ECOLOGICAL PRUDENCE OF THE LEPCHAS OF SIKKIM

摘要

While searching for new alternatives for evolving sustainable societies, the human efforts have begun venturing away from the western wisdom to explore the knowledge and traditions of tribal and other indigenous people. There are lessons, too important to be ignored, to be learnt from the Lepchas of Sikkim that will help in saving our earth and enriching our civilization. Living around Mount Kanchendzonga in Sikkim, Lepchas are a charming people with a fascinating lifestyle and a unique philosophy of their own. They are the true children of nature. To survive, like all natural societies of hunters and gatherers, they developed a pragmatic and caring attitude towards their environs. Their collective experience has taught them that nature is fragile and they cannot afford to be careless towards it. Hence, they have imposed a strict social and religious order upon themselves and their surroundings.