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INDIA

The European
Brokpa Tribe
from the Indian
Himalayas

by Murli Menon
The experience of landing at Moonland Tourist At the Tourist Bungalow, I kept insisting that I
Bungalow – my home at Leh for three weeks, was a vegan and not consuming or using any
sums up the landscape. The experience of products of animal origin. The caretaker’s
landing at Leh airport and walking down to this immediate question to me was, “Are you an
traditional Ladakhi guesthouse, a kilometre Aryan?” When I replied I was from Kerala, the
away, was like what the first visitors to the moon caretaker explained to me that in Leh, there
may experience. Large tracts of barren land, were a handful of villages where pure European
craggy rocks, and mountains stretch from one Brokpa Aryans lived. These European Brokpa
end of the horizon to the other. The chilly Aryans did not rear cows or hens and did not
September morning greeted us and the endless consume milk or any milk products, besides not
warm cups of herbal infusion, prepared by eating eggs, fish, or meat. As these villages were
Mohammed Rasool, the caretaker of the tourist in inaccessible areas, surrounded by barren hills
bungalow, where I stayed, was the nectar I and at heights of over 15,000 feet, very few
needed throughout my stay in Ladakh.
outsiders had visited or stayed at length with
these European Brokpa Aryans.

My objectives at Leh were to address

coordinators and teachers of the Education
Department on “Learning through Stories can be
fun.” Being a strict vegan (no animal products
including wool, leather, meat, milk, milk
products, or eggs), I planned to face the biting
cold with canvas shoes, cotton jackets and
cotton earplugs. I also planned some high-
altitude solo treks, armed with apricots, walnuts,
and assorted dry fruits. I also carried herbal
infusion for improving immunity. Only
biodegradable stuff would accompany me on
this eco-tourism trek. My meditation tapes,
mobile and digital camera were neatly packed
into my rucksack.

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 As I had planned to trek around Leh for twelve
weeks, I spent six weeks studying the secret
lives of these pure European Brokpa Aryans. I
maintained a detailed diary of my visit and
would like to share my experience with one of
the most fascinating tribes in India. My
destinations were the villages of Dah and
Beama in the Leh district and the villages of
Garkon and Darchik in Kargil district. I planned
to trek and visit the most inaccessible pockets
of these villages and spend quality time with
this historic tribe.

We rose early and started our jeep safari at

7:00 a.m. The journey was as pleasurable as
the destination. The 130 km. the drive took us
through the villages of Khalatse (pronounced
Khalsi), Dumkhar, Skurbuchan, Achinathang,
and Hanuthang. We crossed several tall peaks
before reaching Beama (14,350 feet). Every
photograph we clicked en route resembled a
picture postcard. The first glimpse of the
Indus, from miles away, was a very spiritual
experience. A peck of light blue amidst sand
dunes, rocks, and stone. It resembled a stream
nestling in the palm of nature’s hand. The
closer we got to the river, the more beautiful it
looked. We finally arrived at Beama, after a
seven-hour drive along the Indus. The ice-
cold bath on the turbulent waters of this river
steeped in history calmed my body, mind, and
soul. The tranquillity experienced while
meditating on its banks, on a bed of round
pebbles resembling marbles, cannot be
described in words.

Flocks of women checked my bags as I got

out of my vehicle. There is a self-imposed
prohibition in these Brok-Pa (Ladakhi word for
European Brokpa Aryan or white skin) villages.
The sarpanch had empowered the womenfolk
to ensure that no alcohol was brought from
Leh by locals, tourists, or outsiders. After a
thorough frisking of my bag by three women
resembling Greek Goddesses, they let me
enter the PWD (People’s Work Department)
Guest House.

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Here I met my first European Brokpa Aryan, The next day morning, I was summoned to
the (watchman, who went by the name of the chief’s house for a purification ritual. I had
Sonam Thondup. He knew a smattering of to trek 10 km over mountain streams, rock,
English and the communication was also and stone to reach the chief’s house.
through a combination of sign language, body Thondup had sent two tough-looking escorts
language, eye movements, and facial who accompanied me to the top. It took us
expressions,
almost two hours to reach Lavishing – the
sarpanch’s village. The landscape changed
I tried to create a rapport with this hostile and a canopy of green could be seen. Walnut
European Brokpa Aryan, who told me in no and apricot trees stretched across the
uncertain terms that my visit to Dah in horizon and the fields were full of grain,
September was not welcome. I was the only ready to be harvested.

occupant of the local guest house. He

reluctantly gave me the keys and, after I found out later that the staple food of these
settling in my room, explored the immediate European Brokpa Aryans was barley grown in
vicinity, but found a few shops. The PWD these terraced fields and irrigated by the
Guest House at Beama is on the banks of the mountain streams that rush to meet the
Indus and the view from my room was Indus flowing below. The ascent was rather
picturesque the gurgling sound of the river steep, and the altitude was nearly 17000 feet.
was soothing music to my ears.
I kept replenishing my body fluids by drinking
lots of natural mineral water from the
countless streams that crossed on our way.

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 Later, I met the sarpanch, Mr.
Angmo. As I was trained in NLP
(Neuro-Linguistic Programming)
or the art of creating rapport
through non-verbal
communication, I started
mirroring the body language,
facial expressions, and eye
movements of Mr. Angmo, who
knew only broken Urdu and
Hindi. After an hour of developing
a nonverbal rapport, Mr. Angmo’s
wife poured me a cup of herbal
tea, which I relish. We began
sipping our tea when Mr. Angmo
put some white powder into my
tea (which I later learned was
barley flour). He asked me about
my visit to Beama and I told them
about my being a strict vegan
and that I stayed with them to
know more about their food
habits, music, dances, and
culture. The sarpanch issued
instructions to my escort to take
me to all the neighbouring
villages and introduce me to the
orthodox European Brokpa
After an endless trek, we reached the hut of the sarpanch,
Aryans, who still followed their
which crowned the peak of a hill. A group of women
ancient traditions. I saw two
peeled apricots in his garden. Some of them were
books in English/German with
breaking apricot seeds to remove almonds. Hundreds of
the sarpanch. I borrowed the
fresh walnuts lay on the floor. I resisted the impulse to
English book “The European
pick up some walnuts. As soon as I reached, my escorts
Brokpa Aryan Dards” by Rohit
spoke to the assembled women in European Brokpa
Vohra for reading prior to my field
Aryan, and they began laughing spontaneously. Soon, two
trips.
old women came out of the hut with the burning roots of
an unidentified tree in their hands (I later learned that it
was a Juniper tree). I chanted the gayatri mantra (Hindu
chant) silently in my mind. I was about to experience the
cleansing ritual of the European Brokpa Aryans. This was
mandatory for all outsiders who entered their village. The
old women started chanting in unison (sounded like
German) and the eldest one brought the juniper smoke
close to my face and symbolically waved it across my
body.

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The trek back was uneventful. As
there is no electricity at Beama, I
read Rohit’s book, cover to cover,
in candlelight, in order to
discover the hidden world of the
European Brokpa Aryans.
German anthropologists had
evinced an interest in this pure
European Brokpa Aryan race and
a few had even visited and
stayed with them. This book
traces the ancestry of the
present day Aryans to the pure
European Brokpa Aryans from
Alexander’s army who got lost in
the Himalayas and lived on the
banks of the Indus thousands of
years ago. Presently, there are
about 1000 descendants of these
pure European Brokpa Aryans,
who live scattered around Gilgit,
Hunza, Kargil and Leh. They are
nature worshippers and believe
in Brok-Pa traditions and
celebrate the Bononah (Nature)
festival and are strict vegans.

These pure European Brokpa These pure European Brokpa Aryans are nature
Aryans observe taboos against worshippers and worship the Juniper tree (Cilgi Deuha).
cows and hens and eat neither Two, ancient Juniper trees crown the village of Dah,
their flesh nor eggs or drink milk which is the venue of the triannual Bononah festival (to
or consume any milk products. be held on a full-moon night during October) The
Hens and cows are not kept. This European Brokpa Aryans, symbolically draw energy
minuscule community bars both from these ancient Juniper trees by hugging them after
their men and women from a ceremonial dance. They also respect the swastika
marrying outsiders (to maintain symbol (clockwise) and Om (symbolising energy).

their racial purity) and polygamy

and polyandry is common. I started my trek in the wee hours of the morning to trek
Couples who do not conceive are to Dah, to visit the sacred Juniper groves. My escort
free to choose other partners to shyly introduced himself. He was Tsewang Nurbu. The
give them a better chance of trek to Dah from Beama took us three hours. It was a
producing an offspring. 80% dangerous trek, as we crossed several craggy peaks,
European Brokpa Aryans marry in holding on to tiny crevices to haul ourselves up. We
their own villages, while 20% could hear sounds of gunfire across the border. My
marry from neighbouring inner-line permit was checked at the army post. One
villages. wrong step on this arduous trek could prove fatal, but I
chanted continuously throughout this hair-raising
experience.

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We reached the ancient Juniper trees by
noon. I hugged these trees to soak in their
energy. The energy aura of these trees was
phenomenal. I could feel a new vigour in
every cell of my body when I stepped into the
sacred grove of the European Brokpa Aryans
One=A

at Dah. After spending several hours in this

Two=DU

picturesque place, I visited a few of the

elderly European Brokpa Aryans. They still Three=TRA
observed their taboos of intoxicating
substances: milk, eggs, and meat. I shared a Four=CHOR
meal with these humble villagers.

Five=PONCH
The meal consisted of jo (barley) rotis baked in
an earthen oven, lettuce leaves, roasted Six=SHA

potatoes, spring onions, boiled cauliflower

and wild mint. Women cooked in an open
Seven=SAT
hearth, burning fallen twigs, collected from
the trees in their courtyard. They worshipped
Eight=ONSH
trees and hence observed a strict taboo
Nine=NUE

against tree felling. The simple meal was fresh

and extremely tasty.
Ten=DIS

They spoke in an European Brokpa Aryan

language which was distinct from Ladakhi.
Their numerical were:

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The next week, I trekked to the other There are an unusually large number of
European Brokpa Aryan villages, including European Brokpa Aryans above the age of 70.
Baldes, Samit, Garkon, Darchik and Hanu. The Many of the elderly were active even at 90.
population of these Brok-Pa European Brokpa The most striking feature of these European
Aryans could not number more than a few Brokpa Aryans is their looks. Their blue eyes,
thousands. But the surprising fact is that they aristocratic noses, round eyes, fair
have maintained their racial purity over 5000 complexion, and flawless skin, made them
years and continue to practise nature worship ethnically distinct from Ladakhis or Kashmiris.

in one of the most hostile terrains at altitudes

above 15000 feet, subsisting on a vegan diet. European Brokpa Aryans observe a strict
Music and dance are a way of life for these taboo against marrying outsiders and have
European Brokpa Aryans.
ensured a code of conduct to maintain their

racial purity over centuries. They restrict their
Both men and women wear colourful contact with the outside world and are happy
traditional costumes, decorate their hair with in their isolated existence. Married women
flowers, and are full of joie de vivre. They live braid their hair, which makes them resemble
in harmony with nature, are cheerful and Greeks.

stress-free in spite of living in small rock

shelters. Both men and women trek long One of the most fascinating aspects of the
distances. Almonds, apricots and walnuts are lives of these European Brokpa Aryans is a
part of their diet, along with endless cups of belief in prophecies and the recording of
herbal infusion fortified with barley flour. The dreams. Most elderly European Brokpa Aryans
weather in September is pleasantly cold, meet in the morning at the Juniper grove and
though temperatures in January can plummet discuss their dreams as if nature was
to minus 20 degrees.
communicating to them through the language
of dreams.

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 These European Brokpa Aryans worship the
Sun, Water (Indus), and Earth (Juniper tree).
They eat before sunset and sleep at dusk.
They wake up at dawn, bathe in the ice-cold
water of the Indus (even in September), trek
long distances on foot, work in their fields,
celebrate festivals, pray religiously, avoid
intoxicants, stick to a vegan diet, chant, sing,
dance and socialise. In ZeNLP terms, they
program their body through exercise, mind
through music, and soul through prayer.

The return journey took eight hours, but a visit

to the European Brokpa Aryan villages of Leh,
is a once in a lifetime experience and the
investment in the journey was worthwhile,
considering that every moment spent was
meditation in the truest sense.

The fresh mountain air, the crystal clear water

of the mountain streams, the nutritious vegan
diet, trance music, chanting, dream
ceremonies, tree worship, dances, and a way
of life in harmony with nature could be
responsible for the survival of this miniscule
community, living in a Himalayan Shangri-La
and continuing to practise their ancient
religion over centuries of isolation.

One of the European Brokpa Aryan folk songs

(creation myths) sung at the Bononah festival
Murli Menon
is translated:
ZeNLP

ZeNLP- learning
"In the beginning, there was water through stories

all over the earth and some of it

froze. Dust settled on this patch of
ice. Later, a small patch of grass
appeared on the frozen patch and
soon, a juniper tree sprouted from
the earth. The entire universe was
created by Chag (Fire), Ser (Water)
and Yun (Earth)."

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