IDNO

P.96942.WIL

Description

“Our landing place at Chushul on the Tsangpo, 11,500’ ” showing four beached coracles propped up on one end with their oar used as a strut. “Each craft is made of about four yak-skins sewn together with thongs and stretched over a willow frame steered by a paddle at the rear.” To the left are some of the Williamson’s servants and pack horses; and in the background is a small stone shrine? and a large stone building. [JD 12/5/2008]

On Cech’s list describing prints:
“(19-57 where taken en route for Lhasa.)
53a/b. “Our landing place at Chushul on the Tsangpo 11,500’ 12.8.33”
See gi: Chushul, Tsangpo
Showing beached coracles. Each craft is made of about four yak-skins sewn together with thongs and stretched over a willow frame steered by a paddle at the rear.” [printed text]
For more information see Cech’s list.

Place

C Asia; Tibet; Chushul; Tsang-po River

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

Williamson, Frederick

Collector / Expedition

Date

12 August 1933

Collection Name

Williamson Collection

Source

Williamson, Margaret

Format

Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Place: Chushul is 40 miles from Lhasa at the junction of the kyi-chu and the Tsang-po Rivers. It is dominated by two peaks on which the ruins of two forts could be seen. Yak-skin corracles were used to cross the river. Height 11,600’. [Source: Cech’s notes, Jocelyne Dudding 9/5/2008]

Place: Tsang-Po is the main river in central Tibet. [Source: Ceh’s list, Jocelyne Dudding 9/5/2008]

Context: The Ku-Dru or Kowa of Tibet is very similar to the corracle. “Each craft is made of about four yak-skins sewn together with thongs and stretched over a willow frame steered by a paddle at the rear.” [Source: Cech’s notes, Jocelyne Dudding 12/5/2008]

Transcription: 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]

This catalogue record has been updated with the support of the Getty Grant Program Two. [Jocelyne Dudding 9/5/2008]