Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1910-01-29

| yVutb luuI0, hNtu6 cO"'S ~ 'ssN
widest parts a.ong the Himalayan
frontier on the borders Of Sikhim,
Nepal, and Bhutan ! will cndeavor
to set before readers Of the Bulletin
n brief sketch Of the people of Blu.
tan. introducing some OF their pc
culiar customs.
The Bhutias. or inhabitants OF Blu.
tan, an independent kingdom situated
between 26 anad 20 degrees N. lat,
and rs and 30 degrees r. long. are
for the most part an Alpine race.
They have the true Kalmuk features,
and are indcscribably dirty both In
their habits and their persons. one
sect In particular. the Dharmias. hard.
ly ever changing their clothing
which resembles that OF the Tartars--
from one years end to another.
Neither do they take the trouble to
wash their faces, let alone their hands;
and II IL a quite common occurrence
to see these people, either before or
after meal. wiping out their prim.
tive platters with the sleeves or tall
Of their voluminous coats.
Bbutan exhibits magnificent pan
Drama Of towering and rugged noun.
tains and abounds In grand scenery.
The rainfall In many portions Of this
Alpine region Ii excessive. and forms
the watershed for several rivers which
have their source there. and which.
after mcandering through narrow can.
yons. eventually mingle with the
Brahmaputra. Teesta. or some trib-
utary Of these rivers.
Bhutan Is bounded on the north by
Tbibet; on the east Nv u strip OF
country Inhabited bv such wild tribes
rs the Msris. M'shnis Akhas md
Abors: on the south by the province
OF Assam and the diatrict OF Jalpai.
guri, which for several years was my
Headquarters; and on the west by
sikhim, another independent State.
The Bhutias for the most part are
industrious. pursuing an agricultur.
al life. The hills however, are SO
rugged and steep that It is quite a
difhcult matter to IND level tracts Of
land sufficiently large to put under
cultivation and produce crops on
large scale: and even II this were
possible the people are 40 terribly
oppressed and poor that they woul.
not be allowed 10 reap the full bene-
fits Of their labor.
Th"v arrange their fields In steps
or terraces ingeniously cut out Of the
sides Of the hills. fencing these with
timber or substantial stone walls. A
rude. though perfectly ehicient meth.
Cd II irrigation has been adopted, the
water being carried to their villages
and fields by means Of open. drains.
So oppressed are these people that
they do not deem II 10 their ad.
vantage to cultivate more than will
suffice for their daily wants, as II they
should put "A larger tract OF land un.
der cultivation an increased revenue
would be exacted by the corrupt ON.
cials.
The more influential a man is In
Bhutan, the>nlore pompous and vulgar
he becomes. and. being inclined to
be DULLES, anything which one weak.
er than themselves possesses, and
which they covet. II at once demand.
ed and even forclbly seized.
Live BY Graft.
The lower classes and hirelings are
really no better than slaves. Their
title to property Is not respected, and
they arc obliged to surrender any.
thing that 10 demanded OF them.
This accounts In larse measure for
their loose methods both In business
transactions and morally.
An oficial does not receive sal.
airy. but certain districts are assigned
to him, and he lives by what he can
squeeze out Of the people under his
Jurisdiction. A portion OF his lll.got.
ten gains has to be sent to headauar.
tiers; the more he manages to extort
and send to his superior, the longer
In all probability Will his tenure OF
once be.
The Bhutlas are fine race OF peo.
pie physically, and possess a jovial.
happy-go-lucky disposition; but their
morals are not of very hight stand.
ard. Chastity is unknown, and poly.
andry very prevalent. II a man takes
liking to a girl, but IL not endowed
with the wherewlthal with which to
purchase her. he forms a syndicate or
combine with some of his male
friends, who are In the same predica.
ment,. and with their Joint contribu-
lions the bargain is effected. To
avoid litigation, the property, on the
demise OF any one of this combine
Is at once handed over to the Dharma
Rajah.
The Bhutias are not vegetsrians.
but eat the flesh of the pig and many
Kinds OF vegetables, and drink tea
which comes in the form OF bricks
from China and from which they
make decoction by boiling portions
OF the brick In water after which It
Is strained. The liquor is then poured