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Collection ID CCLD09
Title Brokkat: The Cultural Significance of Buckwheat among the Brokkat-Speaking Community
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.
Archive link https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/repository/CCLD09
Collector
Sonam
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Operator Nick Ward
Originating university University of Sydney
Countries
Bhutan - BT
India - IN
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Languages
Brokkat - bro
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Region / village Dhur village
DOI 10.26278/8anc-g433
Cite as Sonam (collector), 2023. Brokkat: The Cultural Significance of Buckwheat among the Brokkat-Speaking Community. Collection CCLD09 at catalog.paradisec.org.au [Open Access]. https://dx.doi.org/10.26278/8anc-g433

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Access information
Edit access Nick Ward
Mark W. Post and Yankee Modi
Mark Post
Data access conditions Open (subject to agreeing to PDSC access conditions)
Data access details
Items in Collection (93)

Item Title Actions
00 Photos View
01 Buckwheat pancake's recipe View
02 Making mounds View
03 Buckwheat liquor View
04 Buckwheat flour recipes View
05 Burning a buckwheat field View
06 Usages of buckwheat flour for religious purposes View
07 Usages of buckwheat flour for traditional offerings View
08 Kingmar buckwheat bartering system View
09 Metallic objects on buckwheat threshing carpets View
10 Fallow period durations View
11 Keeping buckwheat in fields for several months in the past View
12 Uses of buckwheat straw View
13 Gün drung buckwheat View
14 Ser ngö buckwheat View
15 First slice of buckwheat pancake View
16 Omens depicted on buckwheat pancakes View
17 Bountiful harvest of buckwheat indicates an omen View
18 Interest rates for borrowed buckwheat View
19 Offerings to a local deity in the past View
20 Mythical beliefs around sowing buckwheat View
21 A pan used to make buckwheat pancakes View
22 Signs that it is time to sow buckwheat View
23 Songs sung during the threshing of buckwheat View
24 Buckwheat-chili bartering system View
25 Buckwheat-mustard oil bartering system View
26 Buckwheat-pepper bartering system View
27 Buckwheat-tinned oil bartering system View
28 Excavation of a charred buckwheat field View
29 Making a drain above the buckwheat crop View
30 Dragging tree branches over a buckwheat field View
31 Procedure for making a buckwheat pancake View
32 Procedure for making buckwheat noodles using a wooden machine View
33 Procedure for crafting ritual offerings from buckwheat flour View
34 Description of the buckwheat plant View
35 Fodder from sweet buckwheat View
36 Recipes from sweet buckwheat View
37 Seeds from the sky View
38 Timing of sowing and harvesting sweet buckwheat View
39 Buckwheat flour-butter bartering system View
40 Buckwheat flour flatbreads View
41 Cooked buckwheat flour dough for warding off evil spirits View
42 Cooked buckwheat flour dough for consumption View
43 Lag ri puta View
44 Raw buckwheat flour dough View
45 The uses of dried cow dung View
46 Protecting buckwheat from birds View
47 Puffed buckwheat View
48 Harvesting of buckwheat View
49 Winnowing buckwheat groats View

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