Lepcha people
A Lepcha man in 1868 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 80,316 (2011) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| India (Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts, West Bengal | 76,871 (2011 census) |
| Nepal (Ilam District, Panchthar District and Taplejung District) | 3,445 (2011 census) |
| Bhutan (Samtse and Chukha districts) | N/A |
| China (Tibet region) | N/A |
| Languages | |
| Lepcha, Sikkimese (Dranjongke), Dzongkha, Nepali | |
| Religion | |
| Majority: Buddhism Minority: | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Bhutia, Limbu, Lhop, Other Sino-Tibetan people | |
The Lepcha (/ˈlɛptʃə/; also called Rongkup (Lepcha: ᰕᰫ་ᰊᰪᰰ་ᰆᰧᰶ ᰛᰩᰵ་ᰀᰪᰱ ᰛᰪᰮ་ᰀᰪᰱ, Mútuncí Róngkup Rumkup, "beloved children of the Róng and of God") and Rongpa (Sikkimese: རོང་པ)) are among the indigenous people of the Indian state of Sikkim as well as the bordering Darjeeling and Kalimpong in the state of West Bengal, and in the neighbouring country of Nepal. They number around 80,000. Many Lepcha are also found in western and southwestern Bhutan, Darjeeling, the Koshi Province of eastern Nepal, and in the hills of West Bengal. The Lepcha people are composed of four main distinct communities: the Renjóngmú of Sikkim; the Dámsángmú of Kalimpong, Kurseong, and Mirik; the ʔilámmú of Ilam District, Nepal; and the Promú of Samtse and Chukha in southwestern Bhutan.