Min tibetanska barndom i Zorgay - Life and Culture on the Tibetan ...

1
BEGINNINGS
t snowed lightly. The wind blew stronger than usual,
whistling through the gray sky. The coldness cut like a
sharp knife. Snowflakes floated in the harsh air with hardly
a chance to alight. It was torture to go outside in such weather.
The smoke from Father's incense offering zig-zagged into the
sky, as if determined to reach Heaven. The cypress tree beside
my family's house swayed back <strong>and</strong> forth. The wood-frame,
swing-out windows in Mother's bedroom rushed back <strong>and</strong> forth,
clapping in the wind. Mother struggled with the pain of giving
birth to her last child, groaning painfully <strong>and</strong> writhing in her
bed. The sweat on her forehead worried my family <strong>and</strong> other
relatives. Some scurried into Mother's bedroom just as others
were exiting. Our village is an outlying one, <strong>and</strong> no hospitals or
doctors were available. There was no car or tractor to take
Mother to a hospital in the distant county town. Instead,
relatives held thangka 3 I
above Mother's head <strong>and</strong> prayed for her
in the hope that the baby would be delivered safely. At last,
Mother gave birth to a boy. The snowy weather was believed to
be an omen that the newborn baby would become an able,
helpful man. They placed him in a soft fleece cradle to keep him
warm while Mother slowly regained consciousness. That baby
was me, <strong>and</strong> as I inhaled my first breaths of air in Mother's
3 Thangka are a form of primarily Tibetan sacred representation
consisting of an image panel that is painted, embroidered, or
appliquéd, which is often placed in a textile frame. The image
panel frequently depicts such imagery as m<strong>and</strong>alas, deities,
famous scenes, or prominent local religious personalities. They
are hung up high in monastic halls, village temples, <strong>and</strong> family
homes as objects of veneration. A piece of silk often hangs over
the image to prevent defilement by secular life, <strong>and</strong> protects the
image from light <strong>and</strong> dust. In the context of village ritual,
setting up images creates interior <strong>and</strong> exterior worlds mediated
through the representation of the images.
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