Uttarakhand Bhotiya

Uttarakhand Bhotiya are an ethno-linguistic group of people residing in the upper Himalayan valleys of the Kumaon and Garhwal divisions of Uttarakhand state, India and in Darchula district, Nepal. These include the Shaukas of Kumaon and Tolchhas and Marchhas of Garhwal. Their name, Bhotiya, derives from the word Bod (བོད་), which is the Classical Tibetan name for Tibet. Bhotiya is the name used by the Constitution of India, throughout Nepal and by most people of the area. The name Bhutia is also sometimes used, though it more commonly refers to the Sikkimese people.

The Bhotiya speak Almora and other languages belonging to the Tibeto-Burman family, although their dialects are mutually unintelligible to the Kumaoni and Tibetan people. Owing to the social process of Sanskritization, many of them have intermarried with the Hindus over the years. Most of the Bhotiya practice a combination of Tibetan Buddhism, Bön, and Hinduism, although Hinduism is prevalent among the earlier semi-Indian groups, while Buddhism is prevalent among the recent immigrant groups of purer Tibetan origin, such as the Jadh.

Hindu gods such as the weather god Gabla, Runiya, and Suniya, are worshiped to protect their animals from disease. Sidhuwa and Bidhuwa are worshiped to find lost animals.

Groups within the Bhotiya of Uttarakhand include:

The isolated Rangkas tribe has a population of 600 and is found in the outskirts of the Mahakali valley. According to Ethnologue, the Rangkas are ethnically related or are of the Johar tribe.

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