The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-18

AtSAADCAB tIC EpOhG 10 THIS SiANGNs Oi Nod-
cred Lama. of the land beyond the seas,
brother of the sun and pillar Of the western
world, your servant, our countryman. has
told us who you are. and we greet you.
come to conduct you to our holy temple
and into the presence Of the Sacred Lama
1t was the season corresponding to the
Jewish Passover. and the city was choked
with the devout from far and near. Pre-
ceded by our guide and three acolytes and
followed by a constantly growing crowd Of
people, we threaded our way through laby-
rinth of streets apd were conducted into the
worship room of the temple
This was d tremendous hall, gorgeous be-
yond description. The valuted ceiling was
supported by a forest of pillars of red cedar
wood Enthusiastically carved with the symbols
of the Thibetan faith. Upon inlaid dais
of sweet sandalwood at the far end, under a
canopy of yellow silk, were two thrones, one
higher than the other. In the right-hand
throne sat a small wizened man with a
patriarchal white beard, which he constantly
stroked with hand the curled and highly
polished finger nails of which must have
been five inches in length. This was the
Sacred Lama.
WORSHIPPED AS A GOD.
AS we neared the throne he motoned me
u OtCupy lne lower seat. AL QGCnlGus
as 1 knew the sacredness of it, and thought
this mere Oriental politeness, but, as he in
sisted. 1 obeyed, the crowds falling down
before me- | had a long conversation with
the Sacred Lama and explained my mission.
lie manifested the deepest interest, and,
without the slightest demur, granted US the
full freedom of the city, but him never
saw again. Whether / had fallen in his
estimation by proclaiming myself mere
American citizen 1 do not know, but 1 was
satisfied at any rate, for he had given me
what wanted, and throughout our stay we
were always treated with the utmost cour-
tesy.
L remained in the country eight months
and had every opportunity for studying
their peculiar customs. A more remarkable
people do not exist, and were / to tell the
readers of the Journal some Of their habits
L would be disbeliev2d. When the average
Thibetan is not eating he is drinking, and
when he is not drinking he is sleeping The
people use a great deal of butter and are
constantly drinking tea. The latter is sim
ply delicious, but the former made me gag.
The Thibetans make their butter from the
creamy and delicious milk of the yak,
animal much resembling a with a
camePs hump on it's back. They milk the
yak let it remain in the sun in earthen jars
thirty-six hours, and then churn it into but
ter by placing it in the skin of q goat which
is suspended from the limb of a tree. Then
the whole family groups around the goat
skin and all punch it most industriously
until the butter comes" This butter is
then placed, unsalted, in the stomach of
sheep and put away 60 season for an indefi-
mite length Of time They look upon their
i1gf Uyne-tn6 older
it is the better. l have one of these skins,
holding nearly twenty pounds of butter,
which the donor assured me was fifty years
old / haven't yet summoned up enough
courage to taste it. A good Thibetan butter
faster can tell almost to the month how old
butter is.
A THIBETAN MEAL.
Their dishes are wooden bowls, and they
have no spoons, forks or knives, except
dirk knife. They kill all animals with these
dirk knives, and, in fact, do everything with
ii. They first cut a piece of butter and put
1t in the bowl Then the tea is poured upon
the butter, and you blow your breath upon
the floating island of melted butter which
has risen to the top of the bowl Then you
drink your tea, which tastes something like
tutter soup, quite strong. Then they bring
YOU the staple of life, which is a kind of
flour similar TO our barley. Before it is
ground or crushed they almost burn it so
that it is black This flour is also brought
in a skin, for they put everything in skins.
You take handful of the flour and put it
in the bowl where your tea soup is, and stir
it with your finger until it, gets about as
thick as porridge, and then eat it with your
fingers Every man washes his own dish
and every man is his own cupboard.
The men and the women dress exactly
alike, and wear but one garment, and some
times, when the weather is very hot, they
forget TO put this on. / remember the sec
ond day after reached L-abrony. A buxom
Young woman of about twenty waited upon
us at the table. and did not even wear this
single garment / was quite shocked, but
Edwards murmured something about King
Edward and the garter, and L stood cor
rected accordingly.
But to return to the native costume. This
single garment is made of the skin of some
animal and it is worn with the fur inside
and next to the skin. The same garment is
worn winter and summer, day and night,
and, as a rule, let me say parenthetically.
the wearer of this fur gown is not the only
thing alive about it.
Each man washes his own dish by care
fully licking it. 1t is then placed inside his
fur dress next to the skin. When Thibetan
goes on journey he carries his dish with
him, as well as a skin of butter on one side
of his girdle and a skin Of flour the
other.
Let me tell you about their marriage re-
lations 1t is interesting to note that while
one woman is allowed to marry as often as
her own sweet will dictates, the men
marry but once. / have seen men sharing
their wives with half a dozen neighbors.
Naturally a man in Thibet never speaks of
his wife as his better half" and don't
suppose he cares to refer to her as his bet
ter SIXTH knew of one woman in Labrony
who had thirty-three husbands, and when
/ left she was still marrying at the rate of
one month. She was very good looking
and bonanza to the middleman.
When a man in Thibet wants to marry he
goes to a middleman, or matrimonial
agency, and tells the proprietor what kind
of a looking woman he prefers. This mid
dleman attends to all the details and re-
ceives his fee in very aged butter. The
prettier or richer the bride the older the
butter The groom does not see his bride
until the day of the wedding, when she is
taken by her brother and a company of
young girls, on horseback. to within nine
teen feet of his house, where the matri-
monial cavalcade dismounts.