The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-15
LAND OF RED-FACED MEN
LITTLE KNOWN OF THE COUNTRY IN
WHICH LANDOR WAS TORTURED.
Explorers Always Forced to Turn
Back-Chnrncte ristics OF the PeO-
pie of a Desolate Region.
Chicago Inter Ocean.

| Chicago Inter Ocean.
The graphic recital of the tortures recent
ly inflicted upon Henry Savage Lander, the
| British explorer who sought to reach
Lhasa. the capital of Thibet, by the bar
barous inhabitants Of that wild country
has served to draw attention to the re-
markable dearth of knowledge possessed by
| Western peoples in regard to that portion
of Asia. Thibet, which is perhaps less
known to modern civilization than any 9TH
er inhabited region of equal size in the
world consists of a series of lofty table,
lands, ranging from ten thousand to 1900
| feet above the sea level, bounded on all
| sides by great mountain ranges.
On the south lie the Himalayas, to the
east the Yun-Ling mountains Of China,
the north, toward Turkestan and Mongolia,
the Kuen-Lun ranges, while on the west
are the Famir tablelands, recently the
scene of Russian activity. The extreme
length Of the country from east to west is
more than 1000 miles, and it's breadth from
north to south varies from $50 miles in the
west to seven hundred miles in the east,
the total area exceeding 100000 square miles.
The country is subdivided into Great and
| Little Thibet, the latter Occupying the west
ern portion The entire region may be di-
vided into three zones, increasing in ele-
/ Nc1tAOA AAOH1 SUZUKI 10
OF these the southern zone contains most
of the towns and the agricultural popula-
tion;. the middle zone, region peopled by
pastoral nomads, while the north is given
over to a few wild nomadic tribes end to
wild animals.
| An old name for Thibet in the native
books signifies country of the red-faced
men," the ancient national custom of paint
| ing the face red. The bulk of the popula-
ton and most Of the large towns are in the
| southern part of the country in region
called Bodyal, the people of which are
called Bodpas. Most Of this section is I'M
der the sway of China, the province being
| governed by lamas and gyalpos, ecclesiast-
| zeal and lay BodpaS, although other por-
tlons are subject to Nepal and Kashmir
ana TO numerous independent chiefs. The
! principal seat of Chinese power is Lhasa
the most populous city of rhibet.
| Beng dlthcult of access on all Sides pos
sessing III some parts climate almost
| arctic in it's severity and inhabited by peo-
pie who have long sought to prevent by
every means in their power the entry of
| Europeans into their territory, Thibet has
up to this time BEEN literally an almost I'M
known region to civilized nations But few
| European travellers have entered it's Dor
ders, and most of these have been compelled
TO turn back before penetrating far into the
| interior, and during the present century
especial care has been taken to keep out
| or expel all such intruders
The first Europeans known to have en-
| tered Thibet were Catholic priests, Friar
| Odoric, of Pordenone, having, it is said,
| reached Lhasa early as 1925 Three
centuries later the Jesuit Antonio Andrada,
| ward across the country to China In 1861
| Fathers Grueber and D'Orville travelled
from Picking to Lhasa and thence to India,
and prior to 1850 several Capuchin friars
traversed the region between Delhi and
Lhasa
The first Englishman to enter the country
| (YpOrPa ROpln who or q n abao ~
| from Warren Hastings TO one of the most
powerful lamas in INA In 1911, nearly
century later, Thomas Manning made his
! way from India to Lhasa, but was soon
] forced to leave the sacred city. which no
! other Englishman is known to have reached.
! In 1S44-46 Hue and CADET, French mission
| aries, reached LhaSa from China, but were
soon deported and in 1866 Able Desgodins
| penetrated some distance into the country.
! but he, too, was forced to turn back by the
| inhabitants. Colonel Prjevalsky, a Russian,
! subsequently made a determined effort to
| explore northern Thibet but was prevented
| from continuing his progress to the south.
| ITS EARLY HISTORY.
| The early history of Thibet is purely le-
| gendary, but it seems probable that a state
| was founded in the eastern portion about
| 433 A. d. by a member Of the Tubat fam
| lily, who was the Governor of a Chinese
province but was obliged to flee for his life.
| The Chinese name for the state thus found
ed is equivalent to heavy stones"
| 1t is related of a subsequent king who is
| said to have ruled in the eighth century
| that. having determined to establish perfect
equality among his subjects he enacted
| that there should be no distinctions between
| rich and poor and compelled the wealthy
| to share their riches with the poverty
stricken, but finally gave up in despair,
| three times, he found it impossible to main
| tain such state of equality.
The various petty tribes We're subjugated
| fnrro 1nrc to- he
century. and about 1920 the Chinese overran
| the country and established the present
form of government. Chinese authority is
| maintained by two imperial representatives,
/ who direct the foreign and military affairs
| OF the country, leaving the civil and re-
| ligious government entirely to the natives.
| The number of Chinese troops kept in
| Thibet is small amounting in all to about
| four thousand, half of whom are stationed
| Supreme authority in civil matters is in
the hands of the grand lama, or high priest
who lives in famous temple palace of PotO
La He delegates his powers, however, TO
a special officer appointed by the Chinese
government, who is nominally his prime
minister. The four principal provinces are
each ruled by governor, appointed by the
prime minister.
The Thibetans cherish legend in regard
to their origin, which is strongly cor
laboratory of the Darwinian theory. 1t is
to the effect that they are descended from
an ape sent to their country, which they
call the snowy kingdom, by a deity called
Chenrisig and of a Thibetan female demon.
rms odd couple mad six children, whom
they abandoned as soon as weaned in a
forest of fruit trees. On the return of the
father few years later he was surprised
to find that their numbers had increased to
five hundred, but as they were starving he
appealed to Chenrlsig, who assumed the
qua r,dianship Of the race. and threw down
to the famished apes q quantity of five
kinds of grain. In consequence OF eating
this grain the apes tails and the hair on
their bodies grew shonter and shorter and
finally disappeared, and they began to
speak and become men, clothing themselves
with leaves. The belief in a monkey an
cestor seems common to the different
branches of the race.
The people of the country have the char
acteristics of the Monaghan race and are
divided into large number of tribes many
of which are nomadic. The inhabitants of
the western regions are short in stature
averaging about feet inches in height
while those of the other portions Of the
country possess q finer physique
CHARACTERISTIC OF PEOPLE.
As TO general characteristics they are said
to be strong, slender of limb. with black
eyes slightly oblique, a rudy brownsh
complexion large mouth, brown hair, and
no beard. They are reputed to be- as a