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6 Symbolism of the East and West
during many months in the year, no one can enter or leave
Spiti. As might be expected, its inhabitants are a rude,
hardy race of mountaineers, their language is a dialect of
Tibetan, their religion. Buddhism. In the autumn of 1881
we spent about four weeks in that valley, and thus had
ample opportunities of observing the people, since occa-
sionally upwards of fifty natives of both sexes accompanied
us as coolies on our marches, and our arrival in a village
was a signal for the whole population to turn out—
European face being as rare a sight to them as a white
crow. The British Assistant Commissioner of Kulu visits
this valley every second or third year only. Any crimes or
disputes which may occur amongst them in the interval are
referred to their hereditary native Governor, who is styled
" the Nono."
Almost without exception, the women of Spiti are very
short in stature and broad in proportion to their height,
but the)' are very muscular, as was evidenced by their
carrying heavy loads up the mountains, singing in chorus
the whole way. Though not as dark as the natives of
India, their complexion has a sallowish lint, tending to olive
they have straight dark hair, remarkably high cheek bones,
small and slightly oblique eyes.
The general contour of the face is extremely irregular,
the forehead broad, but flat. The women wear a sort of
pork-pie hat made of dark woollen cloth, their dress is a
coat of dark blue or brown cloth reaching down below the
knees, and confined at the waist with a rope or sash. On
their feet both sexes wear high boots or leggings, made,
like the rest of their attire, of home spun and home woven
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