In Sikkim, a length of bamboo can become a flute. A piece of mature wood can become a three-stringed instrument. 

And, once either is played, the landscape that produced it travels far beyond the hillside where the material was found.

That relationship between place, material and music received formal recognition last year.

On 5 November 2025, the Government of India granted Geographical Indication (GI) registration to two traditional Lepcha musical instruments, the Tungbuk and Pumtong Pulit, under the Musical Instrument category of the Geographical Indications Registry.

These instruments cannot be separated from the ecology that makes them.

When a forest becomes an instrument

The Tungbuk is a three-stringed instrument traditionally made from softwood and parchment. It is about 36 inches long, with a diameter of 11 inches and a height of six inches, and is used to accompany music and local dance in Sikkim.

The Pumtong Pulit is different. It is a four-hole bamboo flute, traditionally made from bamboo and used, among other things, to reproduce natural sounds.

Both belong to Lepcha folk music and carry cultural and spiritual significance. They are played alongside songs, dances and ceremonies, placing them within a larger musical tradition that includes bamboo flutes, drums and string instruments.

But look more closely at what they are made of.

The Pumtong Pulit begins with bamboo. The Tungbuk begins with wood. The choice of material affects how the instrument is made and, ultimately, how it sounds.

This makes the GI recognition interesting from an ecological perspective. The instruments have a geographical identity because their making is tied to a particular cultural landscape. 

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