|
The Agrarian Economy.
Even today, practically every traditional household
in Bhutan is self-sufficient in terms of land and
food. Eighty percent of the people are farmers
living in small villages in valleys or sloping
hillsides overlooking terraced fields and
pasturelands. Men and women share work, and the
latter are contributing increasingly to the family
income with supplementary activities such as
weaving.
In the higher altitudes, which are not conductive to
agriculture, nomadic herds men tend cattle, mostly
the sturdy and shaggy haired yaks, who’s many uses
makes them an integral part of their owners’ lives.
Not only are they the sources of milk, butter,
cheese and meat, but clothing is also woven from
their hair and their tails fetch a good price,
serving as both fans and decorations. Additionally,
yak excrement is used as fuel beyond the tree line
at 13,000 feet.
Dress.
The official dress for men is the majestic
Gho, a long robe tied around the waist by a woolen
or cotton belt known as Kera. A pouch like fold in
front substitutes for a pocket to hold objects and a
sheathed multipurpose dagger, usually used for
slicing betel nuts or chopping wood, is tucked into
the belt. The newcomer who rubs shoulders with the
Bhutanese may at first find this disconcerting, to
say the least but familiarity will lead him to the
discovery that Bhutanese society, notwithstanding
the sturdy build of the Bhutanese, is conspicuously
brawl-free and crime-resistant.
Bhutanese women, who enjoy an emancipated status,
wear the graceful Kira, also robe, but fixed near
the shoulders with a pair of silver brooches, or
komas, and held together at the waist by a broad
cloth belt called a kera. Over the Kira is worn a
loose-sleeved shirt, or tyogo. Necklaces are
fashioned from coral, pearls, turquoises and the
precious onyx.
Both the gho and Kira are proud symbol s of the
national identity of the Bhutanese. At the same
time, these highly distinctive costumes never fail
to attract the immediate admiration of outsiders.
Diet.
The typical Bhutanese diet consists of rice, dried
beef, or pork and chilies, sometimes cooked with
datshi, soft white cheese made from cow’s milk, to
give a special flavor. The penchant for chilies
produces a memorable sight: bright red chilies set
out to dry on rooftops constitute one of the unsung
charms of the Bhutanese landscape.
Each household originally made tea or suja, the most
popular beverage, from the indigenous leaves.
However, its preparation has now evolved into a
cottage industry and takes the form of tea balls
known as jhari. The required quantity of the leaves
is put in water and set to boil. Once the desired
coloration is achieved, the liquid is transferred to
a cylindrical bamboo or wooden vessel, fed with
butter, salt and soda (occasionally milk, to give it
added flavor), and churned. The tea is then poured
into a kettle and is ready to be served. |
