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Bought by Masse from a woman in Spituk.

Description

Part of a woman’s ornamental headdress that consists of two large, stiff, flat, (roughly) semi-circular pieces, each made of two layers of animal skin (probably lamb or goat), with short, dark curly hair intact, glued together back to back. The top edge of each semi-circle comes to a point, and when worn, the pieces protrude from the sides of the head, resembling large ears. The two pieces are attached together at the bottom end, and as well, are attached with a 7 cm ‘bridge’ made of twisted wool fibre at about mid-point. One side of each of these ‘ears’ is plain, without further adornment, while the reverse side is embellished at the bottom end with five rows of braided cords made of coarse wool fibre. These cords are glued or sewn onto the surface of each ‘ear,’ and then extend down the back of the wearer for approximately 116 cm; they are tied together about 57 cm from the bottom. Ee70 b is a length of loosely twisted wool yarn, with a decorative brass hook at the each end.

History Of Use

Worn at celebratory events such as weddings and cultural holidays. This type of headdress, with the two parts worn together (Ee70 a-b and Ee71), is part of the traditional costume of the region and is said to have been introduced to Ladakh by a royal consort who was brought from Tibet (date not specified). Wearing it shows a woman’s link to a legendary demoness who is depicted wearing such a headdress. A highly prized possession in Buddhist families. Seen as a marker of family wealth that is passed down from mother to daughter, or daughter-in-law, over many generations. When not in use, it is stored out of sight for safekeeping. According to G. Masse: “The origin of the tsaru is told in a legend of a Queen of Ladakh who wore pieces of sheepskin to soothe earaches. The ladies of the court adopted this practice, and it became fashionable.” Always worn in combination with a perak (see Ee71) to which it is attached with small metal hooks (Ee70 b). The headdress is worn as an adornment with the “head of the cobra” on the perak centered on the forehead, with the tail and the wool cords of the tsaru hanging down the back of the wearer. The two large, semi-circular “ears” are worn on either side and at right angles to the head. This headpiece (tsaru) is worn in conjunction with the perak and chuti headpiece. The 2 flaps are joined together by a wool string which rests on the top of the head while the flaps wing out on either side of the head. Woolen string with 2 brass hooks are placed across the back of the neck, joining the flaps and holding them perpendicular to the sides of the head. The braids of hair and wool extend down the back. Previously, these braids were interwoven with the woman's hair and the woman slept with the tsaru attached. It was removed at intervals to wash the hair and then rebraided (collector's notes). Thentac (part b) are brass hooks used to attach the tsaru to the perak and chuti.