IDNO

DG.144958.SHP

Description

"Carpet makers in the Chokti's house. 27 August '38."

Place

S Asia; Tibet; Gyantse

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Chokti [also spelt Chokte, Choktay], Dorje Wangyal, Gyantse Dzongpon, West Fort; Mrs Chokte, Namkye Tsedrön

Photographer

Shepheard, Ken

Collector / Expedition

Date

27 August 1938

Collection Name

Shepheard Collection

Source

Shepheard Rogers, Patricia

Format

Album Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Related Archive: Noted in Shepheard's diary 'Some Notes of Ken Shepheard on his expedition to Lhasa, Tibet, in September - October 1938' p.26,
"27 August 1938
10 a.m. called on senior Jongpen (Western) and were given enormous English tea party with his young, attractive wife making a charming hostess.
He is a favourite of the Regents and obviously rich and house full of treasures both eastern and western -- N.B. long, mirror, field glass and camera, Chinese pictures and “Sally’s” Christmas card! Gaudy enameled silver tea set. Discussed all Europe’s and the East’s troubles! and envied Tibet its unindustrial, unmechanical isolation and agricultural wealth. He talked a little Urdu and understood a few words of English.
Saw carpets being made in their house from painted patterns -- including one for the Regent. Took their photos.
11 a.m. Called on junior Jongpen (Eastern) who lives in the Jong. Less westernized than his confrere and did not meet his wife or family. Talked better English and some Urdu but not so chatty.
Dirtier but probably more character. More tea, biscuits and hard dates and then saw all over the Jong. Wonderful views but pathetic that in such bad state of repair and unoccupied.
Saw prison dungeon but empty.
Walls all stone in mud with heavy outside rake (4/1) and some places mud plastered but many places ruins and unsafe.
Private chapel with one resident lama - very cheerful and friendly - and one visitor.
Dozens of images and the usual trappings.
Shell hole from 1904 into lower chapel’s chancel wall still visible.
Called at Chinese temple near old Chinese parade ground on way home.
Bearded buddhas and their armed body guards - maintained by China still and lots of Yak skin bags full of cement for rebuilding.
Noticed Chinese parade ground from top of Jong -- situated near Chinese temple." [JD 26/01/2020]

Bibliographical Reference: In 'A Journey to Western Tibet: the Journal of Wilbur L. Cummings, Jr.' (1938). (University of Santa Barbara nd Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 2011) is the following entry for 19th June 1938, Gyantse:
"At quarter of ten we started for Choktay‘s [35] as Mr. Hudson had arranged for us to meet him and his family. Unfortunately, the British Trade Agent could not go to act as interpreter as he was going to the Tendongs with the army staff. We walked to town with Ugden and over to the Dzongpön‘s house, which was situated to the east of the main part of town. It was large and surrounded by a high wall. We entered at the gate ... I looked around as we stood on the doorstep waiting. Two of three outer walls of the court were roofed like sheds and had long mangers near the floor. Several horses stood there, saddled, ready and waiting to be ridden. The mangers were of plastered mud brick with roofs of slate, and had posts inside made of wood. The door to the house had two painted pillars with long flaring tops like the temple entrances. The entry was similar to a porch with doors leading off at either side into the house. On the back wall was a fresco of a monk throwing a dorjé."
"[35] PGH: This is also spelled Chokte (lcogs bkras); Dorje Wangyal (1910-1963). He was Western Dzongpön of Gyangtse highly influential in Lhasa. He married Namkye Tsedrön, the daughter of an aristocrat, who was considered by many to be the most beautiful women in Tibet." [Source: http://www.religion.ucsb.edu/tibetjourney1938/., JD 18/06/2020]

Bibliographical Reference: In 'A Glimpse of Another World: A Journey Through Western Tibert (1938)', by F. Bailey Vanderhoef, Jr. (University of Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 2011) is the following entry for Gyantse, pp.85-86:
"Several days after the archery contest, we received an invitation, while we were having breakfast, to call on the Dzongpon Kusho Choktay at ten o'clock the same morning. We started off about a quarter of an hour before the appointed time. Choktay has a house on the edge of the plain just at the foot of the Dzong. Dzongpon means literally “keeper of the fort,” and so the Dzongpon usually lives in or near the fort. Inasmuch as there are two Dzongpons in Gyangtse, only one of them lives in the fort itself, but of him more later.
We arrived at the house of the Dzongpon Kusho Choktay. Going in through a huge gate, we found ourselves in a spacious courtyard, around two sides of which were the stables with rows of stalls. The remaining sides were made by the house and by a frescoed loggia, in which was the entrance leading through to the garden. ...
Choktay came forward to meet us. He was a surprisingly young man with a well cut and typically Mongolian face. His hair was braided into two strands, brought around his head and woven at the top with cords of red silk into a chignon. From one ear hung a long slender earring delicately made of gold and turquoise, while the other ear had only a small button of turquoise. His long full robe was of stiff golden brown brocade, and his boots, with their turned-up toes, were of brown leather with floral designs of green. We went into the tent, where he motioned us to be seated. Almost immediately his wife appeared. Probably, there are many Tibetan girls who are good looking; but, invariably, there is that glistening surface of dirt and grease covering them, so that any beauty is well concealed. Only amongst the highest classes and the nobility is it considered good form to bathe. In any case, Mrs. Choktay was most attractive. She was small and neat and very vivacious; a most infectious smile continually lit her face. Her jacket and skirt were maroon brocade, her shirtwaist with full sleeves of bright peacock green. She had on the usual brightly striped apron of married women. Around her neck were eight strands of magnificent pearls, divided at intervals by huge deep red coral beads. From this necklace was suspended the Gau, the one piece of jewelry that almost every Tibetan woman wears. This is usually a square, flat metal box measuring three or four inches across, and was originally intended to carry prayers folded inside it, or other amulets or charms to protect the wearer from all evil forces. Depending upon the means of the wearer, these Gaus may be very simple or extremely valuable; but almost every woman has one of some kind, even if it is only made of copper. The majority of them are silver set with turquoise. Mrs. Choktay's was made of pure gold, beautifully chased in the middle and having a wide border around the edge of exquisite turquoise carved into the shapes of flowers and leaves. From her left shoulder hung a cascade of graduated pearls held with a clip of emerald jade and divided in the middle by a huge carved emerald. At the bottom was a tassel of emeralds and rubies. She alone wore nothing on her head and her hair was braided simply into two thick braids meeting at her knees in a red tassel." [Source: http://tibetjourney1938.religion.ucsb.edu/Vanderhoef%20Memoirs.pdf, JD 18/06/2020]