Samdup Taso (b. 1928; d. 29 October 2011, aged 83) was the last shaman to lead the indigenous Lepcha people of Sikkim (now part of India) in prayers to the mountain deity of Kanchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain peak.Samdup Taso, The Daily Telegraph, 9 November 2011, accessed 16 November 2011

Taso was an hereditary priest (the "Bongthing"), who would lead prayers culminating in special rituals during the month of "Kursong" (February–March).

Taso did not nominate a successor, and left the native villagers in the remote Dzongu region of north Sikkim without a 'Khangchendzonga Bongthings' (priest), thus ending an 800-year ritual.Samdup Taso death leaves Khangchendzonga without a priest, iSikkim, 7 November 2011, accessed 16 November 2011

References

External links Samdup Taso - obituary including picture