ASIAN HIGHLANDS PERSPECTIVES Vol 33 FARMERS, FUGITIVES, GHOSTS, AND EXPLODING GRASSHOPPERS ...

8/10/2019 ASIAN HIGHLANDS PERSPECTIVES Vol 33 FARMERS, FUGITIVES, GHOSTS, AND EXPLODING GRASSHOPPERS EVERYD

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FARMERS,FUGITIVES,GHOSTS,AND

EXPLODING GRASSHOPPERS

EVERYDAY LIFE IN HORSE RACEVILLAGE,A TIBETAN

COMMUNITY ON THEYELLOW RIVER

by

Rka phu R!" #$% !"& #uband

C' S(ua#(


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ASIAN HIGHLANDS PERSPECTIVES (AHP) is a trans-disciplinary journalfocused on the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding regions, including theSoutheast Asian Massif, i!alayan Massif, the "#tended "asterni!alayas, the Mongolian Plateau, and other contiguous areas$

A%& 'P* +++$lulu$co!asianhp ./0."*+++$plateauculture$ orgasian-highlands-perspecties "-MA0/* ahpjournalg!ail$co!

0SS. (print)* 1345-6671 (electronic)* 1825-9428 /0:%A% ; '.>3877259 'A// .=M:"%* &S1$A7648 S=:?"'TS*=plands-Asia-Periodicals Tibet, Plateau of-Periodicals

"&0T%0A/ :A%&* Andre+ T S!ith, Ari@ona State =niersity :arbara:ro+er, Portland State =niersity :ianca orle!ann, u!boldt=niersity :ill :leisch, 'hina "#ploration %esearch Society 'harleneMaBley %eed 'ollege &aniel :erounsBC, 'harles =niersity &anielMiller, =S A0& "!ily eh, =niersity of 'olorado ;ernanda Pirie,

=niersity of #ford


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%ural illage co!!unities do not necessarily follo+ thenor!atie, orthodo# alues espoused by literary scholars andthe learned clergy$ Although illagersE lies, thoughts, andsocial interactions are to so!e e#tent constrained by suchoutside factors, locals create and reinent alues in their o+ni!agined space +ithin these para!eters to adapt to their o+nneeds$ Je hae e!phasi@ed +hat illagers do and beliee,rather than atte!pt ety!ological inestigations to discoerEtrueE !eanings$


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R'A PHUG RDO R)EDON GRUB

%Ba phug %do rje don grub (&uoji &ang@hi ?oshua) +as born in 1835in %ta rgyugs (&ajiu tan) Gillage, %Ba phug (


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in Lha sa (photo by Dbang rgyal dongrub,2009).1

1All photographs +ere taBen by %Ba phug %do rje don grub unlessother+ise noted$ &ates indicating +hen photographs +ere taBen appearin parentheses at the end of captions$

Rka phug Rdo rje don grub


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Rka phug Rdo rje don grub and faily on the ba!k steps of the "o ta la

(photo by a #hinese tourist, 2009).


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'EY CONSULTANTS

$"hags o tshe ring (right, b. 1929) of Rta rgyugs %illage is Rka phug Rdo

rje don grub$s aternal grandfather (2012). &o the left is "hags o tshe

ring$s daughter, '.yu sgron tsho (b. 199).


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Rgyal tshan (b. 19*) of &sang tsa %illage often +isits relati+es in Rta

rgyugs %illage. e is $"hags o tshe ring$s younger brother. e and 'u ru

(b. 19), his -ife, kno- any folktales and stories. Rgyal tshan has

li+ed a life of herding and !ulti+ating barley and +egetables. e is

illiterate (2010).


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de skyid tsho (b. 19) of Rta rgyugs %illage is Rka phug Rdo rje don

grub$s other. /he is illiterate (200).


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MAP*

%!a lho (uangnan) Tibetan Autono!ous Prefecture (in circle aboe)

includes >6) http*en$+iBipedia$org+iBi;ile*/ocationHofH?aincaH+ithinHIinghaiH('hina)$png, accessed 26 &ece!ber 2>11$

Mtsho sngon (Iinghai) Proince


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AC'NOWLEDGEMENTS

Je thanB


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CONTENTS

R'A PHUG RDO R)E DON GRUBO7

'EY CONSULTANTS +-MAP O1>

AC'NOWLEDGEMENTS O11

CONTENTS O12

PART ONE. EVERYDAY LIFE

IN HORSE RACE VILLAGE

0.T%&='T0. O18

.AM"S O24

/'A/ 0ST%O27

=S0.< O4>

0.T%&='T0.O4>

P/A..0.< A ."J =S" O41

:=0/&0.< A '=%TA%&JA// O42

=S"/& S%0."S A.& '=%TA%&A/TA%S O47S/""P0.< O43

"AT0.< O48

S=%'"S ; 'AS 0.'M" O72

M.AST"%, M.FS, TA.T%0.S, A.& M"&0=MS O74

"%/A.< O75


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Agricultural JorB :egins O95

E'ha! O99

Agricultural JorB 'ontinues O86

Archery O1>6

Public JorB* %e+ard and Punish!ent O1>8

/o sar Preparations O1>8

PART TWO. NARRATIVES FROM

HORSE RACE VILLAGE

%& %?" &.


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o ;utureO198

o Jith

o .e+ /ife in /ha saO161

o Mtsho !oEs Gisit o!eO164

o 'ar AccidentO169

o

%eturn o!eO13>

o 'ollecting 'aterpillar ;ungusO132

o >

AF= ST. PA ;%01

AF= ST. PAES P%"


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TABLES

Table 1$ Mtsho sngonEs population by ethnic group$O18

Table 2$ %!a lho Tibetan Autono!ous Prefecture popu-lation in

2>12 by ethnic group$O2>

Table 4$ E'ha! !asBs in Se rtsa and %Ba phug illages$O62

PHOTOGRAPHS

%Ba phug %do rje don grubin /ha sa$ O5

%Ba phug %do rje don grub and fa!ily in /ha sa$ O9

EPhags !o tshe ring (b$ 1828) of %ta rgyugs Gillage$ O6

%gyal !tshan (b$ 1845) of Tsang tsa Gillage$ O3

:de sByid !tsho (b$ 1899) of %ta rgyugs Gillage$ O8

Fha!s ra To+n$ O22 Fha!s ra To+n on the banBs of the ello+ %ier$ O22

Sngo rgya %eseroir (/ijia #ia)$ O24

%Ba phug Gillage$ O26

%Ba phug Gillage$ O26

'oncrete road in %ta rgyugs Gillage$ O23

"lectricity poles in %ta rgyugs Gillage$ O23

Se rgya and Thang !tsher fields in +inter$ O28

A 2>> year old tree in &pon rgya Gillage$ O28

A Biln near 'ung s!ad Gillage$ O4>

'onte!porary illage house$ O42

.e+ tea offered to the tsha gs!rin the !orning$ O47

A illage household entrance and a pig sty$ O45

%ta rgyugs Gillage household storage area$ O49

The interior of a !odern illage house$ O49

A illage household gate and orchard +alls$ O46 A !odern stoe in a ne+ illage house$ O46

Modern illage houses feature glass-enclosed patios$ O48

G"r #" $hi - bread baBed in ash$ O71

%angs g"r- baBed bread$ O71

S"g s"g(top) and g"r d#ar(botto!) - deep-fried bread$ O72

%d@ong nang Monastery$ O77

Jalls that once housed an "rlang i!age$ O76

The Si# Sacred Syllables near 'ung s!ad Gillage$ O73

Prayer +heels in &pal rgyal gong baEi sngags Bhang$ O78

Fha!s ri /ab tse$ O91


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&sang offered to Fha!s ri &eity$ O92

A !yes :rag d!ar /ab tse in +inter$ O92

'ung s!ad Gillage /ab tse +as rene+ed in 2>11$ O94

Fha!s ri /ab tse altar$ O94

Rl!ng rtaoffered at Fha!s ri /ab tse$ O97

Rl!ng rtaat Fha!s ri /ab tse$ O97

Jind flag atop a !ountain$ O95

E'ha! is held at &pal rgyal gong baEi sngags Bhang$ O99

0ncense offering in the courtyard center$ O96

The dge s"s holds a sticB on E'ha!day$ O6>

(tsha#s hangfor sngags pa$ O61

Perfor!ing .or bu dgaE EBhyil$ O65

Sngags pa+ith s!g chal+alB to the courtyard$ O69 Sngags pa+ithDa r!+alB to the courtyard$ O66

Sngags pa+ith s!g chaland dru!s circle the courtyard$ O63

'Ug paandph" r"gprepare to dis!e!ber the n)a "$ O68

Dh+a nag perfor!ers dance in the courtyard$ O3>

*eng r!sin the courtyard$ O31

Sh+a+ith ha tags$ O32

&d!d appears in the courtyard$ O34

G$a' appears in the courtyard$ O37

&tsan in the courtyard$ O35

*l! appears in the courtyard$ O39

Srin podances in the courtyard$ O36

Fha!s ri in the courtyard$ O33

:rag d!ar in the courtyard$ O38

&!ag @or rgyal !o at the gt"r rg)ag$ O8>

Sngags srung dances in the courtyard$ O81 &a! can !gar nag in the courtyard$ O82

&a! can !gar d!ar in the courtyard$ O84

*hr" " dances in the courtyard$ O87

*hr" #" dances in the courtyard$ O85

Preparing to thro+ the gt"r #a into a fire$ O89

D!ng cheninside &pal rgyal gong baEi sngags Bhang$ O86

;ar!ing tools$ O1>7

T!"g!,iused to separate stra+ fro! grain$ O1>5

Separating stra+ fro! grain$ O1>5

A co!bine harester harests illage fields$ O1>9


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Gillagers !oe grain to a trailer$ O1>9

&rying grain using a 'Ded #a$ O1>6

:oiled yaB !eat for /o sar$ O111


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PART ONE

EVERYDAY LIFE

INHORSE RACE

VILLAGE


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INTRODUCTION

hinaEs Mtsho sngon (Iinghai, FoBonor) Proince, located in

north+est 'hina, is the nationEs largest proince4 in ter!s of land

area and also the proince +ith the s!allest population (5$9 !illion)$

Mtsho sngonEs population by ethnic group is gien in Table 1*

&able 1. tsho sngon$s population by ethni! group.

"thnic 2

Tibetan 1,465,>92 27$77

ui 347,283 17$34

Tu5 2>7,714 4$94Salar 1>6,>38 1$8>

Mongol 88,315 1$66

thers 22,528 >$7>

Mtsho sngon is ad!inistratiely diided into four Tibetan

autono!ous prefectures, a Mongolian and Tibetan autono!ous

prefecture, aidong Municipality, /edu %egion, and Di ling (Kining)'ity, +hich is the proincial capital$ The focus of this study is a

natural illage 9 in %!a lho (uangnan) Tibetan Autono!ous

Prefecture$

0n 2>1>, %!a lho had a population of 259,619, +ith four

!ajor ethnic groups, as illustrated in Table 2*

4Iinghai is a proince and not one of 'hinaEs ethnic !inorityautono!ous regions, +hich include Tibet, the Kinjiang =ygur

Autono!ous %egion, ctober 2>12$5Tu R Monguor, Mongghul, Mangghuer, &or rdo$9.atural illage R$iran c!n$ An ad!inistratie illage (-ing$heng c!n)is often co!prised of seeral natural illages$

'


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&able 2. Ra lho &ibetan 3utonoous "refe!ture population by ethni!

group.

"thnic 3

Tu 1>,>26 4$81

Salar 1,989 >$99

thers 694 >$4>

%ta rgyugs (&ajiu tan), the co!!unity studied, is a natural

far!ing illage that is part of %Ba phug (>5, the total population of the prefecture

+as 22>,955 (si#ty-fie percent Tibetan)$8

There are si# to+nships,1>

three to+ns,11

and seenty-ninead!inistratie illages in 12$14>3*36)$


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!inutes a+ay by !otorcycle$ Gillagers also traeled to these locations

by bus or !ini-bus for four %M: (one +ay) in 2>12$

The county seat is the to+n of Mar Bhu thang (MaBetang),

+hich +as usually reached by !ini-bus costing eleen %M: per

passenger one +ay in 2>12$ Traelers to Di ling 'ity +ent by priate

ta#i (thirty-fie %M: one +ay per passenger) that acco!!odated

four passengers in 2>12$ The sa!e trip cost t+enty-one %M: by

public bus and reNuired t+o and half hours in 2>12$ Gillagers +ent to

Fha!s ra To+n or


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4has ra &o-n on the banks of the 5ello- Ri+er (2012).

4has ra &o-n is faous for its geographi! features. /in!e 2011, lo!algo+ernent has been re!onstru!ting stores, houses, and roads to

boost touris (2012).


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/ngo rgya Reser+oir (Lijia 6ia), thirty kiloeters fro 4has ra &o-n

(2012).

NAMES

E%ta rgyugsE literally !eans Ehorse raceE o+ing to the area haing been

used for horse races and other festials during the ti!e of the %Ba

phug tsh" dp"n Etribal leaderE before 1878$ The na!e Ehorse raceE

re!ained, and beca!e the na!e of the illage$Ra ph!g !ay be translated as Eto !aBe irrigation ditchesE

and Eaboe the ditchE$ /ocal elders said there +ere !any difficulties in

digging an irrigation ditch leading +ater fro! %Ba phug gra! pa,19a

tributary of the %!a chu Eello+ %ierE, through a na!eless rocBy

!ountain$ After seeral !onths of hard labor, ho+eer, they

succeeded$ 'ertain %Ba phug elders said the irrigation ditches to Sngo

sar and ar !Bhar illages +ere located belo+ the irrigation ditch to

19Gra# paR rierbed$ This refers to a place (


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%Ba phug and, as ti!e passed, the location of the irrigation ditch to

the illage - Eaboe the irrigation ditchE (ra ph!g) - beca!e the

illage na!e$ "arlier co!!unity na!es are unBno+n$

The Tibetan illage, ar !Bhar, no+ inhabited by Musli!s,

+as controlled by the %Ba phug 'hieftain in the pre-1878 era, and its

residents fought under the chieftainEs co!!and$ /ocal illages and

ar !Bhar Musli! Gillage also held joint archery co!petitions before

1878$ The Musli! illage population gre+ after 1878, and the illage

+as diided into t+o sections* Shang E=pperE /ijia and Kia E/o+erE

/ijia, +hich are located about four Bilo!eters fro! %ta rgyugs Gillage,

near Fha!s ra To+n$ %Ba phug Tibetans refer to the conte!porary

Musli! illage as MBhar gong !a E=pper MBhar GillageE and MBhar

@hol !a E/o+er MBhar GillageE$ Ear !BharE is used to refer to ar!Bhar Gillage, enco!passing both upper and lo+er sections$

Jhen current %ta rgyugs illagers !oed fro! the agro-

pastoral co!!unities of Tsang tsa, Se rgya, and Thang !tsher (in

Fha!s ra To+n, about t+enty Bilo!eters north of %ta rgyugs Gillage)

in about 1868 to beca!e a part of %Ba phug Ad!inistratie Gillage,

%ta rgyugs Gillage had no official na!e$ 'onseNuently, so!e illagers

use the ter! E%ta rgyugsE, +hich +as the local ter! for the area +here

the illage is currently located$ So!e illagers also use the 'hinese

ter!, Sandui E.u!ber Three Production :rigadeE, because %ta rgyugs

Gillage +as once the third largest ad!inistratie unit in %Ba phug

Ad!inistratie Gillage and, at that ti!e, had the na!e Sandui$

LOCAL HISTORY

Thirteen households 16 !oed fro! Tsang tsa (Dang@ha), Se rgya

(Saijia), and Thang !tsher (Tangcai) co!!unities in 1868$ Se rgya

and Thang !tsher are subdiisions of Sngo sar &adui EProduction

:rigadeE Gillage$ Jhen Sngo sar +as a tribe under the local chieftain,

it included /ha sde, Se rgya, Thang !tsher, Sngo rgya, and Se rtsa13

16Tsang tsa households* Sha bo rdo rje,


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illages$ /ater, %u !tsher beca!e a dad!i, and then beca!e an

ad!inistratie illage around 1836, +hich included and still includes

%u !tsher, Tsang tsa, Se rgya, and Thang !tsher illages$ &espite

placing these co!!unities in arious ad!inistratie categories,

illages continue to hold religious rituals such as E'ha! and Mchod

Edu18as +hen they +ere a single tribe$

&uring the 'ultural %eolution (1899-1869), certain illagers,

including the first authorEs paternal and !aternal grandfathers, +ere

designated $h+a g"n Ehat +earersE$ This ter! references people +ho

+ere publically punished and hu!iliated for hunting, stealing public

property, and generally iolating local goern!ent rules$

s, because

illagers +ere afraid of losing their land to Musli!s +ho lied nearby$

This Musli! illage by 2>1>, had gro+n to eighty households$

After seeral years of leeling land into fields, digging

irrigation ditches, and planting trees near the houses, uncultiated

land beca!e cropland$ o+eer, illagers could not harest sufficient

grain to support the!seles because of the soilEs infertility$ Poerty

and hunger forced the E?igs pa sByabs, :ya!s pa sByid, and %do bha

bBra shis households to return to their original ho!e area$

%Ba phug +as preiously ruled by the %Ba phug 'hieftain$ .or

bu dgra Edul +as a na!e used to refer to Fing that +as gien

to the %Ba phug 'hieftain by the &gu rong (


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+as apprehended and i!prisoned by the %ed Ar!y because he had

gien sanctuary to a .ationalist general +ho fled to %Ba phug Gillage

for refuge$

Three an 'hinese households and four Tsang tsa Tibetan

households, including the authorEs grandparents, first !oed to the

conte!porary %ta rgyugs Gillage$ &uring the last years of rule by the

%Ba phug 'hieftain, a fe!ale an 'hinese 21 +as taBen as an

indentured serant to +orB in the local chieftainEs ho!e$ She +as set

free in 1878, lied in %ta rgyugs Gillage, and !arried a an 'hinese

!an, +ho !oed to %ta rgyugs Gillage fro! a nearby 'hinese illage$

The other t+o an 'hinese fa!ilies +ere originally fro! the current

Minhe ui and Tu (Mangghuer) Autono!ous 'ounty and /edu

%egion and !igrated to the current illage seeBing a better life$ 0n2>1>, there +ere fifteen an 'hinese households and eighteen

Tibetan households$ The total population +as 165 residents (thirty-

three households)$

All an 'hinese illage residents are fluent in Tibetan and

co!!unicate in Tibetan +ith local Tibetan illagers, are culturally

Tibetan, and !aBe offerings to ul lha and "rlang, +hose i!ages are

in "rlang Fhang (discussed later) in 'ung s!ad Gillage$22They also

participate in funerals, archery co!petitions, and the /ha rtsed

rituals24held by illagers$ These an fa!ilies speaB the Mtsho sngon

'hinese dialect in their ho!es$

21The na!es of so!e indiiduals that appear in this te#t hae beenchanged or other+ise obscured$

22Eul lhaE, in this conte#t, refers to a specific deity enshrined in "rlangFhang$24%ituals during +hich a spirit !ediu! is possessed by a local deity andan "rlang i!age in a sedan is carried to illage households to e#pel badspirits and protect the fa!ily$


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Rka phug %illage. &he 5ello- Ri+er is in the ba!kground (2012).

Rka phug %illage. &he 5ello- Ri+er is in the ba!kground (2012).


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#on!rete road in Rta rgyugs %illage (2012).

7le!tri!ity poles in Rta rgyugs %illage (2012).


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/e rgya and &hang tsher fields in -inter (2012).

3 200 year old tree that is a sybol of Dpon rgya %illage (2012).


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HOUSING

0.T%&='T0.

"ery ho!e in %ta rgyugs Gillage is inside a rectangular adobe-+allcourtyard, +hich proides one +all for each roo! in the ho!e -

seeral roo!s built adjoining the courtyard +all$ The other +alls of

each roo! are !ade of red bricB$ All ho!es are one story$ "ach ho!e

typically has a guest roo!, shrine, grain storeroo!, Bitchen, a roo!

or roo!s for liestocB, and a shelter for storing far! tools and the

fa!ily tractor$ Jalls of the dining and guest roo!s are paneled +ith

+ood$ A fa!ilyEs +ealth deter!ines the e#tent of paneling$%ed bricBs +ere first used in the illage in the !id-188>s as

flooring and then later in +all construction$ 0n 2>12, there +as a Biln

near 'ung s!ad Gillage, about fie Bilo!eters fro! %ta rgyugs

Gillage, +here illagers paid >$>7 %M: per bricB$

3 kiln near #ung sad %illage (2012).

About ninety percent of illage ho!es feature flat roofs !ade

+ith a flat +ood fra!e, atop of +hich stra+ is put, follo+ed by dirt$The dirt is then softly stepped on and !ore dirt is added until a layer

about seen centi!eters thicB has for!ed$ A fe+ households put a

large piece of plastic directly oer the +ood fra!e to reduce leaBs,


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and then place dirt on top$ o+eer, this leads to the flat +ood fra!e

rotting !ore NuicBly than +ithout the plastic$ A fe+ ho!es +ere built

+ith a pitched roof coered +ith tiles beginning in about 2>>5$ This

style of roof +as thought to be !ore durable and +aterproof$

:eginning in about 2>>>, fa!ilies began putting decoratie

cera!ic tiles on the outside +alls of roo!s$ Such tiles +ere purchased

in 12$ The i!ages on

the tiles +ere of little concern - illagers bought +hateer tiles +ere

aailable and hired locals +ith the reNuired sBill to attach the tiles to

the +alls$

The toilet is outside the courtyard/

P/A..0.< A ."J =S"

Jhen a son leaes his parentsE ho!e to establish his o+n fa!ily, he

isits the local la #a, taBing soil fro! seeral locations +here the

ne+ ho!e +alls !ight be built$ The la #a then decides +hich

location is best for building a ne+ ho!e and indicates the direction of

the door$ A sngags pa Elay tantric practitionerE is inited to isit the

ne+ ho!e location$ A large sang27offering is !ade at the center of

the ne+ ho!e site and the sngags pachants for a day$ e encourages

the fa!ily to build ne+ +alls around the place +here he !ade sang

offerings and chanted$ This is called !aBing gt"r rg)ag thig/

Gillage elders said the chanting beseeches per!ission fro! sa

dag Eland spiritsE to build there$ 0f the sa dag are displeased,

disasters such as death, falling into serious debt, and liestocB loss

!ay occur$ 0n the eent of such cala!ities, the fa!ily should consult

the la #a, +ho !ay suggest that the fa!ily courtyard gate be put ina ne+ location or that the fa!ily build a '!# hang, a stupa- or bo#-

liBe roo! +here !any clay i!ages of deities are stored to preent

diseases and liestocB loss, and to beseech +ealth$

27&sangrefers to a !i#ture of roasted barley, roasted +heat flour, sugar,and conifer needles burned as a fu!igation offering to, particularly,!ountain deities$


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:=0/&0.< A '=%TA%&JA//

%oo!s of the fa!ily ho!e are built against the courtyard +alls, i$e$,

one +all of each roo! is a section of the courtyard +all$ ThicB

courtyard +alls thus help retain heat in +inter$ Jalls are about four

!eters tall, to th+art thiees fro! cli!bing oer and entering the

ho!e co!pound, as +ell as for priacy$ Able-bodied illagers co!e

and help a fa!ily build courtyard +alls$A large a!ount of earth is reNuired and is often taBen fro!

the place +here the courtyard +alls +ill be built$ This site is soaBed

+ith +ater for fie to si# days before the +alls are built$ The site of the

future courtyard +alls often needs to be leeled and soil is often

collected here for +all construction$ Moist soil is used in +all

construction$ So!eti!es, earth !ay be scarce and is then transported

fro! a location +here there is uncultiated land$ 0f this is the case, alarge pile of transported earth is +atered, using irrigation ditches if

possible$ 0f no ditches can be dierted to the piled earth, illagers use

!ules, trucBs, and tractors to haul +ater fro! a nearby rier and

#onteporary +illage house, faily -ind flag, and a 'bum khang(!enter)in a !ourtyard (Rta rgyugs %illage, 2012).


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pour it on the soil seeral ti!es a day for seeral days before the soil

is suitable for !aBing courtyard +alls$

G)ang g$h"ngs E+ood fra!esE and ropes are used to build

courtyard +alls and are borro+ed, +hen needed, fro! local

households$ Gillagers co!e +hen the household has prepared tools

and the earth is sufficiently da!p$ They also bring tools if they hae

the!$ These tools are also borro+ed fro! neighboring illagers

+ithout paying rental fees$

A rocB +eighing ten to fifteen Bilogra!s is used as a ta!ping

tool to !aBe a strong foundation for the +alls$ Men +ho ta!p the soil

raise the rocB aboe their head and let it fall, to pacB the soil$ Men

taBe turns using the rocB-ta!p inside the +ood fra!e$ .e#t, +o!en

replace !en in the +ood fra!e$ They leel the soil and pacB it +iththeir feet as !en stand on both sides of the +alls and toss earth into

the g)ang g$h"ngs$ Tossing the soil is thought to reNuire !ore

!anpo+er in co!parison +ith ta!ping the earth in g)ang g$h"ngs,

especially +hen such labor continues for ten to fifteen days +ith little

rest$

There is no pay!ent for illagers +ho help build the +alls$ 0t

is considered !utual aid$

After ten to fifteen days of construction, the +alls are usually

co!pleted and then the fa!ily plans to build roo!s inside the

courtyard +alls$ Jith regular repair such +alls last for thirty years$

The host fa!ily prepares and seres good food to helpers, e$g$,

arious egetables are cooBed +ith porB, and stea!ed buns are !ade

fresh eery !orning$ A !eal is sered around four p$!$ due to the

longer days in spring$

After 2>1>, ho+eer, the process described aboe beganchanging$ Gillagers are no+ so!e+hat reluctant to help each other,

due to increased co!petition bet+een fa!ilies in building ne+

houses$ 12$


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=S"/& S%0."S A.& '=%TA%&A/TA%S

.early eery household has a shrine in their ho!e25+here i!ages of

ShaBya!uni, Pad!asa!bhaa, Jhite Tara, :lue Tara, the tenth Pa.

chen bla !a (1843-1838), and locally fa!ous la #a such as %Ba

phug pandita and %d@ong nang Dhabs drung &ge Edun :stan pa rgya

!tsho (18>7-1884 :sod na!s tshe ring2>>3*82-87) are displayed$

Seen or fourteen copper containers of +ater are set before these

i!ages eery !orning and e!ptied in the afternoon$ ;resh, pure

+ater is added eery !orning$ %apeseed oil la!ps are offered on the

first and fifteenth days of eery lunar !onth$

8e-ly boiled tea is offered to the tsha gsur in the orning (Rta rgyugs

%illage, 2012).

25A fe+ fa!ilies hae only a table or adobe platfor! +here offerings are!ade$ So!e fa!ilies also burn sangon a !etal tray or in a s!all pot$


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"ery Tibetan household has an altar in the fa!ily courtyard center

+here sang is offered early eery !orning to beseech protection

fro! !ountain, territorial, and protector deities, and +here tsha

gs!r29is burned to beings in the Egr" a rigs dr!g Ethe si# real!s of

sentient beingsE$26

29%oasted barley is placed on fire+ood or stra+ ash in a clay container$

A dipper of the first-bre+ed tea in the !orning is scattered in a circlearound the container as purification$26'Gr" a rigs dr!g refers to #i, lha, lha #a )in, d#)al a, )i d+ags,and d!d gr"(hu!ans, gods, de!igods, hell beings, hungry ghosts, andani!als, respectiely) - the Si# 'lasses of Sentient :eings$

3 +illage household entran!e and a pig sty built -ith stone and

earth (left). &he faily$s dog is under a tree to the right (Rta rgyugs%illage, 2012).


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3 +illage household storage area (Rta rgyugs %illage, 2012).

&he interior of a odern +illage house (Rta rgyugs %illage, 2012).


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3 +illage household gate and or!hard -alls (Rta rgyugs %illage, 2012).

3 odern sto+e in a ne- +illage house (Rta rgyugs %illage, 2012).


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SLEEPING


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odern +illage houses typi!ally feature glassen!losed patios that keep

out dust and retain -arth in -inter (Rta rgyugs %illage, 2012).

EATING

/ocal residents often eat +hile sitting on short-legged chairs or stools

around a short-legged +ood table at the hearth, +hich is usually

attached to the he rd$e$ The fa!ily head generally sits at the front of

the hearth, follo+ed by sons and sons-in-la+ of the fa!ily according

to their age$ Mothers and daughters often sit near the hearth +here

fire+ood is piled, and Beep the hearth fire burning$ ;ood is sered to

the fa!ily head first, and then to sons and daughters$ Mothers eat

last and +ash the dishes after the !eal$23

Porridge, !ilB tea +ith butter, noodles, rice, du!plings, and

soup are offered in bo+ls$ :o+ls should be held - eating fro! a bo+l

on the table is considered i!proper$

0t is considered unhealthy to eat +hile standing$ /eaing een

a s!all a!ount of food in a bo+l after eating is also considered

23&aughters and daughters-in-la+ are e#pected to help the !other do allthe fa!ily chores, including cooBing, sering food, and cleaning up after!eals$ Sons help the !other if there are no daughters or daughters-in-la+ in the fa!ily$


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inappropriate, because it !ay attract the'! rang (described in detail

later) that !ight create proble!s for the fa!ily$

:elching after a !eal is accepted in the ho!e, but is

considered i!polite +hen guests are present$

To not offer food +hen a guest isits is considered e#tre!ely

i!polite$ Jhile it is not taboo to eat at other peopleEs ho!es, eating

ery little is considered proper$ The nature of the isit and the

relationship bet+een host and guest deter!ines +hat food is sered

and ho+ !uch a guest eats$ ;or e#a!ple, if a guest and host are

inti!ate and the guest has been inited +ith the understanding that a

good !eal and liNuor +ill be sered, the guest is e#pected to eat and

drinB +ell$ o+eer, if the isit is a !ore casual one, e$g$, a neighbor

drops in to borro+ a far!ing tool and +ill only stay a fe+ !inutes tochat, the guest !ight be offered only bread and tea, +hich the guest

!ight refuse$

A typical breaBfast is ho!e!ade baBed bread, rtsa# pa, and

a cup of !ilB tea$ A special breaBfast !ight include freshly baBed

bread or stea!ed buns, butter, and seeral stir-fried dishes of !eat

and egetables$ :reaBfast is at around eight a$!$ e#cept during +inter,

+hen ten a$!$ is co!!on$

An ordinary lunch is baBed bread +ith stir-fried dishes of

!eat and egetables$ A special lunch is rice +ith seeral stir-fried

dishes of !eat and egetables$ /unch is bet+een t+o and three p$!$

in +inter and at around noon at other ti!es of the year$

.oodles are usually sered for supper$ A special supper !ight

feature noodles, stir-fried dishes of !eat and egetables, and boiled

porB, !utton, and or beef$ Supper at around seen to eight p$!$ is

co!!on but, during +inter, si# p$!$ is co!!on$0n 2>12, illagers bought containers of !ilB in to+n and also

so!eti!es bought bread$ 0nstant noodles, cooBed chicBen legs, Pepsi,

'oca-'ola, and Sprite had also entered the local diet$ Gillagers also

often +ent to to+n on !otorcycle or in the fa!ily car to hae lunch or

supper$


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Gor mo zhi bread baked in ash (Rta rgyugs %illage, 2011).

Zangs gor baked bread (Rta rgyugs %illage, 2012).


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Sog sog (top) and gor dmar (botto) : deep fried bread (Rta rgyugs

%illage, 2012).

SOURCES OF CASH INCOME

Most %ta rgyugs households deote about one #! of land to the

cultiation of beans, potatoes, onions, to!atoes, garlic, @ucchini,

carrots, eggplants, corn, and cabbage$ 0n spring, +o!en put green

onions and 'hinese cabbage in basBets and carry the! on their bacBsto Fha!s ra To+n, +here they sell their produce NuicBly because of

its freshness and because no insecticides are used$28

Gillagers also cultiate apples, peaches, pears, and apricots$

ouseholds +ith large orchards taBe fruit by tractor-trailers to %!a

lho Mongolian Autono!ous 'ounty and %tse Bhog 'ounty in %!a

lho Tibetan Autono!ous Prefecture :la brang (Kiahe) 'ounty in Fan

lho (


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!ost %ta rgyugs illagers originally ca!e$ ;ruit is e#changed for

butter, cheese, barley, !eat, ani!al sBins, and yogurt in %tse Bhog

and %!a lho counties$ These ite!s are then sold in far!ing areas in

:la brang and in %d@ong gong !a near Mo @i Gillage$ /ater, the

fourth %Ba phug incarnation, :lo b@ang don grub (167>-1326 :sod

na!s tshe ring 2>>3*37), !oed the !onastery to its current

location near 'ung s!ad Gillage$ According to locals, a !onB

4>Je +ere unable to identify birth and death dates for the founder, thefirst %Ba phug incarnation$


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o!inously fell into a canyon at the !onasteryEs original site and died,

leading to the !onasteryEs relocation$ /ocal infor!ants also said that

the %Ba phug incarnation described the shape of the current location

as rese!bling a resting elephant, +hich is +hy he chose to build

%d@ong nang Monastery there$

%ta rgyugs illagers follo+ the %nying !a and &ge lugs

teachings$ "ery household sends one or !ore representaties to isit

%d@ong nang Monastery on the first and fifteenth days of each lunar

!onth to +orship, offer sang, circu!a!bulate the !onastery, turn

prayer +heels, and beseech blessings and protection fro! la #a,

+ho are asBed to na!e children, gie !edical adice, suggest

locations to collect caterpillar fungus, and chant scriptures +hen

!iddle school students +ill soon taBe the uniersity entrance e#a! inthe hope they +ill score +ell$

Sngags pa, Bno+n as dp"n locally, are tantric specialists

belonging to the %nying !a Sect$ They are belieed to hae the po+er

to conNuer ghosts and are inited to chant scriptures +hen fa!ily

elders and +o!en hae bad drea!s$

Rd;ong nang onastery, Rka phug 3dinistrati+e %illage (2010).


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Jhen a household encounters such difficulties as liestocB

loss, childrenEs illness, tractor accidents, or constant discord bet+een

fa!ily !e!bers, they !ay inite a lha paEspirit !ediu!E to the ho!e

to perfor! an e#orcis!$ There +as one lha pa (b$ 1895)in %Ba phug

Ad!inistratie Gillage in 2>1>$ 0n 2>>8 during the /ha rtsed ritual,

'ung s!ad Gillage inited a lha pa fro! a Tibetan illage in ualong

ui Autono!ous 'ounty, because their o+n illage lha pa +as

unaailable$41

At funerals, &ge lugs !onBs fro! %d@ong nang Monastery are

co!!only inited to chant$Sngags paare generally asBed to chant to

e#pel eil spirits, for e#a!ple, +hen a fa!ily !e!ber has recurring

night!ares and +hen people are ill and beliee that an eil spirit has

!ade the! ill$ ;urther!ore, only sngags pa perfor! during theE'ha! ritual, described belo+$ 0n 2>12, there +ere four sngags pa

and no &ge lugs !onBs fro! %Ba phug Ad!inistratie Gillage$

ERLANG

"rlang is an i!portant deity for Tibetan residents of %Ba phug

Ad!inistratie Gillage, +ho freNuently isit the "rlang Te!ple

located in 'ung s!ad Gillage to asB for good health and prosperity$

Tibetans and their descendants +ho once lied in ar !Bhar Gillage

gather, inite lha pa, and carry an i!age of "rlang in a sedan to local

households during /ha rtsed, a festial dedicated to "rlang in the

hope he +ill enjoy hi!self after !editating and protecting local

illagers for a year$ /ha rtsed is held, as described belo+, fro! the

t+enty-first to t+enty-fifth days of the si#th lunar !onth, and alsoinoles illagers gathering near the te!ple and singing d#angs gl!

Etraditional folB songsE and gl! shagsEantiphonal debate songsE$

&pon rgya, Mo @i, and %ta rgyugs illagers enerate A !yes

"rlang and ul lha$ The latter !ay be translated as Eguardian deity of

a localityE$ ere, it refers to a class of territorial protector deities and

the na!e of a specific deity$ Gillagers beliee that ul lha and A !yes

"rlang are deities +ho are able to help the! +ith proble!s that they

41;or !ore on lha pa, see Snying bo rgyal and %ino (2>>3)$ Je note thatthere is ariation in lha pa, for e#a!ple, in %Ba phug !ay be possessed

by "rlang and then speaB in 'hinese$


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face in life$ They do not consult the! for help in the ne#t life$ "ery

first and tenth days of each lunar !onth, illagers isit "rlang Fhang,

a te!ple +here A !yes "rlang and ul lha deities reside in 'ung

s!ad Gillage, one and a half Bilo!eters fro! %ta rgyugs Gillage$

Jhen locals !eet difficulties, they typically isit and +orship in

"rlang Fhang$ /ocal illagers beliee that A !yes "rlang and ul lha

can e!po+er and assist the! in oerco!ing +orldly difficulties and

offer sang to beseech protection fro! these t+o deities, +ho !ay

speaB through thelha pa+hen a household inites hi! to their ho!e$

/iing roosters and goats +ere burned as offerings to A !yes

"rlang and ul lha until about 2>>>$ At this ti!e illage elders said

that such offerings iolated :uddhist precepts, and the practice

ceased$According to local elders, "rlang Fhang +as located in ar

!Bhar Gillage before the Tibetan inhabitants left and its subseNuent

resettle!ent by Musli!s$ These local elders said that +hen they +ere

children, they attended /ha rtsed in ar !Bhar Gillage, +hich later

e#perienced internal strife unrelated to /ha rtsed and so!e illagers

+ere Billed$ Gillagers then diided into seeral groups and !igrated

to such neighbor illages as :rag Bhang sna Bha, %u !tsher, and %Ba

phug$ Pious, for!er ar !Bhar Tibetan illagers then !oed the A

!yes "rlang i!age near %Ba phug %d@ong nang Monastery, +here

!onBs cared for it$ :ecause the "rlang statue +as ery heay,

illagers diided it into pieces to facilitate its relocation$ %d@ong nang

Monastery !onBs hauled +ater fro! the nearby %Ba phug %ier,

+hich they !i#ed +ith soil to !aBe pacBed earthen +alls for a te!ple

to house A !yes "rlang$ The te!ple +as co!pleted after seeral

!onths of hard labor$ MonBs offered sangin the te!ple in ten-dayshifts in turn and continued caring for "rlang Te!ple until 1853,

+hen !any !onasteries and te!ples +ere destroyed, including

"rlang Fhang, leaing only the +alls$

Jhen illagers began rebuilding !onasteries in the late 183>s,

they also planned to build a te!ple for A !yes "rlang$ o+eer, ar

!Bhar Tibetan Gillage had by then ceased to e#ist, as !entioned

earlier, and there +as disagree!ent oer the site for a ne+ "rlang

te!ple$ ne or t+o years passed before it +as finally agreed to build

the te!ple in 'ung s!ad Gillage, because the nu!ber of Tibetan

households in 'ung s!ad originally fro! ar !Bhar Gillage


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outnu!bered the largest group in 'ung s!ad$

&uring the /ha rtsed ritual, four !ales oer the age of ten

carry the "rlang sedan fro! "rlang Fhang to a threshing ground near

the te!ple and isit households originally fro! ar !Bhar Gillage$

The sedan is placed on a table the host fa!ily has prepared inside the

ho!e co!pound, sang is offered, and the contents of a bottle of

liNuor are scattered oer the sedan by the oldest !ale in the

household$ A bricB of tea, ha tags,42and !oney are also offered to

"rlang +hen the sedan leaes$ ousehold !e!bers !ay prostrate,

Bneel, Bo+to+, and or touch their foreheads to the sedan,

beseeching protection and blessings fro! A !yes "rlang$

42A strip of silB offered to honored guests, particularly la #a, and closefriends as a toBen of respect$*ha tagsare also offered to deities atte!ples and !onasteries$


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GHOSTS

0.T%&='T0.

People are endo+ed +ith rna# shesEsoulE at birth$ They !ay beco!e

a 'dre EghostE +hen the soul lingers in :ar do, the state of birth and

death, for seen +eeBs after death, particularly +hen the soul isobsessed +ith their spouse, children, relaties, property, or the desire

for reenge$

A +andering ghost !ay har! liestocB and illagers, and !ay

soon cause the death of !ules, !ilB co+s, horses, goats, sheep, and

yaBs$ The ghost !ay also cause Nuarreling and Billing in a co!!unity$

&ogs are thought to be able to see roa!ing ghosts in darB

places, because of the yello+ spots aboe their eyes$ They ho+l liBe+oles if they see a ghost roa!ing in the illage$

A person is protected by a l!s lha Ebody deityE$ Jhen the l!s

lha is +eaB, that person is susceptible to possession, loses

&he /i6 /a!red /yllables on a stone near #ung sad %illage (2012).


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consciousness, and the ghost then speaBs, reealing its na!e and

har!ful things it has done to fa!ily !e!bers and illagers$ The

possessed person !ay laugh +hen the ho!e is Nuiet, run bacB and

forth in the courtyard, and cli!b up the ladder to the house roof and

bacB do+n again$ The ghost leaes and returns it does not stay

constantly in the personEs body$ The person feels ill, lacBs energy

+hen the ghost leaes, and has no !e!ory of +hat happened +hile

possessed$

:efore seeBing help fro! a la #a or a sngags pa, illagers

try to deal +ith a ghost by using a stout string to bind the afflicted

personEs thu!bs together, +hich co!pels the ghost to reply to

Nuestions$ Gillagers order the ghost to leae i!!ediately$ Gillagers

!ay also hold the possessed person and beat their head +ith aburning broo! to e#pel the ghost$ Another treat!ent inoles

pressing the possessed personEs )a #ch! ar #a'i ngag la#

Ephiltru!E to e#pel the ghost$ Jhen ghosts are too strong for such

!easures, local illagers inite +ell-Bno+n sngags pato e#pel the!$

"rayer -heels in Dpal rgyal gong ba$i sngags khang (Dpon rgya %illage,

2012).


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SNGAGS PA 0.G0TAT0.

A fa!ily representatie is sent to a trusted la #a to seeB adice

+hen ghosts continue troubling a fa!ily$ Gillagers often inite three

sngags pa fro! &pal rgyal gong ba Monastery44 in Fha!s ra, if thela #a adises holding a ritual to anNuish ghosts$ The sngags pa

brings a dru! +ith strings attached on opposite sides to hang fro!

the ceiling just aboe the he rd$e/A sngags paholds and beats the

dru! +ith a !allet, +hile holding one end of the string$ ne sngags

pa holds a s!g chal Ecy!balE, +hich he beats +ith a beater +hen

chanting starts$ The third sngags paholds a bell and ajra$

ne of the sngags pauses areligious i!ple!ent !ade fro! ayaB horn$ The horn is e!ptied and ite!s described as sand !i#ed

+ith blood, a Bnife that tooB hundreds of lies, a thousand poisonous

substances, and 1>,>>> blood substances are put inside the yaB horn$

The sngags pashaBes the yaB horn +hen they chant together$

.a!es of the ghosts are +ritten on #ing shingEna!e toBensE

that are s!all triangular coin-si@e pieces of +ood$ N0ri1 a tantric

syllable, is engraed at the top of each #ing shing$ A pot is set up,

rapeseed oil is added and heated, and t+o sharp s+ords are crossedand put oer the pot$ A r)al a Egoat-sBin containerE that is free of

hair is also readied$ The sBin is se+n together, leaing only a s!all

opening$ The sBin beco!es round and rese!bles a balloon +hen the

se+ing is finished$ ;ie to seen triangular pieces of +ood +ith dead

peopleEs na!es are placed in the goat-sBin bag$ A string is used to

bind the opening of the goat-sBin bag shut after the na!es of the

ghosts are placed inside$ andcuffs, shacBles, a double-bladed s+ord,a bo+, a pair of arro+s, the front leg of a goat +ith attached !eat, and

a$angs '!dEbullet casingE !ust be prepared before the ritual begins$

Sngags pa chant 'd!l1 a scripture for subduing ghosts$ They

conNuer the ghosts by chanting such scriptures as '2igs )ed, Rta

#grin, or Da# can st"s ldan d)ings 'g!gs$ These are na!es of

deities as +ell as the na!es of the scriptures$47

44&pal rgyal gong ba snyags Bhang nges gsang rdo rje theg !chog gling$Such local lay %nying !a !onasteries are generally s!aller than local&ge lugs !onasteries and physical infrastructure also differs$47Gillagers use deity na!es to refer to specific scriptures deoted to


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M"A/S ;% S.


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need to chant for a +eeB to subdue the!$ The ghost is caught in three

days if it is +eaBer than thesngags pa/

%gyal !tshan and


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A !an at the front holds a bo+ and t+o arro+s, one brings the

front goat leg, another holds handcuffs and shaBes the!, one blo+s

the bullet casing to !aBe a shrill +histling sound, one holds the goat-

sBin bag +ith the na!es inside and shaBes it, and another !an drags

the shacBles, +hich !aBe scraping sounds$ At the corner of a ho!e or

darB place in the illage, they call the na!es of the ghosts, and say,

'o!e to us ;ollo+ us Je +ill gie you delicious food to eat$ Je

+ill gie you delicious drinBs and co!fortable roo!s in +hich to rest$

'o!e to us ;ollo+ us

These !en !ust be brae$ 0t disrupts the ritual if one is

co+ardly$ EPhags !o tshe ring gae this account*

=ne baly night, ten +illage elders +isited e+ery household -iththeir -eapons, aking endless -histles -ith the bullet !asing

and !lanking noises -ith the sha!kles and hand!uffs. &hey

!alled the naes of the ghosts and said, >?ollo- us, !oe to us.

5ou -ill ha+e deli!ious food to eat@ you -ill ha+e !ofortable

roos to rest in.> &he last person in the group dragged the

sha!kles. 7+erybody -as afraid and +ery un!ofortable.


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So!e #ing shing gie no indication the souls of those +hose

na!es they bear +ere caught in the r)al a$ A sngags pa returns

these to the elders, +ho then resu!e isiting additional households$

They stop isiting +hen the sngags pa say all #ing shing !oe up

and do+n in the pot$ "lders !ay isit neighboring illages if the #ing

shing sho+ no signs of !oe!ent$ 0f they cannot capture all the

ghosts in one night, they continue the follo+ing eenings$

Jhen all the ghosts are caught, sngags pa punish the! by

heating the pot +ith a big fire and putting #ing shing in heated

rapeseed oil$ Jhen the pot beco!es ery hot, the ghosts !aBe

pathetic sounds - so!e cry loudly and beg for help, +hich only

sngags pahear$ At this !o!ent, the sngags paorders the ghosts to

confess the har!ful things they hae done to local people$ The ghostsoften then sub!it and tell the sngags pa eerything that they hae

done$ At this ti!e, the ghosts !ay describe ho+ they +ere caught by

the sngags pa +hen they fled, as illustrated by this account fro!

%gyal !tshan*

=ne beautiful spring, soe ghosts lingered in the +illage,

disturbing our usual tranAuility. &hese ghosts started to take the

li+es of healthy horses, sheep, and goats, -hi!h ade +illagersfretful. 3s a result, a faous bla ma and ore than t-enty

onks -ere in+ited by &sang tsa %illage to +anAuish the roaing

ghosts. onks and lo!al +illagers pit!hed tents on thethreshing

ground and !hanted s!riptures for se+eral days. &he bla ma

began +anAuishing the ghosts and, after se+en days of strenuous

-ork, he finally !aught one parti!ularly re!al!itrant ghost.

B ha+e been running fro hoe to hoe, in thedark !orners, holding to the -ood of houses -ith both hands and

feet. 3fter se+eral days, B -as really afraid and roaed to the

reotest pla!e in the +illage a big !a+e by the fields -here

strong tree roots hang do-n. &hat night, B !lut!hed the tree roots

-ith y hands and feet, trying to a+oid the !hanting. Khub!>

a se!ond tie, it seeed a big -ind -as ho-ling,

the roots broke, and B -as thro-n into a big goatskin bag in aninstant. B -as then tossed into a hot pot and roasted. &hen, they

put e into heated rapeseed oil and y body -as alost burned


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up. B -as e6pelled to a fara-ay pla!e. B$ going +ery far a-ay.>

The ghosts are not Billed +hen sngags paor a la #acatch the!, for

it is a sin to do so$ 0nstead, they are banished to distant places$

So!eti!es, sngags pa put the ghosts in bottles and bury the! in

re!ote places +here they cannot bother anyone$

/ocal residents !ay also inite lha pato conNuer ghosts$ The

lha pa +ears his hair in a Nueue and +ears brightly colored clothes

+ith +ide sleees$ e +ears t+o strips of silB that are crossed at the

chest, go oer his shoulders, under his ar!s, and are tied at this bacB$

The lha pa chants scriptures on the he rd$euntil he is possessed by

ul lha or "rlang$ e shaBes +hen he is possessed$ The lha pa usually

tells fa!ily !e!bers in the local Tibetan dialect +hat needs to bebrought but, so!eti!es he speaBs in 'hinese, +hich indicates that he

is possessed by "rlang$

Jindo+s and doors !ust be closed +hen a lha paanNuishes

ghosts$ There should be no light in the roo!$ The lha pa holds a

rl!ng ras E+ind flagE, a religious flag used to change the direction of

the +ind$ A pot is set up, filled +ith rapeseed oil, and heated$ The lha

pa taBes a !outhful of liNuor and spits it into the bubbling rapeseed

oil, creating a burst of fla!e$ 0t see!s that the lha pa is breathing fire$

e then uses the rl!ng rasto spread the fire in eery direction in the

ho!e$


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B -as around t-el+e years old -hen B attended grade si6 in

priary s!hool. &he s!hool had e6tra e+ening re+ie- !lasses

before the iddle s!hool entran!e e6aination. &here -ere only

three grade si6 students fro y +illage, in!luding e. &here has been a terrible killing in our neighbor +illage.

"eople say the dead -oan has be!oe a ghost. %illagers ha+e

heard her singing, endlessly laughing, and patheti!ally !rying late

e+ery night. B$ afraid she ight follo- you, be!ause you

students are going in and out in the e+enings. Don$t hu -hen

you return after !lass. &he ghost ay follo- you if you do,>

other said.

>=4, -hat else should B a+oid at night> B asked.

>Don$t look ba!k freAuently -hen you -alk hoe,> other

said.

>B said.

>&here are t-o eternally shining laps on e+erybody$s

shoulders. Bf you look ba!k !onstantly, then your !hin ay kno!k

o+er the laps. 3s a result, the ghost follo-s you,> other said.

>3re ghosts afraid of lights> B asked.

other nodded affirati+ely.

B tried to do -hat other said. /oeties, B looked ba!k

-ithout paying u!h attention, but -hen B reebered the

ghost -ould follo- e, B felt un!ofortable and tried to heedother$s ad+i!e.


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THE'U RANG46

0.T%&='T0.

The'! rang are cat-liBe spirits +ho bring assistance, +ealth, and

fortune to fa!ilies that inite and enerate the!$ The'! rang )ar

s)eldo good things for a fa!ily, and poor fa!ilies !ay inite and

enerate such the'! rang, hoping to beco!e rich$ The'! rang #ar

s)elcause !isfortune and disaster to a fa!ily or relaties +hen they

are offended$ Such deities can be inherited and a fa!ily !ay try to

e#pel such deities because fe+ illagers approe of such +orship

!aBing it difficult, for e#a!ple, for a fa!ily to find suitable spouses

for their children$ Many illagers disliBe fa!ilies that +orship the'!rangbecause they are thought to bring fortune to a fa!ily by stealing

fro! other fa!ilies$

0.G0T0.< THE'U RANG

A s!all a!ount of +ater is boiled in a pot, seeral bo+ls of barley are

added, and the !i#ture is stirred until the barley co!pletely absorbs

the +ater$ Jhen the barley grains are ery hot and s+ollen, they are

+rapped in a to+el or cloth to retain the heat$ The pot is reheated and

a s!all a!ount of dried soil is put in the pot +hen it is ery hot$ The

boiled barley is then put bacB into the pot$ Jhen heated soil and

boiled barley !aBe contact, the barley pops liBe popcorn$ The popped

barley is taBen to a crossroad and scattered fro! the crossroad bacB

to the fa!ilyEs courtyard, and then to a roo! +here the re!aining

barley is put in a cloth bag, se+n up, and enerated$ This bag isthought to be the residence of the the'! rang, +hich is enerated as a

+ealth spirit$

"KP"//0.< THE'U RANG

MonBeys and the'! rang are considered ene!ies$ ;or this reason,

fa!ilies hang pictures of !onBeys holding a the'! rang's head or

46This section on the'! rangis deried pri!arily fro! infor!ationproided by %gyal !tshan and other infor!ation %do rje don grub heardfro! illagers$


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!utilated body oer their courtyard gate +hen they +ant to e#pel or

preent theft by the'! rang$ So!eti!es, especially at night, illagers

put +hat they beliee to be !onBey eyebro+s passed do+n fro! their

ancestors43around an oil la!p or on a light bulb$ According to illage

elders, +hen the'! rang are about to enter the house, they encounter

the !onBey i!ages, +hich preent the! fro! entering$ Gillagers !ay

also co-operate to e#pel the'! rang, as illustrated in the account

belo+*

During -inter, a faily -anted to e6pel the the'u rang in their

hoe and in+ited a sngags pa, -ho suggested that the faily

find a tie -hen the the'u rang-ould be outside the hoe.

=ne night, -hen e+ery faily eber -as gathered

around a table, the faily head said, >B feel like ha+ing fresh

grain these days, but fresh grain is hard to find be!ause it is

-inter.>

7+eryone nodded in agreeent, ephasi;ing their desire

for fresh grain.

&heir the'u rangheard this and iediately set out to a

distant pla!e to look for fresh grain. The'u rang!an rea!h distant

pla!es in an instant. &he the'u rangpi!ked soe fresh grain and

happily returned hoe to find thousands of flaes around thefaily !ourtyard -alls, -hi!h -ere a!tually butter laps set by

the faily under thesngags pa'sinstru!tions. &he deity -as thus

unable to enter the hoe e+er again.

:de sByid !tsho gae the follo+ing account*

Long ago, a faily -ho ade their o-n barley liAuor had a ne-

bride. 7+ery tie, after aking fresh barley liAuor, the otherinla- filled a sall !up of fresh liAuor and pla!ed it in a -ood

!abinet as an offering to the the'u rang. =ne day, the otherin

la- set a fresh !up of liAuor in the -ood !abinet and left. 3 bit

later, the ne- bride noti!ed that the !up pla!ed in the !abinet

-as epty. /he -as surprised. 8ot kno-ing -hat had happened,

43Gillage elders said that E!onBey eyebro+sE +ere bought fro! hunters

before 1878, and hae been Bept fro! that ti!e$ A s!all bo+l is turnedupside do+n, oil is poured inside the botto! ri!, and a cotton +icB isplaced in the oil and lit$ The eyebro+s are placed near the +icB$ The lightis then thought to radiate through the eyebro+s, frightening a+ay the'!rang$


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she filled the !up, and put it ba!k in its forer pla!e. 8o- it$s tie to build a ne- house. B heard

of soe +ery spe!ial -ood in Rgya nag9that !an be !ar+ed into

-hate+er you -ant. Bt -ould be -onderful if -e had su!h -ood.>

3t idnight, all the faily ebers got up and !he!ked

to see if the the'u rang had set out to get the spe!ial -ood and,

indeed, it -as gone. &he faily then in+ited onks fro a nearby

+illage to perfor a ritual to pre+ent the the'u rang'sreturn. &hey

put sa!red antras !ar+ed in red !lay on the !ourtyard -alls.

&hey heard loud oaning fro outside at about three in

the orning.


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A YEAR IN HORSE RACE VILLAGE

/ SA% A.&LA& TSE

The year begins +ith the festie /o sar E.e+ earE period, +hich lasts

fifteen days$ Gillagers isit each other for the first three days and

celebrate by +earing their best clothes, eating the best food aailable,

drinBing beer and liNuor, and singing$ ;or the re!aining days of /o

sar, illagers isit local !onasteries, and also hold +eddings and

archery co!petitions (described belo+)$

n the third or si#th day of the first lunar !onth, !ale

illagers isit the la tse on nearby Fha!s ri Mountain, +hich is

considered the highest !ountain in the icinity of the four naturalillages that co!prise %Ba phug Ad!inistratie Gillage$ Tsang tsa, Se

rgya, and Thang !tsher illages are located at the botto! of Fha!s ri

Mountain$ The Fha!s ri la tse is a round, bricB structure that is

about one !eter tall +ith a hollo+ interior, and is about t+o !eters

in dia!eter$ Stones are added to support large, long poles rese!bling

arro+s that are thrust inside and bushes fro! +hich ha tagsand

prayer flags are hung$ Prayer flags are also tied to flag poles planted

in the ground on the left and right sides of the la tse$ A sang hang,

a sNuare altar !ade fro! concrete and red bricBs, is seeral !eters

north of the la tse$ &uring the first lunar !onth, !ale illagers

rene+ the la tse by adding +ood poles rese!bling arro+s and

inserting birch-tree branches decorated +ith sheepEs +ool$

The Fha!s ri la tse is about t+enty Bilo!eters fro! %ta

rgyugs Gillage$ More than a hundred households offer sang to A

!yes Fha!s ri and place sang rtsi on this altar$ Rl!ng rta E+indhorsesE are thro+n into the air$ /ocal !en isit the la tsefreNuently

throughout the year and offer sangto A !yes Fha!s ri, beseeching

blessings, for e#a!ple, +hen students taBe uniersity entrance

e#a!inations or fa!ilies face difficulties$


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4has ri Lab tse. /e rgya, &hang tsher, /ngo rgya, Lha sde, and /e

rtsa +illages rene- 4has ri Lab tse byadding poles resebling arro-s

and inserting bushes de!orated -ith sheep$s -oolannually on the thirdday or the si6th day of the first lunar onth (2012).


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Bsang offered to 4has ri Deity (2012).

3 yes rag dar Lab tse in -inter. Dpon rgya +illagers +enerate rag

dar Deity (2012).


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#ung sad %illage Lab tse -as rene-ed in 2011 by inserting poles

resebling arro-s and -rapping ne- !loth around the poles (2012).

4has ri Lab tse altar (2012).


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Rlung rtaat 4has ri Lab tse (2012).

Rlung rtaoffered -hile !ir!uabulating 4has ri Lab tse (2012).


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A


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0n 2>12, ho+eer, al!ost eery illage fa!ily used a tractor to

haul !anure to the fields, put it in big piles, and then spread it oer

the fields on the day fields +ere so+n or on the preious day$

;urther!ore, fe+er fa!ilies raised liestocB in 2>12, and thus the

a!ount of !anure +as li!ited$

%ta rgyugs illagers purchase fie to seen bags of fertili@er

per household annually in


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The ritual is held on the si#teenth day of the first lunar !onth

in Se rtsa and on the seenteenth day in &pal rgyal gong ba

Monastery$ /ocal elders said the ritual originated fro! a Fha!s area

+here reno+ned la #a+ere e#pert in such religious dance$Sngags

pa fro! %Ba phug and Se rtsa illages preiously isited the Fha!s

!onasteries to receie instructions fro! E'ha! practitioners there$

Such isits no longer occur and the history of local E'ha! is unclear$

E'ha! preparations begin on the eleenth day of the first

lunar !onth +hen sngags pagather in &pal rgyal gong ba Monastery

and chant '*h"r a d)ings sgr"l - a scripture belieed capable of

stopping stor!s and e#pelling eil spirits - until the seenteenth day

of the first lunar !onth$ "ach sngags pa +ears a strip of red cloth

around his head, a tsha r!Ela!bsBin robeE, and a red cloth robe oerthe tsha r!$ Sngags pa fro! /ha grong, S!an Egang, %u !tsher,

Tsang tsa, &pon rgya, Mo @i, 'ung s!ad, and %ta rgyugs illages

!ust attend the ritual$

A large a!ount of sang is offered in the dance courtyard

center on the eleenth day and Bept burning for seen days$

Thousands of gt"r #a Edough effigiesE are !ade by sngags pa and

placed before deity i!ages in the !onastery during these days$ E'ha!

begins in the !onastery on the t+elfth day$ There is no audience$

Bn!ense offering in the !ourtyard !enter (Dpal rgyal gong ba$i sngags

khang, Dpon rgya %illage, 201).


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Mthun E'ha! Ear!onious &anceE starts in the !orning$

*hr" "and hr" #" E+rathful deityE dancers +ear !asBs and hold

+eapons$ &gra E'ha! E"ne!y &anceE co!!ences in the late

afternoon$ At this ti!e, a n)a ", a hu!an-liBe dough effigy that

e!bodies !aleolent spirits, is brought to the courtyard center and

hr" " andhr" #"dancers use Bnies to chop the n)a "into nine

pieces, thus destroying the e!bodied eil$ This is repeated until the

seenteenth day, +hen the dancers gather in the courtyard and an

audience of seeral hundred congregates$ There is no strict rule on

ho+ !any sngags pashould attend, ho+eer, all the sngags pa+ho

are physically able generally do attend$ Jhen the sngags paappear

in the courtyard at the beginning of E'ha!, a sngags paholds incense

in one hand and a dril ! EbellE in the other and leads the!$ e isacco!panied by t+o tsi '!d #han Etru!petersE and t+o sngags pa

+ith d!ng darE+hite conch shellsE$ "leen sngags pa+ith s!g chal

Ecy!balsE follo+$ ;ie of these sngags pa+ith cy!bals re!ain on the

platfor! +hen E'ha! dances co!!ence$ Three sngags pa holding

!ediu!-si@ed rnga Egoat-sBin dru!sE co!e to and stay on the

platfor! +hen the !asBed dance begins$ ne sngags pa+ith n"r !

EtreasureE (a painted i!age of je+els), and a la #a +ith a !# pa

EaseE and gd!gs EparasolE are follo+ed by t+o sngags pa holding

rg)al #tshan Eictory bannersE$ T+o boys bet+een the ages of seen

and ten +ith Da r! Es!all dru! +ith t+o attached striBersE follo+$

T+o d!ng chen Elarge tru!petsE are put on the roof near the

!onastery gate and are sounded by t+o sngags pa+ho appeared in

the courtyard at the beginning of the ritual$

A d! #d$ad Echant initiatorE is chosen fro! a!ong the

sngags pa$ e !ust hae a high-pitched oice to initiate the chantingand !ust Bno+ the chanting rhyth!s and !elodies$ The d! #d$ad

chants alone and slo+ly at the beginning +ith t+o cy!bals, and at a

certain rhyth! as indicated by a booB placed on the lead table$ ther

sngags pa follo+ the d! #d$ad$ The E'ha! perfor!ers dance

according to the sngags pa's beats and chants$ The chant initiator

often sits in the !iddle a!ong the sngags pa$ "ach of the other

sngags paholds aDa r!and chants$ A goat +as offered to the chant

initiator about t+enty years ago according to local elders, ho+eer, in

2>>6, the goat +as replaced +ith about 2>> %M:$


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The hri pa or dge s"s71 holds a sticB used to beat the

dancers if they do not dance properly, and oersees !atters that

occur during the ritual, such as !eals and rest periods$ All

perfor!ers respect and obey hi!$ The dge s"s is often the oldest

sngags pa in the !onastery$ A ne+ dge s"s is chosen eery three

years and seres a three-year ter! of duty$

A sngags pa!ust sere as a dancer for thirty-si# years or so

because he !ust dance for three years +earing the sa!e deity !asB

('!g pa, sh+a, and eng r!s are not included in this eNuation)$

o+eer, the ti!e !ay be reduced if the sngags pa dances

e#ceptionally +ell, in +hich case he !ay +ear different !asBs

+ithout +earing each for three years$ 0n such cases, ten to thirteen

years are needed to +ear all the !asBs and perfor! the roles each!asB signifies$ After retire!ent, the sngags pais e#pected to attend

the dance ritual until he is ery old$ MasBed dancers !ight be paid to

perfor! if a dancer is unable to participate$ 0n the past, if a dancer

could not participate, other E'ha! dancers replaced hi!, because

there +ere !any talented E'ha! dancers a!ong the sngags pa$

.o+adays, E'ha! perfor!ers hae decreased in nu!ber$ A paid

perfor!er +as gien 2>> %M: in 2>1>$

The dancers are forbidden to leae the !onastery during the

E'ha! ritual, ho+eer, they !ay receie per!ission if there are

pressing issues they !ust deal +ith$ &ancers are e#pected to abstain

fro! se#ual intercourse during this period and are not allo+ed to

s!oBe, drinB liNuor, or eat !eat during the seen days of ritual$ So!e

elder sngags pa hae #tsha#s hang Eplace for retreatE in the

!onastery yard and stay there$ Most young sngags palacB their o+n

roo!s, thus elder sngags pa's roo!s are cro+ded +ith sngags paduring the seen days$

Practice periods for E'ha! are on the t+entieth day of the

eleenth lunar !onth and the fifth day of the first lunar !onth$

Practice continues for about a +eeB each ti!e +ith older E'ha!

dancers teaching and superising the ne+ dancersE !oe!ents$

There are nineteen !asBs and each represents a particular

deity$ A !old is !ade$


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!i#ture$ The !asBs are put in bright sunshine to dry and !ight also

be placed near the hearth in a !onastery, +here they are !ade$

Jhen the glue dries, the clay !old is re!oed$ The resulting !asBs

are then decorated and painted +ith their characteristic shapes and

colors$ The !asBs for the t+o illages are listed in Table 4$

&he dge skos holds a sti!k on $#ha day (Dpal rgyal gong ba$i sngags

khang, Dpon rgya %illage, 201).


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Mtshams khangforsngags pa(Dpal rgyal gong ba$i sngags khang, Dpon

rgya %illage, 201).


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&able . $#ha asks in /e rtsa and Rka phug +illages. EEEE indi!ates that

the +illage does not eploy that ask in its $#ha.

MasB MasB Se rtsaGillage

%Ba phugGillage

'!g pa o+l U Ud!d deil, de!on U U:rag d!ar the !ountain deity

of &pon rgya Gillage KU

tsan spirit, de!on U U&a! can!gar d!ar

protector deityK

U

&a! can rdolegs pa

protector deity UK

&a! can!gar nag

protector deityK

U

&!ag @orrgyal !o

fe!ale deity U U


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This list sho+s that !asBs for both co!!unities are ery si!ilar$ The

!asBs are placed in the courtyard on the seenteenth day of the first

lunar !onth$ /ocals offer ha tags, s!all-si@ed g"sEsilBE, and larger-

si@ed n)al th!l ph)i #a Ecloth for Nuilt coersE to the !asBs +hen

+orn during E'ha! and during offering occasions to local !ountain

deities and g$hi dag Elocal deitiesE, beseeching blessings and

protection$ The cloth offerings are tied or bound to the sashes the

dancers +ear$ The dancers no+ o+n these offerings$

Gillages77 are responsible in turn for proiding food for the

sngags pa$ There are usually ten to fifteen cooBs fro! the host illage

+ho prepare 'ras th!gEboiled rice !i#ed +ith butter, sugar, raisins,

and jujubesE 75 in a large pot on the thirteenth, fifteenth, and

seenteenth days of the first lunar !onth$ The cooBs get up at aroundfour a$!$ to !aBe tea and cooB #ch"d soup on the eleenth day of

the first lunar !onth$ Jhen the sngags pa finish chanting at da+n,

the food !ust be ready$ The cooBs hurry to cooB 'ras th!g, because

it taBes ti!e and the sngags pahae lunch soon after breaBfast$

Sngags pa choose a ne+ ritual organi@er once eery three

years on the auspicious thirteenth day$ %esidents fro! the eight

illages co!e and offer sang on the fifteenth day$ n the

seenteenth day, all E'ha! dancers gather in the courtyard and an

audience gathers fro! the eight illages and other neighboring

illages79at the !onastery$ '&ras th!gis prepared during these three

days$ Mutton +as put on trays on ro+s of +ood tables before 2>>7$

After+ards, sngags pa stopped eating !eat during all rituals$ At

present, noodles, rtsa# pa, butter, and sugar are prepared during the

seen days$

"ach household prepares 2>> g"r d#arand a half Bilogra!of rapeseed oil and brings the! to the !onastery in %Ba phug

Ad!inistratie Gillage$ Meals are offered to people fro! the eight

illages on the seenteenth day$ The cooBs also inite their relaties

and acNuaintances to hae tea and 'ras th!gat lunch$

77/ha grong, S!an Egang, %u !tsher, Tsang tsa, &pon rgya, Mo @i, 'ung

s!ad, and %ta rgyugs$75istorically, illagers added gr" #a+hen !aBing 'ras th!g$ o+eer,in recent years, jujubes hae been used because they are cheap and easilyaailable$79;or e#a!ple, &o rgya and :rag Bhang sna Bha illages$


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E'ha! begins +hen hr" " and hr" #" appear in the

courtyard, acco!panied by cy!bals, rnga, and d!ng chen played by

sngags pasitting on platfor!s !ade of bricBs about 1$5 !eters high

around the courtyard$ *hr" " and hr" #" are considered

protectors against the eil spirits that !ight disturb the ritual and

linger around the dance area$ The ne#t perfor!ers are eng r!s, +ho

are understood to be protectors of souls of the dead and appear in the

courtyard t+ice$*eng r!srese!ble sBeletons and hae huge ears and

+ide !ouths$

T+ele$h+a nagEblacB hatE dancers, appear in the courtyard

ne#t$

The eng r!s carry a n)a " on a triangular +ooden litter

bet+een the! +hen they appear the second ti!e$ The dough effigysy!boli@es !aleolent spirits that cause disasters for locals$ 0t has

tiny hands bound behind it, and a huge belly$ .e#t, ph" r"g Ecro+-E

and E!g pa Eo+l-E headed dancers enter the courtyard$ Their

!oe!ents are co!ple# and fast as they sNuat and circle the

courtyard$ They !oe around the dough effigy, atte!pting to cut and

eat the n)a "$ They do not subdue the n)a "and their dance ends

in failure$

The ne#t dancer is sh+a Estag-E headed dancer, +ho cuts the

n)a " into pieces, tosses the! into the air, Bneels on a gdan dar

E+hite rugE, uses his antlers to taBe the ha tags that is spread

bet+een t+o one !eter high poles that stand just in front of hi!, and

uses all his !ight to BnocB do+n the poles +ith his antlers$ is

!oe!ents beco!e NuicB and co!ple# as he circles the courtyard,

the ha tagshanging fro! his antlers, suggesting an auspicious year

for locals$ The dance ends in ictory$G$a' co!es ne#t, holding a bo+ +ith a notched arro+ in his

left hand and another +eapon rese!bling a spear in his right hand$

As he e#its the dancing hall,76 he lingers at the door, and does not

enter the courtyard$ As g$a' stops !oing, eleen other dancers

appear fro! the hall, and follo+ hi! to the courtyard$ A!ong these

76There are t+o separate !ain roo!s in %Ba phug &pal rgyal gongba Monastery$ They are a dance hall for E'ha! perfor!ers to changetheir !asBs and rest during E'ha! perfor!ances, and a place to storethe !asBs after the ritual$ The second !ain roo! is Bno+n as Tshogschen Edu Bhang +here la #aand sngags pa chant$


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dancers, the !ountain deities Srin po, Fha!s ri, and :rag d!ar are

offered g"s, ha tags, and n)al th!l ph)i #a, +hich are tied to the

sashes of their dance gar!ents at the bacB$

After g$a'circles the courtyard one or t+ice, gt"r rg)agEritual

of burning offerings to drie a+ay eil spiritsE begins$ Seeral elder

sngags pabring gt"r #a+ith a cro+ head and e#it the !onastery to

burn it in a bonfire fueled by dried plant stalBs$ T+o local illagers

holding religious flags tied on a long pole, the t+ele dancers,

dru!!ers, and chanters follo+ the sngags pa$ :efore tossing the

gt"r #ainto the fire, the t+ele dancers steadily ga@e in the direction

+here the fire is set +hile the chanters and dru!!ers perfor!$ The

ritual concludes by thro+ing the gt"r #ainto the fire$

"erforing 8or bu dga$ $khyil, or aking a large !ir!le into a +ery sallone, and then into a big !ir!le. During the ritual, a sngags pa holds asti!k -ith in!ense and leads othersngags pa around the !ourtyard (Dpalrgyal gong ba$i sngags khang, Dpon rgya %illage, 201).


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Sngags pa -ith sbug hal -alk to the !ourtyard (Dpal rgyal gong ba$i

sngags khang, Dpon rgya %illage, 201).


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Sngags pa-ith a ru -alk to the !ourtyard (Dpal rgyal gong ba$i sngagskhang, Dpon rgya %illage, 201).


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Sngags pa -ith sbug hal and drus !ir!le the !ourtyard (Dpal rgyalgong ba$i sngags khang, Dpon rgya %illage, 201).


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'"g paand pho rog attept to diseber the nya bo (Dpal rgyal gongba$i sngags khang, Dpon rgya %illage, 201).


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Fh-a nag perforers dan!e in the !ourtyard (/e rtsa$i sngags khang, /ertsa %illage, 201).


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Keng rusin the !ourtyard (Dpal rgyal gong ba$i sngags khang, Dpon rgya%illage, 201).


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Sh#a -ith kha btags $Dpal rgyal gong ba$i sngags khang, Dpon rgya%illage, 201).


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Bdud appears in the !ourtyard (Dpal rgyal gong ba$i sngags khang, Dpon

rgya %illage, 201).


84/270

-37-

Gza' appears in the !ourtyard (/e rtsa$i sngags khang, /e rtsa %illage,201).


85/270

-35-

Btsan in the !ourtyard (Dpal rgyal gong ba$i sngags khang, Dponrgya %illage, 201).


86/270

-39-

Klu appears in the !ourtyard (Dpal rgyal gong ba$i sngags khang, Dponrgya %illage, 201).


87/270

-36-

/rin podan!es in the !ourtyard (Dpal rgyal gong ba$i sngags khang, Dponrgya %illage, 201).


88/270


89/270

-38-

rag dar in the !ourtyard (Dpal rgyal gong ba$i sngagskhang, Dpon rgya %illage, 201).


90/270

-8>-

Dag ;or rgyal o at thegtor rgyag (Dpal rgyal gong ba$i sngags khang,

Dpon rgya %illage, 201).


91/270

-81-

/ngags srungdan!es in the !ourtyard (Dpal rgyal gong ba$i sngags khang,

Dpon rgya %illage, 201).


92/270

-82-

Da !an gar nag in the !ourtyard (Dpal rgyal gong ba$i sngags khang,

Dpon rgya %illage, 2>14)$


93/270

-84-

Da !an gar dar in the !ourtyard (Dpal rgyal gong ba$i sngags khang,

Dpon rgya %illage, 2>14)$


94/270

-87-

Khro bo dan!es in the !ourtyard (Dpal rgyal gong ba$i sngags khang,Dpon rgya %illage, 201).


95/270

-85-

Khro mo dan!es in the !ourtyard (Dpal rgyal gong ba$i sngags khang,Dpon rgya %illage, 201).


96/270

-89-

3 sngags pa prepares to thro- the gtor ma into a fire (Dpal rgyal gongba$i sngags khang, Dpon rgya %illage, 201).


97/270

-86-

ung heninside Dpal rgyal gong ba$i sngags khang (Dpon rgya %illage,201).

A


98/270

-83-

pastoral areas$ ;a!ilies +ho had no liestocB borro+ed plo+ ani!als

fro! relaties in agro-pastoral areas in e#change for labor$ Jhen

so+ing ti!e arried in the agro-pastoral area, such %ta rgyugs

fa!ilies +ere obligated to assist their agro-pastoral relaties$

0n 2>12, as preiously !entioned, nearly eery household

o+ned a tractor, and !ost people bet+een the ages of t+enty to fifty

+ere +orBing a+ay fro! the illage for !uch of the year$ There +ere

fe+ liestocB in the illage in 2>12$

Thong sBar Ethe auspicious day for beginning cultiationE

Eplo+ dateE +as historically obsered before so+ing$ An older illage

!an isited a sngags paor rtsis pa EastrologerE offered bread, a tea

bricB, and !oney on behalf of the +hole illage, and asBed hi! to

select an auspicious day for so+ing$ The elder then reported the dateand in +hat direction to !aBe the first furro+$ n the specified date,

a large sang offering +as !ade in a field centrally located in the

illage, and three furro+s +ere !ade circling the sang clocB+ise

+ith the plo+ ani!als in the hope of receiing an abundant autu!n

harest$ Gillagers !ade furro+s and scattered seeds in the furro+ as a

sy!bolic beginning, but started cultiation in earnest the ne#t

afternoon +hen the soil +as !ello+$

Thong sBar +as no longer practiced in 2>12, although a

religious specialist continued to be consulted for the plo+ing date$

n the so+ing day, hal #a EpacB ani!alsE are tied +ith

seeral ropes and sna gc! Enose ringsE are put in the #d$"'s noses$

Gn)a' shingEyoBesE are fastened +ith a throat latch$ The !iddle of the

yoBe features a EGE shaped piece of +ood to +hich the th"ng gsh"l

Eplo+E is attached$ A checB line is attached to the left and right sides of

the #d$"'s nose ring$ The rope end is fastened to the plo+$ Theplo+!an deter!ines the direction of the furro+ by pulling the checB

lines$

Mu

ASIAN HIGHLANDS PERSPECTIVES Vol 33 FARMERS, FUGITIVES, GHOSTS, AND EXPLODING GRASSHOPPERS ...

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Transcript of ASIAN HIGHLANDS PERSPECTIVES Vol 33 FARMERS, FUGITIVES, GHOSTS, AND EXPLODING GRASSHOPPERS ...