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PEOPLE AND CULTURE
There are three
main ethnic, religious and linguistic groups and a dozen smaller
groups in Bhutan. Bhutan is a nation of immigrants and a
multi-religious, multi-cultural and multi-linguistic society.
Ngalungs/Ngalongs or
Ngalops
The Ngalungs or
Ngalops (often called Drukpas) ethnic group live in the
north-western region. They speak Dzonkha language and wear robe like
dresses. Their ancestors migrated from Tibet. They are called
Drukpas as they follow the Drukpa Kargyupa school of Tibetan
Buddhism. The king and royal family belong to this group.
Sharchops
The second ethnic
group is called Sharchops, who inhabit in eastern and
central region and practice Nyingmapa sect of Mahayana Buddhism and
belong to Tibeto-Burman ancestry. They speak Sharchopkha, Tsangla,
Kurteop, Kheng and Brokpa dialects. Their ancestry can be traced to
the tribes of northern Burma and northeast India.
Lhotshampas of Nepali Origin
The third ethnic
group is called Lhotshampas ( meaning Southern Bhutanese) of
Nepali origin. They live in six southern foothill districts, speak
Nepali language, practice mostly Hinduism and migrated from Nepal,
Darjeeling and Sikkim in India.
All three ethnic
groups migrated to Bhutan at different points of time in history.
There are other smaller ethnic groups having their own distinct
characteristics in terms of language, culture, religious practices
etc. They are Tibetans, Doyas, Khengs, Adivashis, Brokpas Monpa,
Gongduk Lhop/Doya, Kurteops. In terms of religion and faith,
Bhutanese people practise Hinduism, Christianity, Drukpa Kargyupa
and Nyingmapa sects of Buddhism and Animism.
Each ethnic group of
Bhutan have lived clustered together in separate regions. For
example, the Nepali-speaking Lhotshampas lived in southern
foothills, the Sharchops lived in eastern region and the Ngalungs or
Ngalops lived in north-western regions.
Bhutan’s population in
2000 was 677,934 according to the Yearbook
released
by the Central
Statistical Organization of the Royal
Government of Bhutan in
march 2002.
There are approximately
125,000
Bhutanese refugees living in Nepal and India.
In the eighties the
population figure was put at 1,165,800 and even increased to 1.4
to 1.8 million. The reason and the need for this inflated figure
could not be ascertained
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