Brokkat: The Cultural Significance of Buckwheat among the Brokkat-Speaking Community

Brief description

This documentation project was led by Sonam, a native Brokkat speaker from Dhur village, by means of a 2023 FLICR Fellowship awarded by the Centre for Cultural-Linguistic Diversity (Eastern Himalaya) (CCLD-EH). The FLICR program is co-directed by Yankee Modi and Mark W. Post, with Kellen Parker VanDam and Zilpha Modi as Associate Directors. This project was mentored by Yankee Modi and Tashi Tshewang (Bhutan Oral Literature Project), and funding was generously provided by the Firebird Foundation for Anthropological Research through a grant administered by the University of Sydney. Additional assistance with materials curation was provided by Aleisha Lam, Mark W. Post and Nick Ward. Sonam’s project documents the central role of buckwheat in the daily life, cuisine, and traditions of the Brokkat community of Dhur village (Chhoekhor Gewog, Bumthang District, central Bhutan) – a remote, high-altitude settlement historically home to semi-nomadic yak herders. Buckwheat, a resilient pseudo-cereal perfectly adapted to short growing seasons and poor, acidic soils, has been cultivated in Dhur for generations, and remains a cornerstone of local food security and cultural identity. Through high-quality audio-visual recordings, transcribed and English-translated text, and also photographs, Sonam has documented: • The complete cycle of buckwheat cultivation, harvesting, and processing in this area; • Traditional recipes and dishes made from buckwheat flour that have been handed down through the generations; • The crop’s deep integration into Brokkat rituals, ceremonies, and social life. In addition to its heritage importance to the Brokkat community and its linguistic importance as a record of an under-documented language, this project has potential to contribute to broader studies of productive strategies and crop diversity in the Himalayan region. About the Language Brokkat (ISO 639-3: bro; Glottocode: brok1249), also known as Brok-kha, Brokskad, Bjokha, or Jokay (Dzongkha: བྲོཀ་ཁ་), is a Southern Tibetic (Trans-Himalayan) language spoken by a small community of approximately 300 people. It belongs to the Central Bodish subgroup and is closely related to Dzongkha (Bhutan’s national language), Lakha, Brokpa, and Chocangacakha. Classified as severely endangered, Brokkat is still spoken fluently by most adults. However, transmission to children is rapidly declining, as younger generations shift to dominant regional languages such as Bumthangkha or Dzongkha. The language has no literary tradition and is not used in education.