Glimpses of Culture

A kaleidoscope of glimpses into various cultures within Asia. Each tribe, each ethnicity expresses its identity in various ways – music, dance, textiles, costumes, food, language, life format etc.

It is impossible for an individual to capture the complete essence of any tribe – either one’s own or another’s – but it is possible to experience the diversity and be nothing less than awestruck by the beauty of human society.

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Sometimes the customs and traditions are so different from the ones I have been exposed to until now, that it is hard not to be alarmed and to remain unjudgemental. But the only way to view any custom is to see it as a part of the complete picture, within the paradigm that has given birth to the custom. It is only then that the view is fair.

Every society has its reasons for doing what they do. The set of rules that have evolved have withstood the test of inter-generational transmission. Therefore they are always internally consistent within the system and provide answers to all of the issues faced by that particular society. When viewed from outside, a traveller usually only gets a limited view and she sees a single custom / tradition without seeing all the evolutionary factors and the paradigm within which this is perfectly valid.  Given that this  is merely a slice of the whole life model, which is  quite likely to be different from her own, this view is likely to cause the viewer some dissonance and sometimes result in an imbalanced judgement.

Of course it is not only the limitedness of the view that causes this bias. Sometimes the close-mindedness of the viewer also contributes to this.

It has taken me many journeys into the lives and minds of others to realise that unless the context is known and empathised with, the judgement is unfair and therefore invalid.

I try to make a deliberate effort to ‘understand’ and ‘empathise’ instead of judging.

It is in that spirit that I have written my articles. My respect for their lives is total (and unconditional) even though my information about their paradigm is not.

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The posts have been listed below in order of posting.  You could either choose to scroll down all the way and read all  or click on the titles that interest you.

Return to Ladakh

Anachronism – Mumbai the Mega city & Elephanta the ancient caves

The Ladies Compartment in Mumbai Local trains

Kalinga Diaries

The stylish priests of Jagannath Puri

Journey to the Past – the Science of Epigraphy

In the Presence of the Past

The Magnificent Stone artefacts of Odisha

Camels go on a Pilgrimage

A Rabari Gypsy Tribal Wedding Ritual

A walk through a Rabari Tribal Village

The Stunning tribes of Sarawak, Borneo

A Cultural Stay at Kuching

Bidayuh Tribal Longhouse in Borneo

Puppets & Puppeteers of Rajasthan

The Batak Calendar  of Sumatra, Indonesia

A Python for Dinner

A Dog’s Sixth Sense

Loss of Cultural Diversity

Colors of Mewar,  Rajasthan

Turban Art – The Crowning Glory of Indian Men

The Gangaur Festival – praying for Marital Bliss

The Classic Indian Village fair – Gogunda Mela

Alternate Sexuality Traditions 4 – The Garasia Tribe

The Blacksmith Gadalia Community of Rajasthan

Music of the Manganiyar Tribe

Folk Dances of Rajasthan

Women of India – the Weaker sex

The Holi Bonfire – Past & Present

Mizo Mosaic

The Chapchar Kut Harvest Festival of Mizoram

Alternate Sexuality Traditions 3 – The Lushai Custom

Bnei Menashe – The Lost Tribe of Israel in Mizoram

The Siddi Tribe of Gujarat India of African origin

The Komusa Wandering Monks & their Shakuhachi flute

My talk at Asian Civilisations Museum

Intense Spirituality – Body piercing at the Thaipusam festival

Back to the Future – Tribal Life in Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Hilltribe Lifestyle 1: Glimpses of a contented People

Arunachal Hilltribe Lifestyle 2 : Hunter-Gatherer-Weavers

Arunachal Hilltribe Lifestyle 3 : Innovative housing

Arunachal Hilltribe Lifestyle 4 : A chance encounter with a Shaman Priest during a sacrifice ritual

Arunachal Hilltribe Lifestyle 5: The Gaanv Boodhas or Village Headmen of Arunachal Pradesh

Tribal signatures – Face Tattoos of the Apatanis

Fierce Nocte Headhunters

Head Hunting Trophies

Arunachal Pradesh Lifestyle – Innovative Housing

Traditional Sports – Kabutar Baazi or Pigeon Gaming

Ram Leela at Dassera in Mumbai

Traditional Sports of Ladakh – Archery

Traditional Sports of Ladakh – Polo

Mountain Adventures 18000ft above sea level – a landslide at the Khardungla Pass!

Bactrian Camels of the Central Asian Silk Route – Ladakh

A night-out with the Nomads of Changthang

Mastering the Mind & Body – the Monk Warriors of Shaolin

The Ambubasi Tantric Festival

Church of Saint Francis Xavier of Assisi, Old Goa

Terracotta Warriors, Xi’an – a photo gallery of exhibits at Asian Civilisations Museum

Viva San Jao 2011

Invitation to a Lambani Gypsy Tribal Wedding

Exquisite Vintage Kebayas – costumes of the Pernakan Culture

Sikkim Diaries

Chanting Ceremony at Lingdum Monastery, Sikkim

Losar Celebrations – Bonfire at Kagyud Monastery, Sikkim

Procession at the Enchey Monastery, Sikkim

Little Lamas, Sikkim

Lama Dances at Thongsa Monastery, Kalimpong

Dancing with the Nuns at Phendzong Nunnery

Cross border handshake at Nathu-la Pass on the Silk Route

Yak Horn textile adornments, Sikkim

Street Shrines of India

The Hornbill Festival, Nagaland

Naga Lifestyle

Tribal Dances of Nagaland

Traditional Naga Bamboo Climbing & Fire Making

Tribal Textile and Bead Art of Nagaland

Sacrificial Lamb at Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati

Train Ride across rural Assam – Guwahati to Dimapur

Sumazau Dance of Sabah, Borneo

Journey of a Lifetime – Tibet

The Narakasur Festival

Lifestyle of the Qashqai Tribe, South West Persia

Nomads of Mongolia

Driving to Sindhudurg Sea Fort and back

The Eunuch Community of Bombay

The Dhunuchi Dance at Durga Puja

Thumbuakar Tribals of Borneo

Lucknow – Capital of Awadh & city of Nawabs

The Dragon Dance

The Magnificent Lion Dance

Janamashtami Festival

A cup of tea with nomads and gypsies of the Kutch

Alternate Sexuality Traditions 2 – The Tibetans

Textile Symbolism 1 : Hilltribes of Northern Thailand

Alternate Sexuality Traditions 1 – The Khmers

The children of Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Time Travel Tour Operators

Kissing a Bengal Tiger

Common Memes between Tribes

Into the Arabian Sea at Mumbai

Through Rural Gujarat

Life in an Ashram

Goan Village House

Monsoon at Miramar, Goa

Dances from another place

The Fishing Nets of Cochin

The Lambani Gypsy Tribe

Lifestyle of the Hilltribes of Northern Thailand

Travelling Godmen

Colors of San Jao festival, Goa

Rajasthan Folk Art

Mountain flight to Mount Everest

Pashupatinath – celebration and sorrow

New posts are constantly being added to this list and will appear at the top.

jm

An Appeal for “The Blue Veil Project”

 

The magnificent head dress of Ladakh – the Perak laden with rows and rows of turquoise gem stones and coral, is probably among the most exquisite bridal ornaments in the world. It is also probably the heaviest symbol of marital status.

A Ladakhi bride wearing an heirloom Perak

Heirloom head dresses weighing between 3 and 8 kg laden are handed down from mother to daughter and are signature expressions of identity of all the Buddhist ethnic groups of Ladakh. The Perak is worn in regions extending from Zanskaar valley, the  the Nubra valley, the Changthang valley as well as the lower valleys of Spiti, and Kinnaur.

A lady wearing her headdress Perak

On  a recent trip to Ladakh, I had the good fortune of being exposed to 50+  not-for-sale heirloom Peraks. This lengthy exposure led to an appreciation of these pieces of art, and awakened my interest in this subject. As very little little literature is available on the subject I have taken it upon myself to research this category and present these results in the public domain.

This study is  ‘The Blue Veil Project’.

Originally planned for 2012, this project was postponed due to a  time crunch. It now appears to be feasible in Spring 2013 when I plan to devote my time, my energy and my financial resources to this study. I am also seeking support from readers, textile collectors and organisations.

The details of the project are as follows:

OBJECTIVE : To research Ladakhi costumes and Peraks with a view to publishing either on the internet or in the form of a coffee table book

RAISON D’ETRE : The current generation of mothers and grandmothers are probably the last custodians of in-depth cultural knowledge about Ladakh’s costume traditions. Traditions are slowly fading and with the passing on of the elders, the cultural knowledge held collectively by this aging group will be lost to the world. My interest lies in collecting data about Ladakhi Peraks and preserving the information in a format that will outlive the last custodians of this knowledge and making it available to the world for posterity.

SCOPE OF COVERAGE : Peraks will be studied across all the valleys of Ladakh – Zanskaar, Nubra, Changthang and the bordering areas of Spiti, Lahaul and Kinnaur. The study will research the differences in the  Peraks across regions, the significance of each element of the Perak, the religious and cultural contexts of each element and the evolutionary influences that led to the nuances of the differences between Peraks. The study will also result in an image library of surviving heirloom Peraks.

METHODOLOGY : Relying on the support of my network of reliable Ladakhis – drivers, guides and individuals who understand their own culture deeply -  I plan to travel through the 5-6 valleys into the homes of Ladakhis to study and understand their family owned heirlooms. The structures interviews will be recorded on paper or video (depending on permissions granted by the families). The heirloom pieces will be photographed professionally.

TIME FRAME: Fieldwork will take about 45 days in 2012 split over 2 – 3 trips. Travel in this region is solely by Himalayan roads and travel time is expected to comprise 40% of the total fieldwork time. Pre and post desk work will take 60 days to prepare for the project, collate the data and putting it together into a presentable form.

FUNDING SUPPORT:  The estimated project cost is USD 15,000.  This is a non-commercial project and I do not expect to recover any of the money I put into this project and therefore I am appealing to readers to make a contribution to fund this project partially. This will ease the burden on my personal budget. Detailed cost estimates, date plans and Audited final cost sheets will be made available to donors.

OTHER SUPPORT :

If you own a Perak, please send in images and information for inclusion in the study.

Help in arranging the publishing of this material, in the form of a coffee table book will be highly appreciated.

If you have a website / blog / forum and  would like to support The Blue Veil Project please link this page to your pages. Publicity in any medium including word-of-mouth  would be highly appreciated.

CONTACT : I can be reached at jaina@wovensouls.com and will be happy to answer any questions and discuss details.

Antique Perak from the Wovensouls collection. Click here to see more images of this Perak

jm

Oct 2011

 

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UPDATE  MARCH 2013:

This project has moved into stage 2 and fieldwork has begun. Interviews have been conducted with

1. great grandmothers who are custodians of cultural knowledge

2. Local Cultural Expert (who has been honored by the President of India)

3. Perak Maker

4. Perak Collectors,  who – through their 5 decades of collecting -  offer expert knowledge on the entire spectrum of Peraks from across the region

5. A recent bride who demonstrated the complicated wearing of the headdress.

We will now enter stage 3 of the project in collating the knowledge.