Unidentified pages and fragments of pages of text, part of a collection of Spiti wedding texts and song texts. Written in "headless" Tibetan dbu med (Umé) script with occasional words in "headed" Tibetan dbu chen (Uchen) script and a fragment of paper in Urdu attached to one folio. Written in black ink and some blue ink. Folios varying in size but measuring up to 27 x 8 cm approx.
Extent: 7 separate folios.
Size and dimensions of original material: Varying folio and fragment sizes up to 27 cm x 8 cm.
Condition of original material: These disparate fragments of text are in variable condition. Discoloration and damage to page edges, related to age and usage. Staining and marks on some pages. Several pages are fragments of the original folios. However the text is mainly 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.
