymbidium orchid is becoming promising apart from their handloom, cane and bamboo products. Attractive, simple products of dried Cymbidium leaves such as fruit and vegetable baskets, containers, sitting mats, hanging pots, trash bins, and plant growing pots is gaining popularity. Due to no noticeable researches and development in this sector, the traditional artifact craftsmen are unable to establish as a source of livelihood. With strategic approaches and intervention, these unique traditional craftsmen would be a reliable economic venture for the rural youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sikkim, the Himalayan state of India has several ethnic foods which have not been documented. A field survey was conducted in randomly selected 370 households in Sikkim representing the major ethnic communities, namely, Nepali, Bhutia, and Lepcha. Information was collected on different types of nonfermented ethnic foods, as prepared and consumed by these inhabitants, the traditional method of preparation, mode of consumption, as well as culinary, socioeconomic, and ethnic values. We have listed more than 83 common and uncommon nonfermented ethnic foods of Sikkim consumed by different ethnic groups in Sikkim, India. Some of these foods have been documented and include achar, alum, chatamari, chhwelaa, dheroh, falki, foldong, kodoko roti, kwanti, momo, pakku, phaparko roti, phulaurah, ponguzom, suzom, thukpa or gya-thuk, and wachipa. Nutritional analysis, process technology development and packaging of these ethnic foods may boost ethnic food tourism in the region, which could in turn enhance the regional economy.

Treatment against bone fracture is a common practice among the tea garden workers who are mainly ethnic communities of Darjeeling hills. Surveys were conducted during 2015-2017 in Dhajea, Avongrove and Mim tea gardens and six formulations have been recorded and collated. A total of 12 species of plants along with additive materials have been recorded for curing bone fracture related ailments. Detailed account of plant parts used, modes of preparations of dose and efficacy rate have been enumerated in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The present study had been undertaken to investigate the sociodemographic profile of individuals who had committed suicide in Sikkim which may throw light on the vulnerable groups. Materials and Methods: Ten-year suicide data (2006-2015) obtained from Police Headquarters, Crime Branch, Gangtok, have been statistically evaluated to study the sociodemographic profile. Results: The results showed that out of 1604 suicide cases recorded for the past 10 years, 1051 were males (65.5%) and 553 (34.5%) were females. Suicide was found to be common among the age group of 21-30 years (24.4%), Rai community (15.8%), population of rural areas (82.6%), and among the population of eastern districts (50.6%). Hanging (94.8%) was found to be the most common method adopted for suicide. Conclusion: The study provides preliminary information about the vulnerable groups for suicide in the state which may be vital for taking necessary steps for its prevention shortly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major objective of the present communication was to document the traditional knowledge regarding ethnomedicinal uses of different plant species and conservative lifestyle of the Lepcha community in Darjeeling and some parts of North Sikkim. Extensive field surveys were undertaken between 2006 (groundwork) and 2010 (comprehensive) in selected study sites of North Sikkim and Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India. Information was gathered using semi-structured formats, interviews, and group discussions. Lepchas have profound knowledge about the plants and animals in their surroundings and are reputed for their agelong traditions in herbal medicine. The present work brings into light 34 plant species from the ethno botanical survey among Lepcha people in Darjeeling district, West Bengal, India, which have multifarious uses. The major areas of their utilization include folk medicine. Present ethnobotanical survey among the Lepchas in North Sikkim, India brings into light 44 plant species that indigenous people use in medicinal purposes and the plants they use to make different domestic utensils and musical instruments. Based on our field investigations, it appears that habitat loss due to increasing anthropogenic activities has promoter greater damage towards bioresources diversity of the concerned study sites. Therefore, awareness and documentation of traditional knowledge is vitally important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sikkim has made steady and significant progress in educational sector and has been able to bridge the gender gap in literacy in the state and among Scheduled Tribe communities to a considerable extent. This improvement is evidently reflected in the marked improvement in the literacy rate of the state and Scheduled Tribes as well for both for male and female. The paper intends to unravel how has the Lepcha tribe responded to the educational expansion in terms of girls' education in Lingee-a village in South Sikkim. Based on enrolment and observation drawn from interview in the fieldwork, the paper observed that although the problem of retention and drop outs are still observed in high school level, the community began to show the traces of change in terms of perception towards girls' education in the village. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of ethnic minority peoples in Asia have long focussed on the relations between ethnic minority communities and the modern state and on the role of development in shaping these relations. This paper is concerned with how ethnic minorities respond to the state-led development. While there are numerous studies focussing on the collective agency of ethnic minorities opposing development projects, few studies consider the agency of pro-development actors. Pro-development actors are usually dismissed as co-opted, manipulated, inauthentic, or elite-driven, yet they can offer crucial insights into understanding state-ethnic minority relations and particularly intra-ethnic minority relations. This paper concentrates on pro-dam actors from the Lepcha minority in the Indian state of Sikkim to make four interlinked arguments. First, examining pro-development actors breaks the homogenous view of state-ethnic minority relations and shifts the focus to intra-ethnic relationships. Second, collective agency of ethnic minorities is not fixed in a particular relationship with the state nor does it have a particular position on development. Third, the long-term experience of development is vital in understanding how ethnic minorities manoeuvre and alter their position on contentious projects. Lastly, analysis of pro-development actors creates major dilemmas for researchers which are not easily overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]