Sherdukpen

Sherdukpen (ISO-639-3 code: sdp)

The Sherdukpens (Alternative name: Mey) are a small ethnic group of people speakingthe Sherdukpen language in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. It is one among the Kho-Bwa languages with two distinct varieties, Mey of Shergaon and Mey of Rupa. The name Sherdukpen comes from the words Shergaon and Tukpen (the Monpa name for Rupa) (Blench & Post 2011:3) but the language is mostly known to speakers as Mey nyuk.

The Sherdukpens celebrate and maintain a rich culture and tradition, rooted in their Tibetan lineage and heritage. The community’s cultural heritage forms a strong basis for its social organization and present-day governance, upholding ancient passed down traditions and customary laws. The community operates under two councils, the Thukpen Village Council (TVC) and the Shergaon Village Council (SVC), which are sanctioned with authority to oversee governance of all matters relating to the community under the guidance of their well-established and age-old customary laws. Through the centuries the Sherdukpen thrived under the rule of the ‘Saat Rajas’ or the Seven Kings, who had preserved and were guardians of Sherdukpen culture and traditions. Today the community is known for its rich culture and heritage and upholds these passed down traditions in a harmonious relation with modernity.

Religion and Occupation

The Sherdukpen follow the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism whilst retaining a strong influence of their pre-Buddhist Animistic traditions, as evidenced in the prevalence of Shaman traditions and rituals practiced to this day.

The livelihood of the Shardukpen community is mostly centered in agricultural sector, with the people primarily engaged in agriculture and farming.