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Early records suggest scattered clusters of
inhabitants had already settled in Bhutan when the first recorded
settlers arrived 1400 years ago. Bhutan’s indigenous population is
the Drukpa. Three main ethnic groups, the Sharchops, Ngalops and
the Lhotshampas, make up today’s Drukpa with the total population of
752700 (seven hundred fifty two thousand and seven hundred only)
Bhutan’s earliest residents, the
Sharchops, reside predominantly in eastern Bhutan. Their origin can be
traced to the tribes of north Burma and northeast India. The Ngalops
migrated from the Tibetan plains and are the importers of Buddhism to the
kingdom. Most of the Lhotshampas migrated to the southern plains in search
of agricultural land and work in the early 20th century. More than 90% of
the people live on subsistence farming, scattered in sparsely populated villages
across the rugged terrain of the Himalayas.
The geography of the land
kept each ethnic group separate until the middle of this century when
roads were built between the east and the west. As a result, the
Sharchops have retained their influence over the east, while the Ngalops
predominate in the west, and the Nepalese have retained their homes in
the south of Bhutan.
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