 They are culturally and linguistically part of the populations of West Bengal or Assam and have embraced the Hindu system of endogamous groups ranked by hierarchy and practice wet-rice and dry-rice agriculture.They include the Brokpa, Lepcha, and Doya tribes as well as the descendants of slaves who were brought to Bhutan from similar tribal areas in India.The ex-slave communities tended to be near traditional population centers because it was there that they had been pressed into service to the state.