Tibetan Lives by Peter Richardus

Author:Peter Richardus [Richardus, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Ethnic Studies, General, Regional Studies
ISBN: 9781136809057
Google: vhsiAwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2014-03-18T05:56:03+00:00

eight

Having reached at rGyal-rtse, I rested for several days before starting to work at the Civic Hospital built in a small village called rDzong-mdun, near the fortress. The eight staff members of the hospital were supervised by Dr Steen. The patients received medicine, food and blankets free of charge until they had recovered. Thanks to the virtuous British government many Tibetans who had been wounded during the Young-husband Expedition were cured leaving local doctors ‘with dry mouths’ (i.e., without any income). The foreigners did no damage to any properties of the helpless Tibetans and even paid two or three trang-kas for goods worth only one. In addition, the Tibetan workers received high wages.

During my two year long interpreting work for Dr Steen I saw many men, woman and children with syphilis. On one occasion a Tibetan who had a bullet wound in his hip came to us for help. In order to remove it, Lieutenant F.H. Stewart IMS decided to operate with the help of ‘dying medicine’ (i.e., chloroform). I was very surprised not only to hear this patient sing, laugh and cry while fast asleep but also to learn that this medicine was given to patients with empty stomachs. Tibetans believe that a medicine only works when your stomach is full. The fact a woman called sKyid-’dzom had her goitre removed by Dr Steen with the help of ‘dying medicine’ caused Tibetans to sing,

The British government is very gracious,

The hospital is very generous,

Kindly let us know,

Where has sKyid- ‘dzom ‘s goitre gone?

To vaccinate Tibetans against smallpox Dr Steen and I set off with our servants for rDo-chung rDzong, a small village where milk curds and butter were produced. Completing a fifteen mile journey we reached dBang-ldan rDzong the next day. The inhabitants of this village made woollen carpets. After his daily work my Sahib would hunt deer and wild sheep. Many hare but no musk deer were shot. It may be added here that Tibetans believe that he who kills a male musk deer must immediately touch its testicles for good luck. Once the intestines of a hare were removed the meat was dried in the sun and then taken back to rGyal-rtse in bags. I was told the local people did not eat pidgeons thinking the meat was bad for their eyes. Nevertheless, I killed and ate these tasty birds then but now know this was a sin.

A European once told me he had read that Tibetans never killed animals. He added that, if any meat was needed, they would drive one or two yaks up a mountain side, shout at them from behind. Because this frightened the animals they fell, meeting their death in an abyss. The yaks could now be eaten – no sin was committed because they had killed themselves. However, I never came across this practice and never met a Tibetan who had. Another incorrect statement on Tibetans can be found in L.A. Waddell, Lhasa and its Mysteries (London, 1905). We read here that British troops were ‘… heartily received by the Tibetans at Lhasa clapping their hands.

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