Sikkim Video Archive

In January 2003, the NIT established a visual anthropology project in order to produce a documented video record of Sikkim’s vanishing indigenous and Buddhist cultures. The project aims to record and preserve the meaning and proper performance of Sikkim's rituals within the context of their social and economic cultures.

The original video tapes are being archived at the institute and preserved for future generations of interested Sikkimese and researchers. From this material, ethnographic films are edited for museum use and international distribution.

In its first ongoing phase (2003-6), the project has been focusing on the Lepchas of Dzongu, the indigenous people of Sikkim. Over 120 hours of video material has been collected and is currently being documented and edited.

The project’s first film Tingvong: A Lepcha Village in Sikkim (2005) has been screened at several ethnographic film festivals around the world. Among these, it was presented at the Film Festival of the Royal Anthropological Institute, Oxford Sept. 2005.

The second phase focusing on the ritual culture of the Bhutias, the second indigenous community of Sikkim, was initiated in 2005. A third phase will eventually cover the Limbus, also known as Tsong in Sikkim.

Project staffs are:
Cinematography and editing: Dawa Tsering Lepcha
Anthropologist and Project Coordinator: Dr Anna Balikci-Denjongpa
Visual Anthropology Advisor: Prof. Asen Balikci