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Historical narrative about Tshong Tshongma, part 1

Description: Tshong Tshongma is a sacred mountain and a local deity in Eastern Bhutan. Over 4000 meters in elevation, it is accessible only four months per year due to local customs. Mr. Lama Tshering describes how Tshong Tshongma got its current palace after being deceived by Samye Paygi Gyelpo when Guru Rinpoche called all the deities to the allocated respective palace.
Date: May 26, 2022
Duration: 12 minutes 28 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Conversation about Kharam rituals

Description: Chote Tshering and Lama Tshering, two respected lay monks, discuss Kharam, a curse associated with gossip, and rituals performed to ward off the curse. They say the Kharam ritual in Bön is quite amazing. They build a Kharam Shang (a wooden target made of Rhus Chinensis). They will place that target inside the house and shoot the arrow into it.
Date: June 10, 2022
Duration: 2 minutes 02 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Description of ponpo curry, part 2

Description: Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes how to prepare ponpo curry using lichen and demonstrates how to thoroughly wash the dirt from the lichen. She also shares memories of eating ponpo curry and collecting dry lichen while gathering firewood during childhood.
Date: June 16, 2022
Duration: 4 minutes 52 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Conversation about Kha Bön rituals

Description: Lama Tshering and Chote Tshering discuss the recent increase in the practice of Kha Bön, where people are appeasing the malicious spirit without formal training. They are seen offering flour mixed with meat, fermented sometimes without meat, and fermented wine to appease spirits that affect us. They say some even perform Bön Nag, where animal sacrifices are required.
Date: June 10, 2022
Duration: 9 minutes 37 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Description of appeasement rituals in Dukti village

Description: Tashi Dorji describes how residents of Dukti village appease the local deities for taking care of their crops when the mountain roads are closed for four months every year. During this time, they offer feasts and fermented wine to the local deities once a month. He explans that the wine for the appeasement and Tshok for the deity is collected as a community tax. Recorded at Dukti Gup Sonam's house in Dukti village.
Date: May 23, 2022
Duration: 4 minutes 35 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Description of Tshong Tshongma pilgrimages, part 1

Description: Tashi Dorji describes a pilgrimage to Tshong Tshongma and the surrounding area. Tshong Tshongma is a sacred mountain and a local deity in Eastern Bhutan. Over 4000 meters in elevation, it is accessible only four months per year due to local customs. He states that Tshong Tshongma is king amongst the worldly deities, wrathful in nature. He describes landmarks seen on the way to Tshong Tshongma, including a rock symbolizing the riding horse of Tshong Tshongma Lopen, Buddhist scriptures, a stupa, … more
Date: May 23, 2022
Duration: 14 minutes 53 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Description of ritual cakes

Description: Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes ritual cakes. She says pond earth was used to make the wrathful ritual cake. Wheat flour was used to make a personal Yidam ritual cake. Only in rare cases was rice flour used. A helper of the Lama will come one day ahead of the ritual ceremony to make the cakes.
Date: June 8, 2022
Duration: 5 minutes 01 second
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Description of Dakpa riddles

Description: Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She says riddles were part of every mother's teaching to support children's thought processes and to teach them about common mistakes.
Date: June 8, 2022
Duration: 2 minutes 10 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Description of Bön rituals and foods

Description: Lama Tshering and Chote Tshering discuss how eggs are offered in the Bön ritual to symbolize the heart of a head of the family (usually the mother). In the Bön ritual, garlic, pork, and spring onion are forbidden. They say Shergain Mewang is the wrathful form, whereas Sherab Mebar is the peaceful form. If the people practicing Bön have a sudden sickness, then they offer a butter lamp and cash as an offering to him to recover instantly.
Date: June 10, 2022
Duration: 15 minutes 29 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Personal narrative about visiting the Dalai Lama

Description: Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes a visit to the Dalai Lama. She says the first visit to see His Holiness in Tawang was quite long. They stayed around a month and a half in Tawang at a relative's house. While waiting for His Holiness, they helped in their fields, took care of house chores, and got wood from the forest.
Date: June 8, 2022
Duration: 4 minutes 15 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Description of farming practices in Thragom village

Description: Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes farming practices used for staple crops, such as corn, wheat, and buckwheat. She says the community would work on each other's farm on rotational bases, using manure made from a mixture of dry oak leaf and cow dung on the farmland to increase the yield.
Date: June 8, 2022
Duration: 2 minutes 39 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Description of millet in Thragom village

Description: Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She says that, of all the farming works, the plantation of millet was most sought after. Millet seeds were planted before the arrival of the magpie in the village, and planting millet after the arrival of the magpie was considered late and generally wouldn’t have a good yield. During millet plantation, the workers would share fermented wine using a big ox horn.
Date: June 8, 2022
Duration: 6 minutes 32 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Conversation about Bön and Buddhism

Description: Cheten Tshering and Lama Tshering discuss how Bön considers Guru Rinpoche, using informal language when talking about him. They discuss why eggs are offered in Bön, why pork is forbidden, and the instruments used in Bön traditions. They say that, to fulfill wishes, it is best to pay homage, but for ultimate enlightenment, one must practice Buddhism.
Date: June 10, 2022
Duration: 15 minutes 29 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Description of Nak Chö rituals and animal sacrifice

Description: Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes Nak Chö rituals, explaining that all the ritual cakes were prepared, and only then a pig was killed. This was followed by encircling of ritual cakes with the intestines of the pig. The ritual was performed only once in Thragom. During other early ritual celebrations, it was done in the maternal home of the grandmother.
Date: June 8, 2022
Duration: 2 minutes 29 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Description and demonstration of Kharam rituals

Description: Lama Tshering and Chote Tshering discuss Kharam, a curse associated with gossip, and rituals performed to ward off the curse. It is considered dangerous to one's health. In Bönism, a lead master will mold a ritual cake and perform a ritual ceremony to ward off these spirits. He will slice the cake and foretell the ritual ceremonies that need to be performed.
Date: June 10, 2022
Duration: 2 minutes 02 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Description of ponpo curry, part 3

Description: Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes how to prepare ponpo curry with lichen, chili powder, garlic, black pepper, oil, and salt. After the lichen is thoroughly steamed and washed, the curry is ready in 5 minutes. She says the lichen can be directly consumed with chili paste (without steaming).
Date: June 16, 2022
Duration: 7 minutes 46 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Description of ponpo curry, part 1

Description: Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes how to prepare ponpo curry using lichen, demonstrating the process of steaming the lichen with ash before cooking. She explains that people in Thragom village consume ponpo curry once a year to wash away any dirt or hair inside the body.
Date: June 16, 2022
Duration: 12 minutes 17 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Conversation about animal sacrifice rituals

Description: Tashi Dorji and Dorji Phuntsho discuss rituals involving animal sacrifice in Dukti village. In the past, it was customary for every household to raise a pig to be killed for ritual purposes. They say that now, over a decade later, they have stopped raising pigs for sacrifice.
Date: May 21, 2022
Duration: 9 minutes 53 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Conversation about Ladam rituals in Dukti village

Description: Tashi Dorji and Dorji Phuntsho discuss the different rituals performed in Dukti village related to Ladam involving restricting both locals and outsiders from visiting the mountain Tshong Tshongma between plantation and harvesting of crops. The entry to Tshong Tshongma closes on the 10th day of the third month of the Tibetan calendar. If someone does enter this area during the restricted months, it brings heavy rain, winds, and landslides to the area.
Date: May 21, 2022
Duration: 12 minutes 05 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Description of traditional bamboo roofing

Description: Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes bamboo roofing, a common feature for all the houses in Thragom before people started having CGI roofing. In the past, youths would have to walk for around 5 hours to Yabrangtot where they get bamboo, and then travel back to Thragom. They would take a packed lunch for their trip, usually in winter.
Date: June 8, 2022
Duration: 8 minutes 25 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Personal narrative about Buddha Gaya, part 2

Description: Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes her pilgrimage to Buddha Gaya, a Buddhist temple in Bihar, India. They stayed in the way in the open fields on their way to Buddha Gaya by truck. Others took Ngultrum 700 for their trip to Buddha Gaya. From Trashigang district, they took a Bhutanese truck through Rangiya, Hasimara, and Siliguri on the way.
Date: May 29, 2022
Duration: 4 minutes 10 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Description of crops in Thragom village

Description: Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes growing corn and other crops in Thragom village, explaining that corn was the staple diet in Thragom historically. In the past, they would plant during the month of April and harvest during late October to early November. They also plant soybeans, pumpkin, and cucumbers in the maize field. She says that monkeys are the main animals that destroy corn and other crops.
Date: June 8, 2022
Duration: 3 minutes 54 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Conversation about Dukti Lhakhang

Description: Dorji and Tashi Dorji, residents of Dukti village, discuss the history of the Dukti Lhakhang. A lhakhang is a religious structure used for housing sacred objects and performing rituals, often built in a geographically or spiritually significant location. This site was originally known as Dukti Tsebrang because it was too small to be called a lhakhang. They explain that the statue of Buddha, mural painting on the wall, and giant pillars were all added during the renovation. The head carpenter wa… more
Date: May 24, 2022
Duration: 4 minutes 24 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information

Conversation about Jomo rituals

Description: Dorji and Tashi Dorji, residents of Dukti village, discuss rituals related to the Jomo. They explain that, before the Jomo enters into a trance, she wears a five crown cap and has fruits and other foods as her feast offering. Then, the Jomo starts her ritual. It is believed that, wherever the Jomo takes her next birth, she will be born into a rich family.
Date: May 24, 2022
Duration: 5 minutes 35 seconds
Creator: Tshewang, Tashi
Partner: UNT College of Information
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