ETHNOFLORENCE
INDIAN AND HIMALAYAN
FOLK AND TRIBAL ARTS
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N. 855
(1)
BOOK OF THE WEEK
Western Tibet
and
The British Border Land
The sacred country of Hindus and Buddhist
by
Charles A. Sherring
London
Edward Arnold
1906
Tibetan Masked Dancers
Banging Cymbals – Drum beaten by stick like a reaping hook.
Tibetan Dancers wearing Masks
Tibetan Dancers
This Party has visited India during the previous cold weather
Tibetan Dancers
Note the Drum and the Mask in foreground
Bhotia Women
The Chum or Rani, wife of the three brothers
The Tiara is of turquoise and coral ; ear – rings of silver and turquoise ; a silver charm is suspended from the neck ; baeads are fastened to the waist; the long boots are Lhasa made. She is wearing a shirt with an apron , and a long robe with full sleeves. Behind the shoulders the hair is plaited, and the two ends are connected by coloured cord 2 ft. long.
A Tibetan Wedding : The Bride
A Tibetan Wedding : The Bridegroom
Tibetan Charm, Jug, Bell
Silver charm – casket, with turquoise centre , worn on person – Turquoise ear – ring worn by women – Silver chatelaine worn by woman on the bosom: from left ear-spoon – tooth-pick, brush for clenaing jewellery, flat instrument cleaner, thorn extractor, useful for spreading medicine, tweezers for pulling out hairs on the face. Turquoise in the luky colour and keeps off the evil eye. 
Jugs for filling water into bowls which stand on the altars in front of the idols. Bells with thunderbolt handles – DORJE – used by lamas in the temples – Sauce pan for pouring melted butter into bowls in which lights burn on the altars. Table with folding flaps. Trumphets made of himan thight – bones used by Lamas in their rites : it has been said that those of criminals are preferred, but those in the picture belonged to HOLY MEN , and similarity the himan skulls represented elsewhere.
From the left: Tibetan Apron with gold-thread corners worn by woman : silver pendant and silk tassels worn by woman: charms are kepr in the caskets: chatelaine of white and blue beads and tiny brass bells, worn by women – at the side: the tinkling of the bells as the women walk (all wear it) – Silver chram – casket – Silver chatelaine – Common knife and sheat worn by women. Tibetan woman’s tiara made of red cloth mounted with coral and turquoise, both of which are considered lucky. Turquoise ear ring – turquoise fends off the evil eye. Fur cap with ear – flaps worn by men of position. Scarlet hood with light blue silk lining – gold-thread embrodery and blue solk ribbons, worn by high officials when travelling : red and blue are lucky colours.
From the left: Tibetan bowl used for drinking tea. Tibetan pipe jade mouthpiece for smoking tabacco – Tibetan tabacco is exactly like chopped chaff. Tibetan purse. Bowl for drinking : in it are Tibetan coins. Table for domestic use. Purse. Bag. Pipe with onyx mouthpiece. Purse: in the centre hangs a needle -case. Purse with flint, steel and tinder. Bag. Churn and piston-rod for making tea and mixing in it butter, salt and flour.
Thunderbolts – DORJE – used to expel demons by all Lamas in Temple. The Dorje is gripped with finger and thumb in the centre and turned backwards and forwards, while a bell is rung with the other hand. Stone engraved with – OM MANI PADME HUNG – Spoons and ladles used in domestic life, the right one is of brass and the left of silver, with turquoise in the centre: the lower ones are of brass and copper.
Stone engraved with ” OM MANI PADME HUNG” : such stones are thrown in thousands on the heaps. Prayer – wheels with chain and knob to assist the revolutions – Thunderbolts – DORJE – for expelling Demons by All Lamas – Ling Shaped mud image with SHIVA’S TRIDENT – TRISUL – and streamer – Table for domestic use – Bowls made of human skulls in which water or blood is offered and sometimes drunk.
A DOKPA WOMAN
She is wearing a robe lined with fur inside and covered with leather outside : her charge for being photographed was fourpence
A CAITYA OR DEATH MEMORIAL
THESE ARE MUD IMAGES OF TIBETAN DEITIES, THE IMPRESS BEING MADE WITH STAMP
They are placed in hundreds by devotees in caves and sacred spots, each of them contains a few grains of corn, which have germinated in some of the above: this practice signifies the immortal hope after death.
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*****
*
(2)
MASK OF THE DAY
FUNGUS RAI MASKS
SANZA ARTS PREMIERS COLLECTION
BRUXELLES
Photo credit Sanza Arts Premiers – Bruxelles
Photo credit Sanza Arts Premiers – Bruxelles
Photo credit Sanza Arts Premiers – Bruxelles
About the Fungus Mask We suggest the following selected essays on the matter:
(a)
Ethnomycologie Nepalaise Masques en Polypores – par Guy Durrieu – Mashedh Humar Adhikari & JP Girolami (in Bull. Soc. mycol. Fr., 130 (1-2) p.57-71 2014.
(b)
Lettre Du Toit du Monde Numero 25 Mars 2018 – Les Masques – Champignons du Nepal par Francois Pannier
https://www.letoitdumonde.net/images/lettres/pdf/LETTRE-TDM-25.pdf
(c)
Extraordinary Fungal Masks used by the Indigenous People of North America and Asia – by Robert A. Blanchette (in Fungi volume 10:3 Fall 2017)
https://www.fungimag.com/fall-2017-articles/V10I3%20LR%20Masks%208_12.pdf
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