Bhoksa people

Bhoksa, also known as Buksa/Bukhasiya, are indigenous peoples living mainly in the Indian states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. They are mostly concentrated in Dehradun and Nainital districts in the foothills of the outer Himalayas. They are also found in the Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh, where they are known as Khas. Both communities have been granted Scheduled Tribe status. The Bhoksa speak the Buksa language. The language is spoken in Uttarakhand, mainly in southwestern Nainital district, along a diagonal from Ramnagar to Dineshpur. It is spoken around 130 villages in Kichha and Kashipur tehsils, some in Bijnor and Pauri Garhwal district. the Bhoksa of Uttarakhand were classified as a Scheduled Tribe under the Indian government's reservation program of affirmative action. As Buksa, they are similarly classified in Uttar Pradesh.