Empowerment of Women- A Case Study in North Sikkim Among the Lachenpa
Sanchita Ghatak
Abstract
Women’s Empowerment has emerged as an important issue in the last decade of the 20th Century. The study focuses on the process and nature of modernization in Lachenpa society in North Sikkim and its impact on the role and position of the Lachenpa women.
The Lachenpa, a group of Bhutia, inhabit in the higher altitude and lead a semi-nomadic life as their traditional occupation trade and pastoralism. After the sealing of the border as a result of the Chinese aggression, their occupational character had changed to agro-pastoralism.
The position of Lachenpa women in different activities shows that economically they have heavy demand. In agriculture, pastoral and garden-economy, women play a vital role.
Again the position of women in the society is better. She attains a prime role in household work and has deep involvement in the ritual activities. Prevalence of bride price also shows the importance of women in their society. Polyandry marriage by service shows the importance of women in the society, though polyandry has now become obsolete in their society due to the impact of modernization.
Women cannot inherit any property. In the sphere of religion Lachenpa women are quite backward and in political sphere the status of women are very low.
It denotes that women are important in their socio-cultural activities but in socio-political or religious sphere they are still dominated by the men. But empowerment in real sense will make a society where power sharing is almost equal.
______
Sanchita Ghatak, Anthropological Survey of India, 27 Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Kolkata - 700 016.Res: 12/1/G Chanditala Lane, P.O. Regent Park, Kolkata-700040.
9433203519(m)
The year 2001 has been declared as the "International Women's Empowerment Year" by the United Nations. Again the year 2001 has been declared as the" Women's Empowerment Year" in India. During the last sixties, the concept of empowerment became very important in the field of development studies. Empowerment has deferent meaning in the development field, in general, it implies the equal distribution of power between those who have more power and who have less power.
Sikkim, comparatively small in size but beautiful, is situated in the Eastern Himalaya. Three main groups, Lepchas, Bhutias and Nepalese, are the main groups of people to make up the population of Sikkim.
Lachenpa, a Bhutia group came from Paro in Bhutans, lives in Lachen village in North Sikkim district. Here an attempt has been taken to study the position of the Lachenpa women.
I have visited Lachenpa village from the year 1969 when I was a student in Calcutta University (Geography) and after that I have an attraction to this village. Once in a year or two I use to visit this village. After joining in An.S.I in 1973 I have taken several projects in Sikkim and use to come in this village. Especially I have worked on Lachenpa community also. Beside official tour I also use to come to Sikkim especially in Lachen. My last visit was in the year 2004. So for the last 35 years I use to come here. This paper is based on those data and experiences.
From the point of view of analysis the activities of Lachenpa women are broadly divided into two heads (a) Socio-cultural activities and (b) Socio-political activities.
Socio-Cultural Activities:
In this group mainly two sub-division can be made (i) economic activities and (ii) social activities
Economic activities : Within Lachenpa community women folk are considered as the most important economic asset. Lachenpas are inhabited in the higher altitude and need a semi-nomadic life, as their traditional occupations was trade and pastoralism. After the sealing of border as a result of the Chinese aggression, their occupational character changes to agro-pastoralism.
In the agricultural economy woman have an important role. About 80% of the women folk are involved in agricultural activities as labourer. They supply the major man power in the agricultural field. It starts from preparing agricultural beds, repairing bunds of the field, soil crushing, manuring, sowing, weeding, irrigation to the field, harvesting, preservation of seeds and also the marketing of the product. Women are involved more in agricultural work than the men folk.
But the decision making power always goes to the men. Pipon, the Panchayet head declared the date of starting of the sowing season in the hill slopes. As here the altitude varies to a great extent, the sowing is not same at different altitude. It varies according to the height, but actually when it will be start, is announced by the Pipon only consulting with his members who are all male members. The main agricultural product here is potato.
Another most important economy of the Lachanpa is pastoral economy. Yak, sheep, goat are the main herds of them. Yak and sheep are important and denotes status symbol in this high altitude zone. Again in this economy it is marked that milching and preparation of the milk products are done mainly by the women. Before the day break, the milching is done by the women. Again it is done in the evening before the sun set when the cattle return from the pasture by men and boys. Milk is preserved by the women also. Butter is prepared only by the women. It is salted. Again they prepare soft cheeses.
Women collect the Yak-dungs and used as fuel and fertiliser. Lachenpas have a cottage industries i.e. carpets. They always utilize other avenue for self employment. Women are employed in making carpets, blankets, scrolls, with painting of Lord Buddha's, eight religious symbols of Buddhism etc. Sikkimese cap and woolen shoes are special items. Raw materials of these are wool, mainly collect from Yak and Sheep. In the Autumn, after a spell of dry weather, the flocks are driven through a stream or lake to clean their wool and then are sheared and packed into bales. This are coloured with vegetable dyes which are collected by the women from the forest. Both men and women are engaged in this process of colouring.
In Lachen they have centers for carpet and blanket weaving running by SICI(Sikkim Institute of Cottage Industry). They also prepare leather shoes, tent, cap and gloves. Yak skin is an important raw material for these. These are also prepared by women. The bones of Yaks are used for making show-pieces and ornaments.
Storing of hay is an essential economy in the pastoral economy. Herds are fed on hay from the month of December to April. These are collected after rainy season by men and women both. Usually at the end of August they are busy for cutting grasses near the villages. Again immediately after the harvest of potatoes and vegetables, grasses and weeds are cut dried, tied bundles and store in the roof top. These are all done by the women.
Lachenpas have their Lee (apple) garden. Women look after fruit trees. It is the women's duty to pluck the fruits in time. They also collect roots, vegetables, fuel and fodder for daily use from the forest.
Lachenpa women also run small business, they use the front room of their house as Tea Stall or Grocery or Stationary Shop.
By the integrated rural development program and Allied Program the women are also helped in self earning through poultry farming, piggery and goatery and rearing of cows.
So in the economic activity women have a great role undoubtedly.
Social activities : Again in social activities, the position of Lachenpa women is better. She manages her family in all affairs. She has an important role in the household work. Regarding food, she is all in all i.e. from selection of items, preparation of those and distribution of all, and also preservation purpose. She has also quite high position regarding the family affairs. Child care is fully given to her. Her training to the children is very vital. She cleans and decorate the house. She is entertaining guests and relatives in her house. She prepares home made liquor (Chang). From dawn to evening, she either busy with household work or going to the field to the agriculture/ forest collection/ etc.
Lachenpa women have a great position in the family. At the time of her daughter's marriage, here mother gets the milk price which comprises specially one Khada (scarf), a pot of Chang (local drink) and other commodities. Mothers gives milk in childhood, so when daughter goes to her in-laws house, her in-laws pay this milk price. Again here they have no dowry system, instead they have bride price. Parents of the daughter get cash and kinds from the groom's side. Here marriage by service is in practice within Lachenpa. After the negotiation for marriage, there is a custom that the would be husband will stay in her father-in-law's house for one to two years when he will give free service to them. If they are satisfied and think that he will be able to keep their daughter properly, then the marriage will be settled. Otherwise it will be canceled. Though he may stay with his would be wife in that period. This shows that women are well placed in their society.
The traditional system of marriage in this society is polyandry. In the time of Chougyal this polyandry marriage was in a large scale among the Lanchenpa but now it's occurrence is very less. In my last visit in 2002 - 2003 only a few cases of polyandry (3-4 cases) I had noticed. Women place the very important role in this polyandrious society. In a family wife stays few month in the higher altitude with one husband in their pastoral work. Again she came down in lower altitude and stay with other husband in their agricultural work. Here everybody has dual house- one in higher altitude and other in the middle or lower altitude.
Regarding properties women has no right in this society. They can not inherit the properties. Inheritance by woman as a rule denied by Lachenpa Customary Law. The possibilities of women inheriting properties arises only if there is no other male heir available, various forms of inheritance are indicated by which even distant male relatives may inherit properties women are not entitled to sell, transfer, or mortgage the property of her late husband also. Indian Hindu Laws of succession, inheritance are not applicable to the Lachenpa of Sikkim. It is because the laws have not been extended or enforced in Sikkim even after it’s merger into the Indian Union in 1975. So they are still governed and guided by their customary laws.
Again in the field of religion or religious activity, women have no right to become a Lama. From each family one son goes to the monastery to become Lama, but in any family if they have no son, daughter can not go there. She has no role in religious teaching, she can not enjoy any role in performing birth, marriage or death rites. But she can enter in the monastery. In Lachen there is one separate monastery for aged women. They should have more than fifty years and after the marriage of her son usually mother-in-law used to go to this monastery in the morning with her raw food and stay the whole day in the monastery and return in the evening. There is no rule to stay here at night, though in the Lachen Monastery where women has no right in performing any puja, men, i.e. Lamas stay throughout the year. In this monastery they have different festivals, where women cannot participate in any dance or chanting mantras or biting the drums or playing any musical instruments. In no case she is made a priest. So in the religious sphere women have no role.
In this village woman has no role in confirmation of theft, guilt etc.
Socio political activities:
In Lachen village the political sphere is different. Here there is a stratification of three-tire political system. These are (i) Parliament (ii) Assembly and (iii) Local Panchayet.
The local village Panchayet which is called Jhumsa is very powerful, one. In every sphere of the society Jhumsa control the village, as for example if any guest, government official, visitors etc. enter in the village Jhumsa will take care of them. From the district head office one permit is given and the head of the Jhumsa called Pipon is responsible for arranging all. This Pipon is like the chief minister of the village. He enjoys many power. From each family of the village one person enjoys voting right for selecting Pipon and other board members of the Jhumsa. But here also woman has no power of voting. If in a family there is widow, the voting right will go to her son, even he is young one. All these show decision making power is given to the men only but not to the women. Woman has no right to elect or to become a Pipon or board member of Jhumsa though they have right to elect or to become a member in Parliament or in Assembly.
It shows woman has no power to giving decision on land related problem, divorce or rotation period of grazing land and also period of movement at the time of grazing, slowing and harvesting period of different crops in different altitude, collection of fire-wood, its area and period, etc. etc. which are all decided by the Pipon, head of he Jhumsa a male member only.
Its shows in religious sphere the Lachenpa woman are quite backward and in political sphere the status of woman is very low. It may be due to the illiteracy, they have lack of interest and lack of time in political and religious environment. For higher education there is specific quota of scholarship for the Lachenpa women students.
From the above discussion it may be argued that the question of gender discrimination has socio-economic cultural and political significance. The existing political process is not conductive to women empowerment. Empowerment in real sense will make a society where power sharing is almost equal. Empowerment requires a distinct role for women in the formulation of policies and influencing decision making process by integrating them into the political system.
1