Tracing back my roots

SUHI LEPCHA AND AFLENG LEPCHA

Suhi Lepcha is most probably from Lingdong or Barfok. He was a boongthing. He was short in height. He is also known to be a good orator/ debator sort of. It is known that the ladies from Lingthem gathered together to debate against him and they always lost. He was very articulate and was probably the first person in Leek to learn Nepali (Nepalis had just started coming in Dzongu) It is said that he used to be a translator/mediator because of articulation skills in the village. 

Afleng Lepcha, his wife is from Linko, she is a very renowned ‘mun’ She used to be called by people to take care of dead sprits and lead them to the promised land, and in one of such visit she happened to come across a small girl child whose mother had passed away giving birth to her (Mika Lepcha’s Mother) She after the last rite decided to take care of the child and brought her to Leek. [She later gave the child to Tangdeng Lepcha and his wife (Payelmoo Nikung)] Payelmoo Nikung is from RUHUBONG, SINGHIK.

Since Suhi Lepcha and Afleng Nikung had no children of their own, they had adopted Tangdeng Lepcha.

They had a daughter who got married in Karhyok ( lower lingthem ) her daughter got married in Sakvong ( Chong famtam – Between Phensong and Phodong ) and her daughter got married and is settled in present day Chandey.

They also had an adopted daughter who is in Lingdong. She is married to Rungdokchen. She is almost the age of Mika Lepcha’s real mother. Rungdokchen is no more though and their present day house is slightly above Agya Dubu’s house in Lingdong.

AFAR ( DOWRY )

Getting married in Lepcha tradition involved the son family to adhere to rigorous rules to win the trust of the daughter's parents and herself. This system was called AFAR. The son in law had to request the parents for the girls hand along with many gifts ( dokos of brewed millet, dumvuns for the ladies, an entire pig, arok and many other customary gifts ) Besides the son in law had to spend the next 2-3 years in the girls house and help the family in their work.

This custom proved too expensive for most Lepchas and therefore a lot of boys and girls never married. The widows and spinsters had the opportunity of remarrying again, but by now the equation would have changed and therefore wouldn't require all that AFAR for it to happen. They therefore either married each other or the boys and girls who couldn't because of the AFAR system. This also meant that most of them would have already crossed their re-productive age. Due to this system they, to continue their family would adopt sons from elsewhere or their married brothers and sisters who would carry forward their heritage and property.