16 Days Nomad Tour

Myth of Origin

This journey will take you all the way to the east of Bhutan to visit the Brokpa communities in Merak and Sakteng. According to the Brokpa’s oral history, the semi-nomads came to Bhutan from Tibet. The myth of origin narrates that a despotic king ordered his Brokpa subjects to cut off a  mountain top because it blocked the morning sun from shining into his palace. During this grueling task a woman named Aum Jomo sang that it
would be indeed easier to cut off the king‘s head instead. The people who heard this went ahead and murdered the despotic king. Forced into exodus the Brokpa had to flee, led by Aum Jomo and the Guru Lam Jarepa. They brought with them scores of religious texts, their form of Mahayana Buddhism, and their distinct culture and language. To this day Aum Jomo is the protector deity of the Brokpa and believed to reside on Jomo Kukhar mountain.

Livestyle

The Brokpa people are semi-nomadic yak herders who have lived largely in isolation since arriving to Bhutan. Several of their villages, like Sakteng, Tengma, and Borang Tse, did not have road access until recently. As a result of their remote position in the country, the Brokpa’s language and customs are very unique to other Bhutanese ethnic groups. The Brokpa raise yak and sheep and embark on yearly migrations to barter butter, cheese, wool and meat with the people of lower regions (transhumance). In return they get rice, maize and other essentials. They also move with their yaks to warmer regions in the winter and higher pastures during summer.