STRANGE PEOPLE AND STRANGE CUSTOMS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 6, 8 January 1908, Page 2

STRANGE PEOPLE AND STRANGE CUSTOMS.

! WORSHIPPING HUMP SODS

; Away beyond the " roof of * the jsrorld" and to the north of Mongolia in the strange country of trans-Bai-kalia lives the nomad race of Buriats, one of the ; strangest peoples on ..the race of the globe. It is not often that Europeans are able to witness the strange customs of these strange peotoles. but amongst the visitors to Auckland this season is Mr Roland Hardwick, who for 10 years past has been travelling through the Siberian and Manchurian country, the ." outback " of China, and the fastnesses of the Himalaya system, and he told an interesting stoi:y to a Herald reporter of a visit to the Buriats.

Some years ago Mr Hardwick found himself in Harbin, to meet other memj bers of an expedition, which proposed to traverse Mongolia down through East Turkestan and so on to Afghanistan, but from a variety of causes the expedition was unable to carry out its purpose, and Mr Hardwick therefore moved west towards Lake Baikal, intending to work down to Vliassutai. abovfe the desert of Gobi. En route he came across, the Buriats. Crossing the Siberian frontier he met several, and a friendship springing up he was invited to visit the Lamasery, or religious centre at " Gelung Nor" (The Lake of Priests). "It was a long weary journey," Mr Hardwick said, "as we travelled in the winter time and on the backs of bibenan ponies—first cousins, I should say, to the lively equines landed in JNew Zealand recently for the Antarctic expedition. 'Our fare was chiefly millet with mutton fat, and we drank a concoction of brick tea t butter, and

milk. Still it was satisfying, and I thrived on it. The Buriats are true Mongols and wanderers, and they are great horsemen. Their general dress is a long ulster-like garment, and they wear the Manchu cap for head gear. , But at the time' I speak of we all wore , f.urs. They live in great felt tents, and therefore they can easily change their place of abode and wander over the great steppes. Amongst them are some wealthy people, reckoning' wealth the possession of flocks of sheep and herds of cattle. Prior to the eighteenth1 century these people' were Shamanists and believers indemouolatry, but they changed to a J form of Buddhism, now distinctly known as- Lamaism, and the Buriats have the ritualistic form of Tibet. " AT THE LAMASERY." Riding from Verkni Udnsk we got to Noir Selenginsk, about 130 miles [ away, and then travelling through the j hills for a day we reached the Lake of < Priests, and away behind it stretched < tfhe Blue Ranges. At the south end . of. the lake is the temple of the Buriats j —an elaborate and handsome building ; in pagoda style—and around it were, scofes of huts, which were the dwel-' fing£ of the lamas And students. Al- I most every family o£ these nomad people sends a,'son to a lamasery to be trained in the monastery as a lama or monk, and at the temple I speak of there were upwards of a thousand lamas and students—rather a large clergy to support. The students' course lasts for 10 years, and in that time he is instructed by the lamas in Tibetan, Jj;heology ; religious dogma, literature^ medicine, and Buddhistastrology, astronomy, and philosophy. At the end of the priesthood at the Lake of Priests was the khamba larsa, the grand lama of Siberia. The Buriats are not content to allow their priests- to point them to an invisible path to an invisible heaven, and an invsible god. They want to see their gods and talk with them, and hence no " graven image " would do. They have, therefore, invested certain of their number divine attributes, and, having so invested them, worship them. These- gods,, as far as I could fin^out, »^e all selected as boys, and tMre^arepver >a hundred of them — some in, Tibet,, some in, Mongolia, and ! some^ in China, Once placed in this position the elected god is looked upon as sinless. Nothing he can do is wr9 nki{ ana even in death he is remoyed'from the common Buriat, as to liim belongs the privileges of reincarnation instead of his being obliged to s worry along wth the common process of transmigration of soul. This privilege is shared with the dalai lamas. The presence of a " gegen " or god at a temple really* represents its income, for the faithful make large offerings in return for the blessing of a_touch of the hand or consultation with the gegen as an oracle. These gods are always arrayed in splendid silk costumes, and they, like the lamas, are never supposed to marry. The supreme head of the gegens and

or tne lamas is me granu mma of Lhassa; • ] I found the people most hospitable, and they seemed quite interested in hearing of affairs ot the outside world. Although it was difficult for them to understand much, 6hut off as they are. Such places as Par|s, London, and Berlin^ were only names to them, but they knew of Japan, and also something about Pekin. They had no objection whatever to be photographed, and allowed me to take a camera into the temple or anywhere else with the utmost freedom, and even the god gave me a sitting, and he talked freely With me,. but in grave and dignified fashion as befitted nis station. A SERVICE IN THE TEMPLE. On the third day after my arrival, there was a great religious service at the temple. l The' men of the tribes flocked to the lake in large numbers, clad in furs and carrying their bows and arrows. The women, some of whom are decidedly good looking, were attired in their best dresses, being decorated with bear designs. The temple is approached by a broad flight of stair*, and above this is a sort of temple, over which is a heavy roof, supported by carved pillars with' wide wings or decorations. Every inch of these .pillars and of .the roof front seemed to be carved, or rather painted, but the ornamentation was of somewhat stereotyped design. Punctually at the hour appointed the " orchestra" came out on the steps. Two were provided with trumpets, eight feet long, two with huge cymbals, two with fc kind of big drum, some with triangles, and some with pipes, or shells,; or < horns. > The triumphant strains of the "summons to prayer" made a most hideous row, out the Buriats seemed to think it was fine musip^ [and $h%orchestra seemed particularly proud of its efforts. As a visitor, I was conducted in before the fates were opened to the faithful, nside were two great roads of pillars, and these and the decorated wings extending out from the capital, were painted'in yellow, green, red, blue, and white, and yet- this seeming clash of colours was made to harmonise well. All the pillars and walls bore inscriptions in Tibetan characters, and hung everywhere about the interior, and were offerings in the form of lanterns, silks, ' painted representations of saints r etc. At the head was a raised dduble throne, and this was occupied by the " gegen," or god, and the Khamba Lama, both brilliantly attired in silks. The latter, by the way, is a learned and travelled man, and he has visited various Eastern countries. On this occasion he wore an orange silk robe with a crimson shawl or scarf, and his head dress—a peculiar peaked ' cap—was worked in gold thread. The Lamas were the next to enter, and they occupied seats along the aisles. They also wore yellow and crimson silk. The service consisted largely of a monotonous chant accompamed by the "orchestra" and the blowing of shells and horns. It was mercifully,short, but I carried away a splitting headache. Offerings were ma? e £° tte SeSen and the grand lama and then to the burkhans, or sacred figures of saints in small temples . flanking the big one. These figures i take most peculiar forms. One I saw . was a huge thing shaped like an ele- ! phant and with a trunk like an anteater's nose. At a certain festival this figure, arranged in brilliant trappings, is drawn round the village bearing a small temple, and there is much 'orchestral" music. I was glad I escaped that festival. THE MYSTERY PLAY. Periodically the Buriats have mystery plays. At least Mr C. H. Hawes, a well-known traveller, described them as mystery plays; but the Buriats call them Tzam, or " Dances of the burkhans. There was one performed during my visit, and it was one of the ft rangest things I have ever seen in the East—stranger than any of the Hindu, rites. The performers are 5 dressed in most extraordinary costumes,.and wear the ugliest masques that the mind of man could conceive.

Certain of them wear no masques, but have, instead, beautifully-worked bate, and these men carry weapons such as daggers. They represent the good spirits^ and the masqued persons the evil spirits. The dressing is wonderfully brilliant and Oriental, richly-coloured silk scarves and sashes being used, while .there is also a plentiful display of bizarre jewels. . T,he masques represent, jail sorts of grotesque tnhigs.,One looks like a caricature of a skull, another the face of an ebony> giant in torture, another a demon's head wxt^ horns, and another looks like" some awful animal. To the roar of shells and horns, the banging of drums, and the blare of the Btt trumpets, these performers commence a wild dance, whirling round and round with extraordinary rapidity, and becoming involved in apparently hopeless confusion. It is a wild melee from start to finish, but at the conclusion it is apparent that the demons were all vanquished by the good spirits, and afterwards there is a great feast. Far from civilisation as these people are, yet Western influences are reaching them. Their old-time medicine men are giving way to men of their own race, trained as doctors n Russia, and some of their young men, when I was there, were just about to depart into the world for education along European lines. It is a strange country, #md I have heard that foreigners are received with suspicion and hostility, but all I can say is thatl saw no sign of unfriendliness, and I met with the greatest kindness and invitations to return.