“Soon afterwards, at the most wild and beautiful spot, I saw for the first time, the most characteristic of Himalayan object art. a cane bridge,” J.D.Hooker (1848)
THE LEPCHA CANE BRIDGE
The Lepcha cane bridge is one of the most characteristic of the Himalayan objects of art. In Lepcha language, a cane bridge is called “Ru-soam”. Around the bases of all the high hills and ridges of Sikkim and Darjeeling, usually the rivers are steep and rocky and both the flanks are clothed with the richest tropical forest. On both sides of the rivers edge, the banyan and the rubber plant trees grow everywhere most abundantly. Usually the banyan and grasping at every available support, while its branches loaded with deep glossy foliage, hung over the river and such a tree is formed as the pier for the canes, and on the opposite bank another similar tree is found out and between them swing the cane bridge, about 300ft to 400ft long, ever rocking over the swift current 50ft to 100ft below.
When the proposal for the construction of a cane bridge is unanimously decided by the Lepcha on a certain place, the Lepchas start collecting long and large size canes and also long and large size bamboos from the jungles and assemble them on both the flanks of the river where the cane bridge is going to be constructed. When sufficient canes and bamboos are collected, again the Lepcha assemble and fix an auspicious date for the construction of the cane bridge. On that auspicious day, very able bodied Lepcha archers with long bows and arrows gather on both the flanks of the river. They all tie very long and thread like thin canes on the tip of their arrows and shoot it across the river to reach it on the either side of the river banks. This is the most difficult job and sometimes whole day long to shoot it reach across the river bank.
When the archers are successful in shooting out the arrows tied with the thin cane threads to the other side of the river banks, then the assembled Lepcha of both the sides of the river very tightly tie several long, and toe thumb size thick canes on the thin thread like cane, which on signalling from both side, the Lepchas of both sides pull it very slowly and carefully so that it may not break off while pulling it. When this most difficult job is done, then the bridge is constructed within hours.
The lightness and extreme simplicity of the cane bridge structure are very remarkable. Two parallel canes, on the same horizontal plane, are stretched across the river, from them other canes are hung on loops, and along the loops are laid one or two bamboo stems for flooring; cross pieces below this flooring hung the two upper parallel canes, which they thus serve to keep apart. The travellers hold one of the parallel canes in either hand, and walks along the loose bamboos laid on the swinging loops, carrying a load of 40 kilograms. With the shoes on, it is not easy to walk, and even with barefoot it is often difficult, there being frequently but one bamboo which, if the fastening is loose, tilts up, leaving the pedestrians suspended over the torrent by the slender canes. When properly and strongly made with good fastenings, and a floor of bamboos laid travesty, these cane bridges are easy to cross. The canes are procured from a species of Calamus called ‘Ru’ in Lepcha. They are as thick as the thumb, and 100 ft to 200 ft long, knotted together and the other pieces are fastened to them by strips of the same plant. A Lepcha carrying about 60 kilograms of load on his back, crosses without hesitation, slowly, but steadily, and with perfect confidence.
In Lepcha, the two parallel canes are called ‘Saomgyang’, the swinging cane loops are called “Ahool”. The bamboo laid on the centre of the flooring on which the travellers walk is called “Saomblook”, and the two main parallel canes that are tied on both sides of the trees so as to strengthen and tighten the bridge is called “Soamngur”. The two entrances on either sides of the bridge is called “Soamveng”, and the whole bridge is called Ru-soam. The general name of the bridge is called a Saom.
But sad to say that now this old fashioned Lepcha cane bridge, once the most wonderfully admired arts of the ancient Lepchas have become or becoming a thing of the past and in its places, new iron rope suspension bridges have been constructed for the convenience of the people. Never the less, a few cane bridges are still found in the remote Lepcha villages lying at the foot of the Himalayas, where the modern civilization has not reached there as yet.
K.P.TAMSANG
A FLIM BY DAWA T. LEPCHA
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