Porong
The Tibetan communities of the Porong region have a rich and diverse tradition of singing, playing and dancing folk songs. After two months recording the Porong people we had made recordings of all of their known repertoire and collected a large resource of information about the music and its background.
We heard riding songs, drinking songs, love songs and milking songs. Some were performed unaccompanied by one singer, others were part of a group dance. When they felt the need, musicians would introduce an instrumental accompaniment on the dramyen, an ancient four-stringed lute found throughout the Himalayas, or on the tsi-tsi, a bowed drone instrument which uses a yak-skin membrane that is heated before playing.
We were also lucky enough to record the Ga-she, a once-yearly ceremony that takes place in the middle of the Porong plains and is attended by members of the surrounding villages. It is a time to meet, discuss recent events, see friends and take part in ceremonies which celebrate Porong-ba history. Accompanying the ceremonial aspect of the meeting are three days of horse-racing, dancing and revelry. Great pride is attached to skilful horsemanship among the local men and we witnessed a series of impressively-executed horseback stunts while we camped at the Ga-she.
