Sowa Kuma
Sowa Kuma is a nomadic area two hour motorbike ride away from Tsar Tsar. People live scattered around the hills raising herds of yaks. During winter they live in small mud houses while in summer they move to more remote pastures and stay in black tents.
This stupa is the center of Sowa Kuma.
Building a mud house is not too difficult. Many people help.
Women dig and carry the soil while men press it into walls.
These three boys and their family collect stones from the river bank to build a new fence. Work is heavy but the mood is cheerful and relaxed.
People use many natural resources. Here a mother and her children are digging a special root. When cooked and served with yogurt it is very tasty. In China it is known as a medicine substance.
Sowa Kuma is the homeland of my friend Tashi and his father Senge from King Gesar’s temple in Tsar Tsar. Duji is Tashi’s older brother. His wife just gave birth to a new baby girl while I was there. Children are born at home, without assistance of a doctor or nurse. Mortality among newborns and mothers is many times higher than in other parts of China. This time there were no problems.
Loga, sister of Duji’s wife and his two daughters. He also has three older children – two boys and a girl – with previous wife who suddenly died five years ago. They live with Tashi and Senge in Tsar Tsar.
Nyima Rangshar, Duji’s neighbor.
