bhutanlesson
DESCRIPTION
A lesson on BhutanTRANSCRIPT
Bhutan- land of the THUNDER DRAGON.To know about Bhutanese culture.To understand how Bhutan maintains its UNIQUE culture.
Describe Bhutan in 10 adjectives
China
Describe Bhutan’s location (3)Bhutan is a landlocked/ coastal country that lies between the countries----- and -----.It lies to the ----- of the Brahmaputra river and the -------.
BHUTAN- fact fileBhutan became a nation in 1949 when it was granted independence from neighbouring INDIA.
Population= 716, 896
Life expectancy- 66.8 years
Capital city= Thimphu
Main language- Dzongkha
Religion- 80% Buddhist, 20% Hindu.
The countries nickname is ‘land of the thunder dragon’ because of the frequent storms.
TASK- Working with your neighbour you have 1 minute to remember the following information!
Bhutan became a country in this year .When it became independent from .Its capital city is called .The country has a population of .People on average live to be years.The main language is .80% of Bhutanese people are .The countries nickname is land of the .
Bhutan became a country in this year .When it became independent from .Its capital city is called .The country has a population of .People on average live to be years.The main language is .80% of Bhutanese people are .The countries nickname is land of the .
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Bhutan became a country in this year .
When it became independent from .Its capital city is called .The country has a population of .People on average live to be years.The main language is .80% of Bhutanese people are .The countries nickname is land of the .
COMPLETE YOUR COPY AND STICK IT IN YOUR BOOK.
Bhutan became a country in this year .When it became independent from .Its capital city is called .The country has a population of .People on average live to be years.The main language is .80% of Bhutanese people are .The countries nickname is land of the .
Bhutan became a country in this year .When it became independent from .Its capital city is called .The country has a population of .People on average live to be years.The main language is .80% of Bhutanese people are .The countries nickname is land of the .
Bhut
an b
ecam
e a
coun
try
in th
is y
ear
.W
hen
it be
cam
e in
depe
nden
t fro
m
.
Its c
apita
l city
is c
alle
d
.
The
coun
try
has
a po
pula
tion
of
.Pe
ople
on
aver
age
live
to b
e
yea
rs.
The
mai
n la
ngua
ge is
.
80%
of B
huta
nese
peo
ple
are
.
The
coun
trie
s ni
ckna
me
is la
nd o
f the
.
Bhutan became a country in this year .
When it became independent from .Its capital city is called .The country has a population of .People on average live to be years.The main language is .80% of Bhutanese people are .The countries nickname is land of the .
Bhutan became a country in this year .
When it became independent from .
Its capital city is called .
The country has a population of .
People on average live to be years.
The main language is .
80% of Bhutanese people are .
The countries nickname is land of the .
1949INDIA
THIMPHU716,896
66.8DZONGKHA
BUDDHISTSTHUNDER DRAGON
BHUTANDescribe the DISTRIBUTION of the world’s happiest countries.
Bhutan is one of the world’s happiest countries according to the Happy Planet Index (HPI). This looks at the countries ability to sustain itself into the future.
The culture of Bhutan- UNIQUE!
TASK- stick this in the centre of a double page of your book- annotate around it aspects of Bhutanese culture.
Eating in Bhutan
• Food is usually eaten with hands. • Family members eat while sitting cross legged on the wooden floor with
food first being served to the head of the household first. • Usually women (mother) serve food and in most cases.• A short prayer is offered and a small morsel placed on the floor as an
offering to the local spirits and deities before eating. • A typical Bhutanese meal consists of rice, a dish of Ema Datshi, the country’s favourite dish of chili andcheese, pork, beef curry or lentils.
Bhutanese dress
WomenWoven keyras illustrate the vibrant and sophisticated designs found in Bhutanese textiles. The keyra is worn around the waist by women to secure the kira which is an ankle-length traditional dress. Designs are unique to families and areas.
MenThe gho is a long robe hoisted to the knee and held in place with a kera, a woven cloth belt, wound tightly around the waist. This forms a large pouch above that may be used to contain particular items, traditionally a bowl and betel nut.
The Bhutanese dress is only found in Bhutan and neighbouring tibet.
The Bhutanese environment
Torsa Strict Nature Reserve- pristine (untouched) place- no humans live there.
Bhutan has 5 national parks and 5 wildlife sanctuaries.
Sakteng wildlife sanctuary. Home to snow leopards, red pandas and nomadic humans. No development here.
Jigme Dorji National Park
Beautiful scenery here- lakes and mountains. Habitat of the snow leopard and Bengal tiger.
The environment is well protected in Bhutan- most of the country’s landscape is protected.
It is a delicate blue or purple tinged blossom with a white filament. It grows to a height of 1m, and is found above the tree line (3500-4500 meters) on rocky mountain terrain.
The national flower is the Blue Poppy (Meconopsis Grandis).
It’s associated with religious history and mythology. It’s a rare mammal with a thick neck and short legs. It lives in groups and is found above 4000m in the northern parts of the country. They feed on bamboo. The adult Takin can weigh over 200 kgsThe national animal is the Takin
(Burdorcastaxicolor)
The national tree is the cypress (Cupressustorolusa).
Cypresses are abundant there are often large ones near temples and monasteries. It is found in the temperate climate zone, between 1800 and 3500 meters. Its capacity to survive on rugged harsh terrain is compared to bravery and simplicity.
Religion in Bhutan
• Many Bhutanese are Buddhists but there is freedom of religion in the kingdom- so people are free to practice whatever religion they like.
• Many Bhutanese practice animism, worshipping deities and spirits.
Painting natural landscapes and important figures is a key part of Bhutanese culture. They are used to decorate the temples and monasteries and for festivals.
These amazing boots are custom made by men, for royal occasions and religious festivals. There are many different designs all unique.
Dance in full costume is very important in Bhutan especially during mourning periods and birth rituals
Bhutan’s national sport is Archery. It is one of the only sport’s Bhutan enters a team for at the Olympics.Archery is played at all national events and religious festivals.
Bhutan has unique architecture- all buildings are made out of traditional stone.The buildings are beautiful they include Dzongs (fortresses) which are to protect important points like mountain passes and river confluences. They are used to house local government now.
Tashichhoe Dzong in the capital Thimphu.
Chortens or prayer walls are very common in Bhutan, they represent Buddha's mind and are built in dangerous places to ward off evil spirits. You will find them at crossroads, mountain passes and bridges.
buildings
‘Tigers nest’ monastery, a very popular site for tourists in spite of the location and the difficult climb to reach it.Known as Gonpas locally, these house the Buddhist monks.
Lakhhangs- temples- usually small buildings. Each has someone in control of a religious nature.There are usually many small ones with in Dzonga or monastery.
• Bhutan is a kingdom.• But the country is
free- it is a democracy.
• The king bought democracy to the nation to try and make the country fairer.
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
How does Bhutan maintain its UNIQUE culture? 1) It is isolated • What does that mean? • It is high in the Himalayas.• Hard to get too• Few people visit or cross the border.
How does Bhutan maintain its UNIQUE culture? 2)The government limits tourist visitors Tourists have to pay a royalty payment to enter the country- it goes towards school fees, healthcare and infrastructure.All tours have to be booked through Bhutanese companies to keep the money all in the country.There is only one airline (Drukair) operating flights in and out of Bhutan.
3) TV and internet are recent additions to Bhutan- banned till 1999. Now allowed and widely used. Less Bhutanese have been exposed to ‘western’ TV shows and ‘other ways of life’ shown on TV shows. But TV is limited- broadcast only in evenings (repeated following morning).Most is in the national language Dzongkha but a few hours in English and Nepali (for Nepali’s in Bhutan).There is only one broadcast station in Bhutan, but some have satellite access to foreign TV.
How does Bhutan maintain its UNIQUE culture?
Task
• Explain in your own words how Bhutan maintains its unique culture.
• Use the hand-out to help you.
Bhutan- striving for happiness.• Unlike many other governments who worry about GDP figures
(money per person) in Bhutan they worry about HPI (happiness levels).
• They are more concerned with being sustainable, helping their environment flourish by protecting it from people.
• In Bhutan- tourist money goes to only Bhutanese tour companies.• All tourists pay a ‘royal’ charge which goes into health and education
spending to keep it free.• 80% of the country is protected by law from destruction.• The king and queen frequently plant trees and encourage all
Bhutanese to do the same.• There are strict limits on people entering the country.• There is only one airport and all flights are operated by Drukair
(Bhutanese airline).• All architecture must follow traditional design, including new
buildings.• All people must wear traditional dress to religious and state
occasions. • The king has made Bhutan into a democracy so the people can vote
for people to represent them.
SUSTAINABLE- maintaining something in its natural state for as long as possible, ideally forever.
Task Choose 2/3 of the statements in red and explain why each makes Bhutan more SUSTAINABLE.
• Bhutan is aiming to become the first country to go completely ORGANIC.
https://www.finedininglovers.com/blog/news-trends/can-a-country-be-100-organic/
Task!
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gR3YmZRoug
• Complete a wordle to show why Bhutan is happy!
• http://www.oneworldeducation.org/bhutan-worlds-happiest-country summary of Bhutan life
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iyhIb5YzjU how to travel to Bhutan• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uphDHRfO5w Bhutan a kingdom of
happiness?• http://thediplomat.com/2014/04/bhutans-human-rights-record-defies-happi
ness-claim/ the dark side of Bhutan
• http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/around_asia/AJ201407020042 going green in Bhutan
• http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/life/article_80cd8286-edbc-11e3-b4c6-0017a43b2370.html
• http://www.abc.net.au/site-archive/rural/news/content/201303/s3713451.htm
