27.03.2011

KHENIS, GHOST EATERS FIGURE IN KAGBENI AND JHARKOT VILLAGES; MOUD MODELLED PRIMITIVE FACES IN TANGBE AND STOD-PA VILLAGES NEPAL

KHENIS, GHOST EATERS FIGURE IN  KAGBENI and JHARKOT VILLAGES, NEPAL

Kagbeni is a fortified two gates medioeval  village located in a strategic place at the cofluence of two river valleys, situated in a fertile area.

During the 19th century the human guards of the gates become superfluous and were replaced with two human figure moulded from clay each  named KHENIS or Ghost Eaters, primitive iconographic subjects probably remanants of the ancient BON religion. (Photo 7)

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http://ethnoflorence.skynetblogs.be/post/7842348/khenis-ghost-eaters-figure-in--kagbeni-villag 

The use of the same figure and  iconography  it's possible to find also in the village of Jharkot. (Photo 1-6)

 

Kagbeni and Jharkot are the only places in the Nepalese bhuddist area of infleunce in which are moulded complete protective primitive figure as well as the Khenis.

Smilar moud  representations, but limited to simple molded faces, can be found, however, one in the Mustang village of Tangbe, in which there is a face modelled in the moud, carved above the entrance of the village, to symbolise probably an ancestor, documented by Robert Powell.

The other provided by Henri Bancaud, represent's human grotesque faces moulded on the earthen walls of the village of Stod-pa in the Nymba area, probably 'used' to keep away the deceased spirits (according the opinion of B.Goy,  'Wood sculpture in Nepal Jokers and Talismans' 5 Continents edition)

(drawing n 8)

These moud faces have a strong similarity with some of the so called 'primitive' masks of the Nepalese areas

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21:53 Écrit par ETHNOFLORENCE dans MUSTANG NEPAL VILLAGES | Lien permanent | Commentaires (0) | Envoyer cette note | |  del.icio.us | | Digg! Digg |  Facebook | | |

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