Lepchas of Sikkim

We met the matriarch after a huffing and puffing trip up the pine forests to reach the abode of the Lepcha tribe. It would be wrong to say we met her; she walked out to talk to us in her tongue with our guide translating. She is beautiful, isn't she?

The word Lepcha is derived from the Nepalese word lepche meaning "vile speakers" or "inarticulate speech” - the name has stuck now and no longer means what it was intended to. The tribe call themselves Rongpa (dwellers in the steep country). Tribesmen inhabit mountain peaks, live close to nature and are primarily Buddhists.

 

This is how the trek uphill goes - Starting from Dharap, first we meet the Limboo, then the Gurung and then the Lepcha tribes.