Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [34]
Along the southern border of Bhutan, immigrants from Nepal began settling in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They began clearing and cultivating the dense jungle and sought to break free from the rigid caste system of Nepal. They are called Lhotshampa (literally, ‘the people of the southern border’) and represent numerous Nepali-speaking ethnic groups – primarily Brahman, Chettri, Gurung, Rai and Limbu, but also Newars. They are mainly Hindu and form approximately 25% of the population.
In 1971, when Bhutan applied for UN membership, the population was estimated at just less than one million. No census data existed and government officials estimated the population as best they could, choosing to err on the high side in order to help gain world recognition. Over the years, this figure was adjusted upwards in accordance with estimates of Bhutan’s population-growth figures, finally reaching the 1.2 million figure. In some publications this total has even been listed at 2.3 million!
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A good website for additional information and news on Bhutan is www.bhutansearch.com.
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According to the 2005 Census, the current population of Bhutan is 672,425. The Census revealed that the number of urban dwellers has increased to 31%. As a result of a family-planning advocacy campaign the population growth rate is 1.3% per year, down from 3.1% in 1994, which was then one of the highest in the world. As in many non-industrialised countries, the high infant-mortality rate in the past induced people to have more children. With the introduction of better medical facilities, many more children now survive.
As a result of both improved infrastructure and rural–urban migration, 58% of the population now lives within an hour’s walk from the nearest motorable road. This marks a significant change from the last census when an estimated 80% of the population lived more than an hour’s walk from a road and as much as 50% lived more than one day of walking from a motorable road.
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LANGUAGES
There are 19 languages spoken in Bhutan. The Ngalong people speak Dzongkha, which became the national language in 1960. It is related to Tibetan, but is sufficiently different that Tibetans cannot understand it. Dzongkha is written in the same script as Tibetan, but the orthography has been made more Bhutanese.
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For more information on the languages of Bhutan see George Van Driem’s Dzongkha (1998), which contains a clear overview of the different languages spoken.
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Nepali is spoken amongst the Lhotshampa communities in the southern districts and is often spoken by northern Bhutanese. Nepali and English are the two most widely used lingua franca whenever Bhutanese have a communication problem. For more on Dzongkha, and language in Bhutan, Click here.
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DRIGLAM NAMZHA
The Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal established a code of etiquette for monastic and government officials. Over the centuries this system of etiquette spread to lay people. Called driglam namzha, the code of conduct specifies how to dress when visiting a dzong, the polite way to greet one’s boss and officials, the correct way to sit, eat and so forth. Many of the ceremonies one sees performed at the start of an official event (chipdrel, marchang), or an archery match are part of driglam namzha.
The government has actively promoted driglam namzha since 1989 in an attempt to preserve Bhutanese traditions, notably enforcing the requirement to wear gho and kira when visiting government offices, dzongs and temples.
Closely linked to driglam namzha, thadamthsi refers to the Bhutanese belief in respect towards ones’ parents, elders, and other members of the community. Based on the Buddhist teachings on devotion, thadamtshi is an important concept