The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1875-07-15
LallOul Women.

A iSSCHI tidSCiCl III tHC pIOvlHCo
Of Lahoul, between India and Thibet,
says:
.sNear each village was carefully
cultivated willow orchard (all pollard
trecs), and also patches of carefully
irrigated barley and buckwheat. In
the fields women were working; from
the house-tops women stared at us,
and women carried our baggage
Where, then, are the men: We found,
on inquiry, that all the able-bodied
males pass the summer in transport.
ing merchandise between Ladak,
Chumba, and kulu, and sometimes
farther, on strong, well shaped, sure
footed ponies ; and not a few, no
doubt, spend the summer months in
contraband traffic on their own ac-
count.
With the ladies', therefore, the sum-
mer is busy time. They have to
SOW, to reap, and to garner; to stack
frewood for the winter on the flat
house-top and look after the children.
and last, not least, to carry the bag
gage of a chance Englishman for a
march of two (but this last occupation
is Of such rare occurrence that it has
all the charms of novelty for them) !,
SO that when the good men return
home from their travels they have
nothing to do but to smoke their
pipes, and hibernate through the
months of ice and snow in the enjoy
ment of the good things their help
mates have provided for them.
These women were the strangest
specimens of womankind it had been
my lot to see-at once the most dres.
sy and ugliest Of their sex. Their
costume, how shall ! describe it,
Their surprising ugliness, how por-
tray? Their hair, of rusty black, is
plated into number of tails, which
reach to the waist, and Of which the
extremities are collected together and
tied under small bit Of mother-of-
pearl shell. from which again hang
rows of beads and small bells of met
al. These jingled as they moved like
bells of a carriers team. A band of
red cloth or leather, about two or
three inches broad, reaches from the
forehead back over the crown of the
head, and falls as far as the waist
This is studded with rough turquoises.
large but i'll shaped, and full OF flaws.
Their color, too, is green, not blue,
and they are of little value. This is
the fashionable head dress. Some
(but these may possibly have been
suffering from neuralgia wore flaps
of black sheepskin over the ears
oreillettes, in fact and they all of
them added as many beads Of amber,
of mother-o Of pearl and coral as they
came by. Necklaces Of amber, car
nelian, coral, and glass (generally the
latter hung around their tawny
throats, from which depended rude
amulets of silver, nor were armlets
and earrings forgotten. A coarse,
warm jacket Of woolen cloth, pet
ticoat of divers colors principally
blue, red, yellow, and green), and
glass shoes or sandals completed the
costume. A few of them, too, wore
undressed sheepskins hanging down
over their shoulders, and fastened in
front across the breast by skewers-
the most primitive of mantles. They
all carried small baskets slung at their
backs, ready for load, and most OF
them had baby in arms, which, when
the able-bodied matron who owned it
had decided what baggage she should
carry, was handed over to the care OF
one of the bigger children.
"Their sunken features, broad, flat,
square visages were well worthy OF
their ignoble setting the eyes, mar.
row, small and twinkling, seemed
eternally endeavoring, but in vain, to
squint over the prominent cheekbone
and peep at the fat, broad nose below
The mouth, wide and thick-lipped
though it was, was the redeeming fea.
ture, for it was generally on the broad
grin, and gave an expression of good
nature to the otherwise dull, vacant
face. Their figures, squat, short, and
broad, were the reverse of graceful
but they walk away under the bur
dens which the men of Simia would
have grumbled at the weight Of. L
was quite jour de fete for them ,and
they had brought their whole famil,
with them to share in its delights
They we're by far the best coolies VI
had, were these sturdy, good
humored ladies Of Lahoul."