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Bhutan

Culture & Identity

Way of Life

Bhutan's government has made a very conscious effort to preserve the historic culture and way of life in Bhutan and for the most part they have succeeded. However, this historic culture and way of life is based primarily on only one ethnic group so many of the cultural aspects of the minorities are slowly dying.

There are similarities across the groups though, beginning with the heavy dependence on agriculture and the heavily rural population. Nearly two thirds of the people in Bhutan live in rural areas and nearly half work in the agricultural sector. For these people life is based on the lands and the way of life is dictated by weather, seasons, and the sun. Often times this is a family affair as families join in to help during busy seasons. Neighbors and community are also of utmost importance. Many farms are small as the mountains limit the fertile lands, and little heavy machinery exists so it's difficult to farm large plots. In this way the people live close together and rural communities are important.

About a third of the population lives in cities, many of whom are in the capital of Thimphu. Life in the city tends to have a more regular routine based on time, not mother nature. Many people work from about 9:00 am to about 5:00 pm, giving them a regular schedule, but this varies, even in the cities. Likewise, schools give some schedule to the people's way of life, but again there are variations.

Despite the schedules of people in Bhutan, and the fact that many occupations take up the bulk of one's time, life is still about family, community, and culture. This is obvious in much of the country, but due to laws regarding dress and lifestyle, sometimes the true people are not seen. Although in public uniformity often dominates, in the homes traditions rule in the form of dress, language, foods, and lifestyle. It is this culture, tradition, and history that is passed down from generation to generation and is at the heart of the culture.

Ethnicity

The people of Bhutan are ethnically diverse, with nearly half the population consisting of Ngalops or Bhotes, a group closely related to the Tibetans and who live primarily in the northern and western part of the country. Sometimes the ethnic Sharchop are also considered "Bhotes" on a cultural level, however are ethnically distinct as the Sharchops have numerous genetic connections with the people of Southeast Asia in addition to the Tibetans. The next ethnic group of note is the Nepalese people, most of who belong to the sub-group Lhotsampas; many of these people live in the southern part of the country and they are most closely related to other Nepalese peoples. There are numerous other small ethnic groups within Bhutan, many of whom are related to the Ngalops or Bhotes.

Language

Dzongkha is the only official language in Bhutan and is natively spoken by about a quarter of the population, most of whom are Ngalops or Bhotes; Dzonghka is a southern Tibetan language written in the Tibetan script. Sharchokha (or tshangla) is actually the most populous language spoken and is a again a Tibetan language. The other half of the population natively speaks Lhotshamkha and other languages; Lhotshamkha is a language also found in Nepal; it falls in the Indo-Aryan language family and is similar to many northern Indian languages.

As the official language, Dzongkha is learned by most of the people and is often times the language of communication between groups although in some parts of the country no one speaks this language natively so there is little motivation to learn it. English and other popular international languages are spoken in much smaller numbers. Very few people learn these languages and many of the people who do work in the tourist industry or government.

Religion

About three quarters of Bhutan's population is Lamaistic Buddhist, including most of the ethnic Bhotes and Sharchops. Among the last quarter, most of the people are Hindi, most commonly among ethnic Nepalese.

Buddhism is a religion or philosophy that encourages people to strive for enlightenment. Adherents believe that each being is reborn until enlightenment is reached, at which time they escape the cycle of birth and death. To accomplish this, every being must speak, act, and live in a positive manner; this is magnified with the force of karma, which dictates an individual's later life and/or their rebirth.

Dress

The Bhutanese government and most of the people are very proud of their culture and they strictly protect it. You should help them in that goal by respecting their local customs and dressing in a manner consistent with their goals, but not identical to the locals.

The Bhutanese wear a national outfit, called driglam namzha, which is in many ways a country-wide dress code that requires all people dress in this traditional way during daylight hours. The men wear a robe called a gho that falls to about their knees while women wear a blouse and large cloth, which together appear to be a full length dress called a kira. These clothes tend to be in tans or browns with simple designs, although the women tend to dress more colorfully. Both men and women also wear scarves, which for the men indicate their rank or status in society.

However, tourists, who only arrive on organized tours, are not expected to dress as the locals do and are free to wear just about anything so long as it does not show too much skin; you should also avoid scarves so you don't offend anyone by wearing the wrong color to indicate a rank you don't have. Generally, any western clothing is acceptable so long as it covers your elbows and knees and isn't too tight. This is especially true when visiting temples and other holy sites, when full length shirts and pants are encouraged, going all the way to the ankles and wrists.

Behavior

The Bhutanese are somewhat conservative in most aspects of their lives partially due to their Buddhist faith, which preaches modesty. The people are also somewhat isolated so are not well aware of outside customs and traditions, meaning what you may consider normal, may be interpreted as offensive by the Bhutanese. Fortunately, curiosity often trumps offence in the country and the people are rarely outgoing enough to question your poor behaviors.

Most importantly, try to be modest and respectful; in other words, avoid sensitive conversation topics, such as politics, finances, religion, and business unless initiated by your local counterpart. This is particularly true in regards to the government as speaking out against the royal family or the political situation in the country is frowned upon. Also try to avoid being loud, rude, showing off wealth, or getting noticeably drunk in public.

Although nearly everyone who visits Bhutan does so with a tour guide who will assist you in how to act, if in the presence of Hindus be sure to avoid beef as cows are sacred in Hinduism.

Identity

The government of Bhutan is trying to link the national identity to the identity of the country's ethnic majority, the Ngalops or Bhotes, and the Dzongkha language, which is only spoken by about a quarter of the population. Their efforts have been quite successful and the two are defined in many of the same ways, however this is only acceptable due to the help of the Dzongkha-speaking people, many of whom run the country. This "Bhutanese" identity is theoretically a politically-defined term, but due to pressure, it is also based on ethnicity, language, and numerous aspects of the local culture including dress and food, both of which are being pushed on the people no matter their ethnicity.

The ethnic minorities in the country obviously protest this national identity, or at least how it is defined in terms of ethnicity, language, dress, and food, so more and more strongly identify with their ethnicity or on another local level. These minority groups are numerous and each tends to identify with their local language, dress, food, and other cultural aspects attached to defining each individual ethnicity or region.

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This page was last updated: November, 2013