Layap
Laya woman in Laya Gewog | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 1,100 (2003) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Bhutan (Gasa, Punakha, Thimphu Districts) | |
| Languages | |
| Layakha, Dzongkha | |
| Religion | |
| Buddhism, Bön (shamanism) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Ngalops, Lhops, Tibetans |
The Layap (Dzongkha: ལ་ཡཔ་) are an indigenous people inhabiting the high mountains of northwest Bhutan in the village of Laya, in the Gasa District, at an altitude of 3,850 metres (12,630 ft), just below the Tsendagang peak. Their population in 2003 stood at 1,100. They speak Layakha, a Tibeto-Burman language. Layaps refer to their homeland as Be-yul – "the hidden land."