Navel of the Demoness : Tibetan Buddhism and Civil Religion in ...

neighbours and enemies 93
If they go a little way [eastward] toward Tsala by a nose or a mouth
[i.e., just a short distance] the Tepas shall not complain. They
may collect firewood and uproot betsera [Caragana thorn-bushes] for
the dzos [as fodder], but they may not take wood or dung beyond
the boundary to Dzardzong [the Muktinath valley], or they shall
be fined according to village custom. They must pay 10 rupees to Te
every year before the sixth month [July]. Dzos from other villages
may not be mingled with Chongkhor’s animals, or there shall be a
fine of 10 rupees per animal.
The ducal edict of 1796 (document HMA/Te/Tib/39) issued a stern reminder
to Te and Tshug that ‘‘people may take wood and dung from pastures of their
own territory, and none may prevent them from doing so.’’ The historically
poor relationship between the two villages was exacerbated by the fact that Te’s
access to certain of its grazing areas involved passing through land that belonged
to Tshug. In view of the climate of potential hostility prevailing between
the two villages, this territorial configuration has on a number of occasions
provided the trigger for open conflict. The Complaint cites several instances of
banditry committed by Tshug against Te. The latter’s archives contain ample
evidence to show that the periodical antipathy between the two villages did not
end in the early eighteenth century. This is clear from a cursory examination of
the relevant documents.
(1) The 1796 edict was not the first occasion on which the ruler, Trowo
Palgön, had intervened in a pasture dispute between the two communities.
A Nepali document, the translation of a 1781 ruling by the duke, orders Tshug
to allow the Tepas to cross its territory when carrying dung and wood back to
the village (Karmacharya n.d. 5.26).
(2) In 1798, the Gorkha king Rana Bahadur Shah issues an order (rukka)to
the community leaders of Te and Tshug to certain existing settlements regarding
the use of pastureland (Karmacharya n.d. 3.23).
(3) Te’s uncultivated land is very extensive but almost devoid of trees, and
timber and other forest products are customarily purchased from neighbours,
mainly Gyaga. To bring these products back to the village, however, means
crossing through Tshug’s territory. In 1866, a group of Tepas are robbed of
what they are carrying. The Tepas apparently feel that not enough is being
done to support them against Tshug, so they boycott the other three villages
and bring a legal case against Tshug.
In May 1867, they are rewarded with a promising response from Kathmandu:
the prime minister, Jang Bahadur Rana, issues an order (Karmacharya