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The Scottish Mission in Kalimpong and the Changing Dynamics of Lepcha Society
Abstract “The Lepchas seem to be the most hopeful people for us in the hills,” wrote Rev. William Macfarlane of the Church of Scotland in his end of year report to his superiors. Compared to the Bhutias and the Nepalis, he found that the indigenous Lepchas were the most responsive to the Gospel. Macfarlane’s arrival and the establishment of the Scottish Mission initiated missionary work in Kalimpong. This was the beginning of the Lepchas’ cultural contact with the colonial power; these interactions set in motion the major socio-cultural changes that the Lepchas underwent after accepting Christianity. It has been argued that Christianity promoted “cultural dynamism” among Lepchas, but it is important to note that Christianity also divorced them from many traditional practices. Their newfound religion facilitated their reception of new ideas and new practices. These were easily accepted and often imitated without fully understanding the consequences. Accepting these new ideas resulted in the creation of a new identity.
