The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1922-01-05

40 Ian0S.
with fat roofs. These dwellings are
not unlike the adobe houses Of Mex
| leo, but are 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
ell plowS with single handle are
used.
| The living quarters in the house Of
the valley folk usually consist Of a
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 establlsfm
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 a
fireplace below and 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 fam
, shaped group about 1t.
Families possessing domestic ami
mails share their houses with them. In
tw0-stOried houses the lower floor IS
the stable, and through it the living
quarters are reached. In some one
stored houses the front portion il
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 westerner neither appetite
ing nor nourishing, but in spite Of q
cheerless climate the mountaneers
manage to keep sturdy on them.
Tsamba is made by parchlng barley
and then grinding 1t into sort OF
emergency ration, which Oh mixture
with moisture Is ready to eat. When
Tibetans are on journeys or are wan
dering about with their focks 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 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 a 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 a 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 it 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.
It is then poured out in thin sheet
and allowed to dry, after which 1t Is
broken into small 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 It in their butter
| tea. It thus becomes softened to some
extent and can be cliewed.
The marriage customs Of the peo-
pie Of Tibet present peculiar comhi-
nation of monogamy, polygamy, and
polyandry-the last particularly char
acteristic Of the country. though mo-
nogamy is actually the prevailing sys-
tenn