Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1922-01-12

i VIII Aat AOOlSs 4AOoC uWClllhSc al e
not unlike the adobe houses Of Mex
| leo, but ere decidedly more substan-
| tial, being constructed by the beat
| ing Of mud into thick walls between
| forms Of timber.
The farmers have few animals but
utilize the yak for blowing, the an
imals being brought down from the
highlands at the proper time. Wood
en- plows with, single handle are
used.
The living quarters in the house of
the valley folk usually consist of
single large room, in which all work,
including the cooking, is done, and
where the members of the family eat
and sleep.
Few Comforts in the Home.
The comforts in such homes are
very meager. In few establishments
IS there even the semblance of a bed.
In the ordinary houses ''going to bed"
means merely loosening the girdle,
opening the sheepskin garment, and
curling up on the floor with the feet
toward the stove, which is an essen
tial feature of all habitations in this
high, cold country
The stove is built of mud, with
fireplace below and a hole in the top
into which pots may be set for cook
ing. 1t is usually found on one side
Of the living room, and the members
of the family, on retiring for the
night, range themselves in a fan
shaped group about it.
Families possessing domestic ami
mails share their houses with them. In
two-storied houses the lower floor is
the stable, and through it the living
quarters are reached. In some one
stored houses the front portion is
given up to the animals, while the
family lives in the rear.
The two principal foods of the Ii
betans, "tsamba' and butter tea"
seem to a westerner neither appetiz-
ing nor nourishing, but in spite of
cherries climate the mountaineerS
manage to keep sturdy on them.
Tsamba is made by parching barley
and then grinding it into sort of
emergency ration, which on mixture
with moisture is ready to eat. When
Tibetans are on journeys or are wan
dering about with their f1ocks and
herds, they carry tsamba in small
leather bags inside their coats, thus
always having at hand the materials
for hearty meal.
In preparing the other principal ar
ticle of their diet the Tibetans first
make a strong liquid by boiling the
coarse Chinese tea which they prize
most highly. The concoction Is
strained into a churn and to it are
added lump of butter, more or less
stale, and handful of SALT The
queer mixture is then churned into
an emulsion. The resulting liquid Is
neither tea, soup nor gravy but to an
occidental is sort of Indifferent mix
ture of all Of them.
Original condensers Of Milk.
The Tibetans Of this region were
probably the original users Of con-
densed milk in the form Of dry Jumps,
for they have prepared this article Of
food for many centuries. Fresh milk
Is poured into a churn which is never
washed and the liquid therefore cur
dies almost the instant 1t comes into
contact with the germ-incrusted walls
of the container. 1t is then churned
and the butter is extracted. After
the butter is extracted the milk is
boiled in large iron pot until it
reaches the consistency of thick syrup.
1t is then poured out in thin sheet
and allowed to dry, after which 1t is
broken into sUall pieces and stored.
The Jumps often become as hard as
stone, and to eat them dry is out Of
the question. The nomads solve the
problem by substituting the dry milk
for tsamba, soaking 1t in their butter
tea. 1t thus becomes softened to some
extent and can be chewed.
The marriage customs Of the peO-
pie Of Tibet present peculiar combi-
nation Of mOnogamy, polygamy, and
polyandry--the last particularly char
acteristic of the country, though mo-
nogamy is actually the prevailing sys-
! TEN.