IDNO

P.97505.WIL

Description

On Cech’s list describing prints:
“(Photos 173-205 are a record of the Williamsons’ second Bhutanese visit with 12 days spent at HA as the guests of TOBGYE where they engaged in holiday pursuits: e.g. archery, watching football and boxing, hunting.)
191a/b/c. “Archers on the steps of Ha dzong, 20.9.34”
Women cheer leaders.
See gi: ha” [printed text]
For more information see Cech’s list.

Place

S Asia; Bhutan; Haa [Ha]

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

Williamson, Frederick

Collector / Expedition

Date

20 September 1934

Collection Name

Williamson Collection

Source

Williamson, Margaret

Format

Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Context: Archery is the national game of Bhutan and it was widley played betwen different regions in the country. Competitions are a riot of colour and excitement, with two teams in traditional dress shooting at small wooden targets placed 140 m apart. Tradition has it that women are not allowed to touch an archer's bow, and it is believed to decrease performance if an archer sleeps with a woman the night before a contest. The person holding a banner is the team captian. This banner is kept inside the shrine of the guardian deity the night before a contest. When a archer hits the target the whole team will sing and dance around it, celebrating their joy when some one form the team hits the bulls eys. [Dawa Dem 23/9/2008]


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]