The Lepcha, Children of the Snowy Peak

In the forested valleys of Sikkim and the Darjeeling hills, beneath the sacred snows of Kangchenjunga, live the Lepcha, the indigenous people of the eastern Himalaya. Calling themselves Mutanchi Rong Kup, “the beloved children of the snowy peak,” and believing themselves created from the pure snows of the great mountain, they are among the most ancient and nature-bound peoples of the region.

Renowned for their unrivalled knowledge of the forest, their own Róng language and script, and their reverence for the sacred land of Mayel Lyang, the Lepcha have preserved a distinctive culture even as newcomers made them a minority in their own homeland. This article traces their origins, language, homeland, society, religion, and traditions, and the story of an ancient forest people of the Himalaya.