Layap

Layap
Laya woman in Laya Gewog
Total population
1,100 (2003)
Regions with significant populations
Bhutan (Gasa, Punakha, Thimphu Districts)
Languages
Layakha, Dzongkha
Religion
Buddhism, Bön (shamanism)
Related ethnic groups
Ngalops, Lhops, Tibetans

The Layap (Dzongkha: ལ་ཡཔ་) are an indigenous people inhabiting the high mountains of northwest Bhutan in the village of Laya, in the Gasa District, at an altitude of 3,850 metres (12,630 ft), just below the Tsendagang peak. Their population in 2003 stood at 1,100. They speak Layakha, a Tibeto-Burman language.[1][2] Layaps refer to their homeland as Be-yul – "the hidden land."[3]

  1. ^ Lewis, M. Paul, ed. (2009). Layakha (16 (online) ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 2011-09-26. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  2. ^ "Tribe – Layap". BBC online. 2006-05-01. Retrieved 2011-09-26.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kuensel1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).