|
The Traditional textiles
The women wear their hair in two long pigtails, a style also followed by some
men. They top the picturesque ensemble with a top hat or "Perak", which somehow
remains firmly balanced, perched on top of their heads. The traditional Perak
has three, five, seven or nine lines of turquoise, according to the rank of the
wearer.
Only the very richest and royalist of families could wear nine lines. When the
woman dies the Perak passes to the eldest child of her family. Shoes, known as "Papu",
are made of woven Yak hair or wool, often gaily decorated, with a sole of Yak
leather.
Although many men are abandoning their traditional dress for western clothing,
the women still predominantly wear their colourful local dress. Men's
Attire
Men traditionally wear thick woollen robe called "Goucha", fastened at the neck,
under the armpit and tied at the waist with a colourful sash known as a "Skerag".
The Skerag is about two metres long and 20 cm wide, wound round and round and
tucked in. In this sash men carry the small essentials of Ladakhi life.
Women's Attire
The women wear a similar robe called a "Kuntop" but on their backs they add a
colourful shawl, the "Bok" - in which a baby or parcels can easily be carried.
It used to be worn for warmth and a protection on the back against heavy loads
of sticks and rocks.
Traditionally there was a brightly coloured design on the outside, with Yak or
goatskin on the inside to keep the wearer warm. This has now been changed by
fashion to a simple ornament of brightly coloured material, although in winter
many women still wear the goatskin for warmth.
|
