An unidentified text, part of a collection of Spiti wedding texts and song texts. An untitled, handwritten Tibetan text (pecha). Written in "headless" Tibetan dbu med (Umé) script" headed" in black ink . This text includes competition songs, which are sung at different times during the wedding. Spiti weddings are complex social events taking place over two or three days in which music and other sounds, singing and performance are major elements. The groom's party form a symbolic raiding party that visits the bride's village to take her away to her new home with her husband's family. A competitive struggle to defend the bride against the intruders is performed in song. The competition takes place between a party of singers representing the bride (the nang nyawa or inside singers) and party of singers representing the groom (the chi nyawa or outside singers) Each party is led by a nyahon. With a system of primogeniture still in operation, this kind of large wedding is primarily for the first son / first daughter. A book of folios measuring 15 x 7.5 cm when closed, opening up to 30 x 7.5 cm.
Extent: One book consisting of 8 folios.
Size and dimensions of original material: Each folio is 15 cm x 7.5 cm.
Condition of original material: Handwritten in black ink. Discoloration and some damage to page edges, related to age and usage. Staining and marks on most pages. However the text is legible throughout.
Custodial history: Phuntsog Namgyal from Kibber is the current owner of the material. His father Nawang Dorje was a famous nyahon (singer of traditional Spiti songs, especially weddings songs) in Kibber as was his grandfather Sonam Tseten. The material is no longer in use, the lineage has died out.
Arrangement: The Collection of Spiti song texts was held in a plastic carrier bag. There was no order to the separate texts or system of classification. The precise country of origin is unknown. However it is almost certain that the original text was created in Tibet, though the specific material in question may have been copied locally in Spiti (India) at a later date.
