Tibetan Finery
Qinghai Provence, China 2007
Kham women of the Tibetan Prefecture in Qinghai Provence arrange their costume in preparation for a festival in Yushou. The population in this part of China is nearly 100% Kham Tibetan. Kham are physically striking: both men and women are tall, muscular and handsome.
We attended the festival in Yushou in high hopes. but sad to say many of the Kham contests such as archery, wrestling and other warlike competitions had been cancelled by the Chinese officials. Maybe they were afraid that the Tibetans would get some ideas…
Although we often think of Tibetans as being devout Buddhists and from that it is inferred that they are peaceful, they were in the past very warlike. The Kham are proud of their heritage as fierce warriors and the archery, horse riding and wrestling sports are an important part of their culture to this day.
The headdresses that these young women are arranging are often seen as women go about their shopping in Yushou.
http://www.rosemarysheel.com/archives/tibetan-style
The large yellow stones are a type of amber or resin. The blue is turquoise, the red stones are coral. It seems every woman has a string of these stones around her neck. I asked to buy a string from a young woman, but she refused. And I think my request was considered rather rude. Click the above link on Tibetan style to learn a bit about the mystique behind these stones.
Tibetans aren’t the only group to prize the large pieces of resin/amber. The Berbers of Morocco do as well. Every Berber bride who can wears a string of these large beads around her neck as part of her wedding dress.