Guwahati: A cane species used by Lepchas to construct bamboo houses has been rediscovered in Sikkim after over a century.
Scientists at the Department of Science and Technology, Sikkim have rediscovered the cane species Calamus inermis from the Dzongu valley along the river Teesta, Mangan District, Sikkim, around 65 km away from Gangtok town and now there are only seven populations. Three populations were also found at Taryang, at the meeting point of river Mani kyung and on the bank of river Rungyong at Passindang on the way to leek village, Lum (Pudom) village.
The study was done by Sonam R Lepcha and Sonam T Lepcha of the Department of Science and Technology.
“The species was reported more than 100 years back but people were unaware and its population has drastically reduced in the past and conservation is a must for this endemic species of Sikkim and the northeast,” Sonam R Lepcha, Joint Director cum Senior Scientific Officer at DST told EastMojo.
Calamus inermis was described for the first time by T. Anderson in 1869, in Sikkim. The species was again reported by S.K. Basu in 1992 from Sikkim, but its herbarium specimen couldn’t be traced in major herbaria of Northeast India.
“The mature stems of the species are used in the construction of bamboo traditional houses; Lepcha traditional hats; all forms of furniture; and cane bridges. This species provides a high-quality cane used in furniture-making and binding. Its fruits are also used in the treatment of diabetes,” Sonam said.
Altogether, 30 – 40 individuals were observed. “We examined several pistillate inflorescences and every time found minute fruits with seeds and fimbriate scales. As reported by the local people of Dzongu, Calamus inermis was one of the dominating rattan species,” he said.
“During my forefathers’ time, it must have been one of the important cane species for building houses, bridges, household utensils etc,” he said.
He said the Lepcha traditional hat Sumok thyaktuk must have been made by this species because of its durability and perfect looks. The Sumok thyaktuk or Lepcha traditional hat is the oldest form of craft, unique and exclusive to the Lepcha tribe living in the Dzongu Tribal Reserve Area (DTRA) of Sikkim. Each part of the hat and its artistic design hold its own traditional meaning and significance. “The hat formed the headgear of the royal soldiers later on in the Sikkim Guard during the regime of Chogyal dynasty in Sikkim. Wearing the headgear in marriage ceremonies, worship and other festivals is mandatory in the tribe,” he said.
The study paper published in Pleione journal says there is a place called Ravong situated under Hee Gyathang GPU where the population of Calamus inermis were abundant and dominant over others. These enormous populations of both species were later destroyed, uprooted and cleared for the extension farming of large cardamom during the 50s to 70s. Apart from that there is a belief among Lepchas that plantation of the rattan during those periods was considered taboo.
“While executing the project on Cane Conservation – about 1500 saplings were raised from the seedlings and transplanted at the sacred grooves of some important monasteries of Dzongu tribal Reserve area,” the paper says.
The study found out deforestation and continuing land use change are leading to a threat to the large-scale species in the Himalayas and thereby Calamus inermis which is a rare, threatened and endangered rattan species of Sikkim, deserves special attention in conserving it.
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“Both the in-situ and ex-situ conservation initiatives of the Sikkim’s cane/rattan may have to be taken up on priority, in the form of mass propagation through tissue culture and also through seed propagation. The Department of Forests, Agriculture, Science and Technology can play a significant role in the conservation of the species,” the study recommended.
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