The Bumthangpa or Bumthang people are an ethnic group of central Bhutan primarily living in the four main valleys, namely Ura, Chumey, Tang and Choekhor in Bumthang district.[2] They speak the Bumthangkha or Bumthang language, a member of the extended Sino-Tibetan language family. It is mutually intelligible with the Kheng language to the south and also to some extent with the Kurtöp language to the north.[3] Linguist van Driem postulated that Khengkha, Bumthangkha, and Kurtöpkha are dialects of what he calls "a single Greater Bumthang" language.
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 30,000+[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Central Bhutan (Bumthang,Trongsa, Kurtoe or Lhuntse, and Zhemgang) | |
| Languages | |
| Bumthangkha or Khengkha, Dzongkha | |
| Religion | |
| Buddhism, Bon | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Kheng, Ngalop, Sharchops |
Bumthangpa are ethnolinguistically same as the Kheng people and Kurtöp people of central Bhutan. They are devoted followers of Tibetan Buddhism and the Nyingma tradition is widely practised across the region. A renowned 14th century Buddhist saint, Pema Lingpa, was born in Bumthang.[4] Similarly, there are a number of secular and religious noble families, of which the Dung family is the oldest.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Lewis, M. Pau,l ed. (2009). "Bumthangkha". Ethnologue. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ TCB, TCB. "Bumthang". Tourism Council of Bhutan. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ van Driem, George (1994). Language policy in Bhutan. In Michael Aris and Michael Hutt (ed) Bhutan: Aspects of Culture and Development (PDF). Gartmore: Kiscadale Publications. pp. 87–106. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ Aris, Michael (1988). Hidden Treasures and Secret Lives: A Study of Pemalingpa (1450- 1521) and the Sixth Dalai Lama (1683-1706). London: Keagan Paul. ISBN 0-7103-0328-9. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ Ardussi, John (2004). "he Gdung Lineages OF Central & Eastern Bhutan–A Reappraisal OF THEIR Origin, Based ON Literary Sources. In Ura, Karma & Sonam Kinga (eds) The Spider and the Piglet" (PDF). The Centre for Bhutan Studies: 60-72. Retrieved 20 June 2022.