More than a hat
Jordan Lepcha is one of the artisans keeping Sikkim’s Lepcha bamboo craft alive, especially a special ceremonial hat, the Sumok or Sumak Thyaktuk. The hat is not just something to wear. It is tied to Lepcha identity, royal ceremonies, family bonds and the community’s stories.
Weeks of handwork
According to regional and PTI profiles, Jordan began training in the craft as a teenager and took it up as his profession in the early 2000s. The hat is made entirely from local natural materials, and reports say a single piece can take several weeks, around a month and a half. The skill is so specialised that mass production is impossible, which is exactly what makes this heritage vulnerable.
Teaching the next weavers
His greatest contribution is not only making hats but training apprentices. Public profiles say he has trained more than 150 young people, many of whom started livelihoods based on bamboo. In 2025 he was the master trainer for the Sikkim government’s 60-day advanced Lepcha hat-making course under the MSME-RAMP programme, which 20 participants completed. The Padma Shri in 2024 gave the craft national attention.
A traditional craft will survive only if young people can see a real livelihood in it, and a master artisan’s true legacy lives in the people he has taught.
Sources
- Padma Awards 2024: list of awardees
- ThePrint (PTI): Sikkim's bamboo hat maker to receive Padma Shri
- Government of Sikkim: Lepcha hat-making training under MSME-RAMP
- Wikimedia Commons: Padma Shri ceremony photograph
- origin1-padma.padmaawards.gov.in/Document/pdf/padmaaward/PadmaAwardees2024.pdf
- theprint.in/india/sikkims-bamboo-hat-maker-jordan-lepcha-to-receive-padma-shri-award/1940045/
- sikkim.gov.in/media/news-announcement/news-info?name=Lepcha+Hat-Making+Training+Concludes+Under+MSME+RAMP+Programme