In Sikkim, a length of bamboo can become a flute. A piece of mature wood can become a three-stringed instrument.
And, once either is played, the landscape that produced it travels far beyond the hillside where the material was found.
That relationship between place, material and music received formal recognition last year.
On 5 November 2025, the Government of India granted Geographical Indication (GI) registration to two traditional Lepcha musical instruments, the Tungbuk and Pumtong Pulit, under the Musical Instrument category of the Geographical Indications Registry.
These instruments cannot be separated from the ecology that makes them.
When a forest becomes an instrument
The Tungbuk is a three-stringed instrument traditionally made from softwood and parchment. It is about 36 inches long, with a diameter of 11 inches and a height of six inches, and is used to accompany music and local dance in Sikkim.
The Pumtong Pulit is different. It is a four-hole bamboo flute, traditionally made from bamboo and used, among other things, to reproduce natural sounds.
Both belong to Lepcha folk music and carry cultural and spiritual significance. They are played alongside songs, dances and ceremonies, placing them within a larger musical tradition that includes bamboo flutes, drums and string instruments.
But look more closely at what they are made of.
The Pumtong Pulit begins with bamboo. The Tungbuk begins with wood. The choice of material affects how the instrument is made and, ultimately, how it sounds. Photograph: (PIBGangtok)
The Pumtong Pulit begins with bamboo. The Tungbuk begins with wood. The choice of material affects how the instrument is made and, ultimately, how it sounds.
This makes the GI recognition interesting from an ecological perspective. The instruments have a geographical identity because their making is tied to a particular cultural landscape.
The people who call themselves children of nature
For the Lepchas, this relationship is not new.
The Government of Sikkim’s Tribal Research Institute describes the Lepchas as Sikkim’s original indigenous inhabitants and notes the community’s close relationship with nature. It records the endoethnonym Mutanchi Rong Kup Rum Kup, while official and other sources describe Mutanchi Rongkup as referring to the community’s relationship with nature and the snowy peaks.
That connection runs through Lepcha cultural life.
Songs, festivals and rituals are closely associated with mountains, rivers, trees and plants. The Government of Sikkim notes that prayers, offerings and ceremonies are dedicated to trees, plants, mountains, nature deities and rivers.
I extend my heartiest congratulations to the Lepcha community of Sikkim on the proud achievement of receiving the Geographical Indication (GI) registration for the traditional musical instruments Tungbuk and Puntong Palit.
This recognition by the Government of India is a moment… pic.twitter.com/6pjl1Jd1VO
— Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) (@PSTamangGolay) November 13, 2025
Music is an integral part of Lepcha culture, with different songs accompanied by folk instruments on various occasions.
So when a bamboo flute is made from a plant growing in the Himalayan landscape and then used to imitate the sounds of that landscape, the relationship between nature and culture becomes tangible.
The forest is not merely the setting for the tradition.
It supplies part of the tradition.
A GI tag with a forest question
A GI tag establishes that a product has a particular geographical origin and qualities or reputation associated with that place. It also provides legal protection against unauthorised use of the geographical name.
The organisation that facilitated the GI applications, Mutanchi Lom Aal Shezum (MLAS), has said it plans workshops and awareness programmes for young people. It also intends to undertake plantation drives for two bamboo species — Po (choya bash) and Poyong — used to make the Pumtong Pulit.
That detail may prove to be one of the most important parts of the GI story.
Because if a musical tradition depends on bamboo, sustaining the tradition eventually means sustaining the bamboo.
Planting the species used for the Pumtong Pulit therefore creates a direct connection between cultural preservation and ecological continuity.
The next step could be to ensure that the geography itself continues to provide what the instruments need.
Over 20 species—such as Dendrocalamus hamiltonii and Arundinaria maling—thrive across Sikkim, and the Lepchas, who consider themselves the “younger brother of bamboo,” deeply integrate the plant into their heritage, daily tools, and sustainable architecture.
Now, in their music too.
