A Dukpa woman. Picture by Anirban Chowdhury

Alipurduar June 27: A Cultural Research Institute (CRI) team will set out for the deepest recesses of the Buxa hills to film the fascinating facets of the lives of the little known Dukpa tribe.

Just back from an ethnographic study, Manash Kamal Choudhury and five members of the CRI, a research wing of Backward Classes’ Welfare Department, spoke of their decision to document the way of life of the tribe.

“The Dukpa in Buxa hills think they are Bhutanese even though they live within the Indian territory because they have more links with Bhutan than India,” said Choudhury, the director of the CRI.

The community, limited to the four high-altitude villages of Sadarbazar (2,000 ft), Lal Bungalow (2,800 ft), Lepchakha (2,300 ft) and Chunabhatti (2,500 ft), is so remote and inaccessible that they are deprived of almost all kinds of basic necessities like education, sanitation, health assistance and pure drinking water, Choudhury said.

“Though their social structure is rather simple, they have elaborate death rituals,” he added.

This is the first time that a documentary on the Dukpa community is being filmed.

“There are many ethnographists who do not have a clear idea about the Dukpas of Buxa and there are very few books on them. After the completion of the film people will come to know about this particular community. The community, too, will be benefited. All aspects of the community’s life, like marriage, funeral, spiritual activities, their food habits and their dress will be chronicled in the documentary,” he said.

The film, which will provide an insight into their hidden world, can also be used as a tool to ensure that the dwindling race does not face extinction.

The Dukpas have lived a very isolated existence. They suffer from severe malnutrition. Without health facilities, skin diseases and tuberculosis are widespread. The mortality rate among infants and children is also high. This is primarily because they do not understand the necessity of personal hygiene,” Choudhury said.

Buxa, with its flora and fauna and immense natural beauty, is fast turning out to be a popular tourist destination.

Speaking of ways in which the community could benefit from tourism, Choudhury said Dukpas could find employment as guides and porters for the tourists who visited the region.

“Buxa is a beautiful place. But, to attract tourists, we need good roads. The forest department should develop the area because the land, inhabited by the community, is within the Buxa Tiger Reserve over which the forest department has jurisdiction,” he said.

“If that does not happen, the community will have to continue its struggle to survive,” he added.