Wake Forest Magazine December 2000 - Past Issues - Wake Forest ...

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31 E s s a y The Winds of Change No part of the world is above modernization—not even its roof. by Ashley Twiggs (’01) (Editor’s note: Ashley Twiggs, a senior English major from Raleigh, North Carolina, spent part of her summer in Ladakh researching and photographing cultural change and the status of women in this once-isolated region of the Himalayas. Her trip was funded by the Richter Scholarship program, which provides stipends for independent study projects by Wake Forest students. Following is a report of her impressions:) L ADAKH IS PART OF THE north Indian state of Jammu- Kashmir, a strategically critical stretch of land which lies between Pakistan and the border of Chineseoccupied Tibet. Its name comes from the word “La,” meaning, appropri- W a k e F o r e s t December 2000
32 E s s a y nated to plan funerals and care for the household when a family member dies so that the family has time to grieve. Any social disputes are resolved by a council elected by the village. Until recent years, no attention was paid to social, economic, or gender status, and jealousy, while not unheard of, was extremely rare. Winds of change are blowing through the valleys of Ladakh, however, and its traditional ways of life ately, “land of high mountain passes.” At an elevation of 14,000 feet, with peaks reaching as high as 24,000 feet, this arid country is one of the highest inhabited places on earth. Approximately 175,000 inhabitants populate its 245,000 square miles. Due to the border conflict between India and Pakistan, travel to the area was prohibited until thirty years ago. Today, it is an object of fascination to outsiders for many reasons. Ladakhis are descendants of nomadic tribes from Kashmir and Tibet; its culture has retained so many of its Tibetan characteristics that it is often referred to as “little Tibet,” and scholars are interested in the Tibetan Buddhism that remains intact. Mountain climbers come to brave the altitude and scale the peaks. Indian families flock to the capital city of Leh from June to August to escape the oppressive heat and rain of southern India while Nepali, Sikkimi, and Kashmiri men arrive in June seeking employment created by the swelling tide of tourists. Traditionally, farming has been the staple of Ladakhi life, with focus on the group instead of the individual. Every village has a group desig- are toppling in the gusts. This region of the world, like so many others, is subject to irresponsible “modernization.” Through advertising, media, “education,” and pop culture, Ladakhis are being told that their lives are not sophisticated enough, fast enough, or important enough in our technological world. The workload on the farm is not decreasing, but the work force is. Men are leaving to work as trekking guides, run small shops in Leh, and fight in the ongoing war against Pakistan. Their greatest enticement to leave, however, comes from the flashy, inviting images from the West—the Nike sneakers, the fast cars, the laptop computers, the cell W a k e F o r e s t December 2000
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