Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-19
A STRANGE LAND.
Mr.. w. w. Rockhill's Account Of His
Journey Through Tibet.

CURIOUS CUSTOMS OF THE PEoPLE-THEY HAVE
NO RESPECT FOR AaE--rHErR SIMPLE COSTUMES
AND PRIMITIVE MODES OF AGRIcULTURE AND
MISINo-RELIGIoN, MARRIAGE, ETC.
At the meeting Of the anthropological society
at the Cosmos club last night DR.. ID. Lamb
read paper on "Olecranon fora men,"
Mr.. Mark b. Kerr told of the legend Of the
Shasta Indians OF northern California and
southern Oregon which tells of the origin of
the island Of Llav Nous.
Mr.. W. W. Rockhill. who has spent number
OF years in China and made quite an extensive
journey through a portion of the almost I'M
known land Of Tibet. read very valuable and in
teresting paper on that strange land Mr. Rock
hill prefaced his remarks with personal expla-
nation, which, he said, he considered he owed to
the anthropologicul society and to himself. II
he presumed to address the society on the an
thropology Of the Tibetan race. subject here
tofore hardly touched by any authors and
whose observations had they admitted. to be
taken with many grains of salt. it was not only
because he had made a journey through part
of their country. but because he had given
some twenty years to a study Of the literature
and the history of the people, and during four
years Of this time, while secretary OF the
United States legation at Peking, he had con-
versed daily with Tibetans who held. many of
them, high official position in their country
and were at the capital of the empire official
business. The remarks he offers result from
information gained from them, corrOborated
by native works and confirmed by observations
on his journey. As the field of research of the
society was confined to anthropology. the lee
turer would not be obliged to speak Of himself
and his journeys in China. Mongolia and Tibet.
which was great relief to him. as he still laid
some claims to modesty of the nom Chinese
tribes inhabiting the western part Of it. of
Iibetan. MongOl and Turki descent the first a
pastoral people living in the higher valleys
and surrounded by herds of ponies. yak,
sheep and goats. the others living in villages
and greatly Chnesefed. .r- 81. O...
10 the west of this region the Kokonor
steppe. with an average altitude of over 10 900
feet, a lake Of 1868 miles in circumference in
its center, the blue Lake" the Kokonor
The country adjoining the lake is inhabited by
1lbetans and Mongols, the latter much OPP
pressed by the former. who are a truculent
race and much feared by all their neighbors
The Mongols of the KokonOr have adopted the
dress OF their fierce neighbors and try. but
with small success, to resist them The war
like spirit which once animated them and
made them masters of two-thirds of the old
world has gone out of them or is dormant
waiting, perhaps, the coming Of another Gengis
Khan. and their endeavors to look fierce and
over-awe their Tibetan neighbors meet with
no more success than did those of the ass when
dressed i'll the lions skin. af
HABITS AND CUSTOMS OF CURIOUS PEOPLE
He spoke at length of the habits and customs
Of the Tibetans and of their relations to other
Mongol peoples. The chief article of diet of
the Tibetans is tea. They mash up tea twigs
and this they boil and to it add milk and but
ter. This is all churned and eaten with
peculiar sort of meal. The Tibetans probably
are not polyandrous, but have a number of
other very curious customs They purchase
The n
sides instead of giving them burial When a
man is supposed to be dying he is asked by his
friends and relatives if he intends to return.
Ii he says he does not he is allowed to die in
peace, but II he says he will return they
strangle or smother him to hasten his demise.
The Ilbetans have not the slightest regard for
age and the elders and parents have no rights
which the children are bound to respect. In
fact, 1t Is not at all uncommon for them to kill
their friends and relatives when they get too
old to be OF use.
The early religion of the Tibetans was made
up largely ob a species OF sorcery and was
closely allied to Tavism in its modern form.
How THEY DIFFER FROM THE CHINESE.
The people of eastern Tibet have a remark
able physique, not at all like the Chinese. The
cheek bones are not SO high, the nose is slender
and the hair is slightly wavy if not curly. The
women are particularly beautiful. which can
hardly be said of the Chinese and Mongols
detracts from their charm. They daub their
faces with mixture OF grease and mineral
substances which gives them a particularly
dirty look. There are two theories to account
for TINS custom. They say it is to protect their
faces from the harsh Winds but another story
has it that they blacken their faces in order to
attract the attention of the lamas or priests
There are surprising number of monasteries
in this country, all handsomely decorated with
figures of iivinities and heavily plated with
roll Ne 1T L.,
precious metals and mine gold almost solely
for religious purposes All their mines are
placer. but the amount they succeed in obtain
ing would lead one to suppose that it would he
plentiful If only properly mined.
As an agricultural people they are very prim-
tive. Their tools are of the rudest descrip-
ton and their crops are quite limited, barley
being the main staple. In the south, however,
there is a somewhat greater variety and peas
and potatoes are extensively grown. The lat
ter we're probably introduced by travellers or
missionaries.
SIMPLE COSTUMES.
The clothing of the Tibetans consists mainly
OF single long garment which is put over the
head. 1t is large and in its folds and pockets
the wearer can carry most of his personal be-
iongings. This. with a pair of long boots tied
IN at the knee. completes heir costume. They
have no national head drses. The women are
very fond of jewelry and they wear great GUAM
Passing to II consideration Of the geography
OF the northwestern part OF China proper, he
spoke OF the province of Kansu and of the salt
marsh basin, over 500 miles from east to west
and 60 odd from north to south, called the
Isaidam 1.-TWO Iibetan words, meaning .'salt
marsh"), and inhabited by some 10, 900 Mongols.
MOUNTAINS AND RIVERS OF CHINA AND TIBET.
To the south OF this country rises like wall,
or one of our western mesa, a chain of mountains.
with an average altitude Of about 5000 feet.
On our maps it figures as the Kuen-lun n
Chinese name, which ought not to be retained
in our more precise and scientific geographical
nomenclature, especially it is never made
use Of by the Chinese Of the present day. nor
did it ever have well-detned meaning To
the south of this range are the high tablelands
of northern Tibet, uninhaDlted by man. but
over which roam innurnerable herds of wild
yak, asses and antelope, and where bears and
wolves are seen in great numbers. On the
southern side of this plateau, which is over 800
miles long, with average width from north
to south of 300 miles the two great rivers of
China, the Huang no and the Yang tzu-KIang.
take their source To the south of these rivers
the country begins to be peopled, and their
course may be considered for practical pur-
poses as the northern boundary OF Tibet
proper. ..- ..
The lecturer then spoke of the people in
habiting Tibet and Of the savage tribes on its
southern border, the Abors, the Mishmis, the
Lisus and the Moses. a.s' .as
The primitive religion Of Tibet, Peunch'u,