IDNO

P.97202.WIL

Description

A ‘coolie’ (porter) burning juniper as an offering to the mountain gods at a stone cairn on the summit of Nathu La pass. The man crouches on a boulder in front of the small fire of juniper, and his loaded woven conical-shaped basket is to the left. The stone cairn is topped with branches flying prayer flags.

On Cech’s list describing prints:
“(113-223 are all views of mountains and surrounding countryside)
[2]17. “Burning juniper to the gods on top of Nathu La, 9.1.34”
A traveller may be seen beside the customary cairn at the top of a pass. He is burning juniper suffiment [sic] as an offering to the mountain gods.” [printed text]
For more information see Cech’s list.

Place

S Asia; C Asia; India; Tibet; Sikkim; Nathu La

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

Williamson, Frederick

Collector / Expedition

Date

9 January 1934

Collection Name

Williamson Collection

Source

Williamson, Margaret

Format

Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Related Image: On Cech’s list describing print P.97202.WIL:
“(113-223 are all views of mountains and surrounding countryside)
[2]17. “Burning juniper to the gods on top of Nathu La, 9.1.34”
A traveller may be seen beside the customary cairn at the top of a pass. He is burning juniper suffiment [sic] as an offering to the mountain gods.” [printed text]
For more information see Cech’s list.

Place:Nathu La is a mountain pass and trading border post in the Himalayas located on the Indo–China border connecting Sikkim with Tibet. The pass, at 4,310 m (14,140 ft) forms part of an offshoot of the ancient Silk Road. Nathu means "listening ears" and La means "pass" in Tibetan. It is also spelled Ntula, Natu La, Nathula, or Natula.
Nathu La was sealed by India after the 1962 Sino-Indian War, it was re-opened in 2006 following numerous bilateral trade agreements. [Source: http://nathu-la.com/, JD 1/5/2008]

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]

This catalogue record has been updated with the support of the Getty Grant Program Two. [Jocelyne Dudding 1/5/2008]