Earliest Settlement in Bhutan
The origins of the first settlement in Bhutan is a hazy tale that has more pages missing than found. To start, the earliest there is evidence of population dates back to 1500-2000 B.C.E. with many hand tools and weapons found in archeological digs, combined with the uncovering of rather large stone structures that could only be created by humans. Sadly, those stone tools and structures are the only things that have been able to last the test of time to bring us evidence of a prehistoric inhabitant of Bhutan. Since we cannot glean any information from things we cannot read about, let’s move forward to the more modern first settlements of Bhutan.
Ancient Bhutanese and other Tibetan scriptures remain intact today and they detail an original settlement in Bhutan going back to around 600 A.D. when Bhutan was referred to as Monyul (or the ‘dark land’ as translated”). This first settlement was galvanized once Buddhism became mainstream in Tibet in the 7th century, climaxing with a religious governmental structure was presented and enacted by King Sindhu Raja, who was a former Indian king faced with an exile, who traveled to Bhutan to install Buddhism into their zeitgeist essentially. This early settlement of Bhutan was peaceful and able to coexist even with the existence of so many self-imposed royalty who held power over small sections of Bhutan. The peacefulness was predicated on the combined usage and production of natural goods, to keep everyone healthy and happy. This addition to Buddhism into these early settlements of Bhutan was massive for the progression of the settlement. The small areas in Bhutan that were lorded over by various autonomous kings now had a common thread that kept them working in the same direction when it came to agriculture and growth. Bhutan got mainlined an additional dose of Buddhism with the arrival of Guru Rimpoche, who was a Buddhist saint, who arrived at the behest of one of the kings. Guru Rimpoche released the king of several demons that were possessing him before leaving for Tibet, before returning and opening monasteries of his own, furthering the settlement and his religious beliefs. The reasoning behind settling in Bhutan is a rather simple one, farming. Bhutan is a very fertile area with a large amount of farmlands that can easily be ran off of the natural resources surrounding it. Early settlers started large farms of corn, potatoes and rice, due to the plentiful amount of room to reap whatever they chose to sow. Another reason to settle in Bhutan was the plentiful amount of land that one could own. Since there was a large amount of uninhabited land on the hills and in more green areas, the settlement in Bhutan was a no brainer for where they were located. They were able to settle almost without issue, other than the trip over the Himalayan Mountains, which can be a daunting challenge. Once one was able to conquer the mountain range in a safe way, they were golden once they got to Bhutan. It was one of the major “clean slate” places for settlement. With the ease of access to natural resources like running water streams, fruits and vegetables, and a large mining community, the country was able to sustain itself very well. When assessing how Jared Diamond’s settlement theory to Bhutan, it holds up rather well. Bhutan is similar to the Fertile Crescent in that it is positioned to the east of the Fertile Crescent. This geographical placement enables Bhutan to have the same climate as that of the Fertile Crescent, which yields practically the same resources sans a few regional things. The settlement pattern itself supports Diamond’s theory as well, due to the overwhelming majority of settlers coming from either Northern India or Southern Tibet, which means that the settlers are from close to the borders. All in all, this was a fantastic place to settle, a nice tropical climate, plentiful and untapped natural resources, and a wealth of land for anyone who chose to inhabit it.
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Additional Resources
News, B. (2016, August 17). Bhutan country profile. Retrieved September 08, 2016, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12480707
This is an article by the BBC which encompasses the history of Bhutan very well in a concise and easy to digest way. There is a good timeline of important dates in Bhutanese history, along with good facts about the country itself.
Bhutan - Origins and Early Settlement, A.D. 600-1600. (n.d.). Retrieved September 08, 2016, from http://countrystudies.us/bhutan/3.htm
This page is a subpage to a larger page surrounding the history of Bhutan, but this page has a short and concise explanation of the earliest settlements in Bhutan. It gives the reader information on the settlements but also the terminology that goes along with the and also knowledge about the religious tendencies. All in all it is a good little article which supplements the overarching website.
This is an article by the BBC which encompasses the history of Bhutan very well in a concise and easy to digest way. There is a good timeline of important dates in Bhutanese history, along with good facts about the country itself.
Bhutan - Origins and Early Settlement, A.D. 600-1600. (n.d.). Retrieved September 08, 2016, from http://countrystudies.us/bhutan/3.htm
This page is a subpage to a larger page surrounding the history of Bhutan, but this page has a short and concise explanation of the earliest settlements in Bhutan. It gives the reader information on the settlements but also the terminology that goes along with the and also knowledge about the religious tendencies. All in all it is a good little article which supplements the overarching website.
Population Pyramids:
Population Pyramid Analysis:
What shape type is this pyramid?
The first pyramid is a perfect Christmas tree.
The second pyramid is a Christmas tree with a very thin stump i would call it.
What does the shape say about the distribution of the population?
This shape denotes a large amount of young children growing up currently, while the existing workforce is trucking on, on their way to retirement. The steady amount of young children will stimulate the workforce once they retire.
The pyramid shows that the massive percent of children 0-4 have now entered the workforce and are sustaining it, while there is a decrease in youth being born, thus saddling the 20-40 population with all of the work.
Which age group has the highest percentage of the population?
The highest percentage of population is 0-4 years old.
The highest percentage is within the 20-24 demographic.
Which age group has the lowest percentage of the population?
The lowest percentage is 75-79 years old.
The lowest percentage is the 85-89 year olds.
Are there any usual/interesting anomalies in the pyramid?
Not exactly, this is a pretty basic Christmas tree population pyramid.
This pyramid starts like a cup pyramid, with the first three levels being thinner than the center by a good 0.6%, before the christmas tree takes full effect at 15-19.
The dichotomy between these two population pyramids is rather interesting to me on a few different levels. Firstly, I started the first population pyramid during 1950, which was a year after Bhutan signed the Indo-Bhutan treaty, while the second pyramid is based in 2008 when Bhutan shifted to a constitutional monarchy in their government. I feel like those are good markers because they denote the significant political changes within Bhutan, which is usually accompanied with change within the general population. On first glance, the 1950 population pyramid looks pristine, a perfect Christmas tree providing for a steady economy and a backbone of the workforce being between 20-30 years old, which is ideal next to the flare out at the bottom showing a good amount of the population is young and will be entering the workforce soon. When one looks to the side and sees the 2008 population pyramid, it may be a bit startling to see the Christmas tree we saw in 1950 has grown a stump. This stump shows us that there has been a virtual end to population gain within the last 14 years, with all three tiers of 0-14 registering in at around 5.10%. This compared to the 15-29 demographic, which shows a large spike in population, which is now the new backbone of the work force of Bhutan. What this pyramid shows is that the 0-14 age range within our first pyramid have all had children, who now occupy the 50-70 year old demographic, while their kids are now the part of the spiking 20-30 age range. This all is good news for Bhutan, because now they have a larger work force which means they are able to fully sustain themselves, while dropping the amount of children being born per year, which equates to more resources being spread around to the general population, thus bettering the masses.
What shape type is this pyramid?
The first pyramid is a perfect Christmas tree.
The second pyramid is a Christmas tree with a very thin stump i would call it.
What does the shape say about the distribution of the population?
This shape denotes a large amount of young children growing up currently, while the existing workforce is trucking on, on their way to retirement. The steady amount of young children will stimulate the workforce once they retire.
The pyramid shows that the massive percent of children 0-4 have now entered the workforce and are sustaining it, while there is a decrease in youth being born, thus saddling the 20-40 population with all of the work.
Which age group has the highest percentage of the population?
The highest percentage of population is 0-4 years old.
The highest percentage is within the 20-24 demographic.
Which age group has the lowest percentage of the population?
The lowest percentage is 75-79 years old.
The lowest percentage is the 85-89 year olds.
Are there any usual/interesting anomalies in the pyramid?
Not exactly, this is a pretty basic Christmas tree population pyramid.
This pyramid starts like a cup pyramid, with the first three levels being thinner than the center by a good 0.6%, before the christmas tree takes full effect at 15-19.
The dichotomy between these two population pyramids is rather interesting to me on a few different levels. Firstly, I started the first population pyramid during 1950, which was a year after Bhutan signed the Indo-Bhutan treaty, while the second pyramid is based in 2008 when Bhutan shifted to a constitutional monarchy in their government. I feel like those are good markers because they denote the significant political changes within Bhutan, which is usually accompanied with change within the general population. On first glance, the 1950 population pyramid looks pristine, a perfect Christmas tree providing for a steady economy and a backbone of the workforce being between 20-30 years old, which is ideal next to the flare out at the bottom showing a good amount of the population is young and will be entering the workforce soon. When one looks to the side and sees the 2008 population pyramid, it may be a bit startling to see the Christmas tree we saw in 1950 has grown a stump. This stump shows us that there has been a virtual end to population gain within the last 14 years, with all three tiers of 0-14 registering in at around 5.10%. This compared to the 15-29 demographic, which shows a large spike in population, which is now the new backbone of the work force of Bhutan. What this pyramid shows is that the 0-14 age range within our first pyramid have all had children, who now occupy the 50-70 year old demographic, while their kids are now the part of the spiking 20-30 age range. This all is good news for Bhutan, because now they have a larger work force which means they are able to fully sustain themselves, while dropping the amount of children being born per year, which equates to more resources being spread around to the general population, thus bettering the masses.
References:
Karan, P. P., & Norbu, D. (2016, May 17). Bhutan. Retrieved September 8, 2016, from https://www.britannica.com/place/Bhutan
History of Bhutan. (n.d.). Retrieved September 08, 2016, from http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bhutan/history
Bhutan - Origins and Early Settlement, A.D. 600-1600. (n.d.). Retrieved September 08, 2016, from http://countrystudies.us/bhutan/3.htm
News, B. (2016, August 17). Bhutan country profile. Retrieved September 08, 2016, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12480707
Bhutan Economic map. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2016, from http://www.netmaps.net/netmaps/bhutan-economic-map/
Bhutan Map Map. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2016, from http://chinese.fansshare.com/gallery/photos/11421782/bhutan-map-map/?displaying
History of Bhutan. (n.d.). Retrieved September 08, 2016, from http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bhutan/history
Bhutan - Origins and Early Settlement, A.D. 600-1600. (n.d.). Retrieved September 08, 2016, from http://countrystudies.us/bhutan/3.htm
News, B. (2016, August 17). Bhutan country profile. Retrieved September 08, 2016, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12480707
Bhutan Economic map. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2016, from http://www.netmaps.net/netmaps/bhutan-economic-map/
Bhutan Map Map. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2016, from http://chinese.fansshare.com/gallery/photos/11421782/bhutan-map-map/?displaying