Monpas of Black Mountain Forest of Bhutan: A Study of Socio-Cultural Sensibility and Transition

Abstract

One small, isolated and less assimilated tribal stock inhabited at the Black Mountain forest of central Bhutan is identifi ed as Monpas. These people are certainly different than the Mon race that is spread out in various parts of the Himalaya. The Monpas of Bhutan possess their distinct identity with pre-Buddhist ethnic beliefs and often described as the aboriginal indigenous inhabitants of the country. A sharper focus on the internal life of Monpas, however, reveals that they have an integral social relation with mountains and the forests. They are not yet properly explored and there exists an urgent quest to bring them to national mainstream in on going development context of Bhutan. This fascinating field based investigation being fi rst research attempt in Monpas of Bhutan so far, has a direct relevance to the basic objective of promoting the understanding of society and environmental interaction of mountain communities of this very less known part of the Himalaya.

Key words: Tribal, indigenous, mountains, society, environment, interaction, relevance

The Himalayan Review

Vol. XXXVII, 2007

Page: 39-52