IDNO

P.96582.WIL

Description

On Cech’s list describing prints:
“F. W. became Political Officer in Sikkim on January 4th, 1933.
(Photos 41-147: The first Bhutan trip MPOW: 65-78)
42. “Camp - Sharithang 14.6.33”
See gi: Sharithang
First halting place of the Williamsons in Bhutan: “An avenue of firs led up to a group of excellent huts built of split bamboo and other woods, with green fir branches covering the walls. The roofs were of laths, weighted down by heavy stones. There were also jupiter hedges to provide privacy and protection against the wind... (MPOW: 66)
42b/c. “Bhutanese coolies, Sharithang 14.6.33”.” [printed text]
For more information see Cech’s list.

Place

S Asia; Bhutan; Sharithang

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

Williamson, Frederick

Collector / Expedition

Date

14 June 1933

Collection Name

Williamson Collection

Source

Williamson, Margaret

Format

Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Context: The term “coolies” means any porter or someone who carries the things for other. “Coolie” is a typical Hindi term for a porter. In Bhutan they are usually known as porter. [Dawa Dem 15/9/2008]

Clothing: The porters are all seen wearing the traditional Bhutanese dress. The men are wearing their gho (men’s cloth) and women are wearing kira (women’s cloth). The kira is a single long piece of cloth which is tied together at the two shoulders by a pair of broachees and then tightened by a belt called kera. [Dawa Dem 15/9/2008]

Context: Bhutanese citizens, in the olden days, had the duty to contribute labour (woola) within their respective community. This labour is used for different community-related projects, such as the production of local public goods like roads, water supply, but also for e.g. porter services. The overall duration of the tax contribution depends on the locality; estimates vary from 42 to over 75 days. Woola contribution is thus a highly significant tax on households, and it is potentially very inefficient and unequal in its impact, due to the fact that the same amount of labour has to be contributed irrespective of the number of household members. In this respect, woola taxation also has severe implications on household formation and on family planning. [Source: www.undp.org.bt/poverty/Woola%20study.pdf Dawa Dem 18/9/2008]

Context: For the same reason mentioned above we can see that where ever Williamson party went there are lots of coolies/porters waiting. [Dawa Dem 18/9/2008]

Publication: Photograph published in Williamson, Margaret, 1987. Memoirs of a Political Officer’s Wife (Wisdom Publication, London) P. 66 noting;
“ At Sahrithang (11350 feet), our first halting place in Bhutan we found a huge WELCOME sing and a beautiful camp prepared for us.” [Dawa Dem 19/9/2008]

The transcription of this album by Mark Turin and Sara Shneiderman was carried out with reference to Krystina Cech’s catalogue list alone. Alex Nadin has since revised their cataloguing by systematically matching their records to the images. Margaret Williamson’s handwritten captions for photographs have now been transcribed into the Inscription field, and Cech’s descriptions appear in the Description field. Correct entries for Place, Named Person and Other Nos. have also been entered by Alex Nadin. [Sudeshna Guha 29/10/2002]