| caption: |
the making of a brass armlet by Wangpo |
| text: |
(43) The making of a brass armlet by Wangpo (Angban, Chi clan). |
| text: |
11hr. The blacksmith's wife now mixes the clay (gatok) with water. She does that on a flat stone by pounding it with a wooden pestle (shem-mei), very like to the pestles with which the drum is beaten. The blacksmith prepares in the meanwhile pan leaves for taking opium with them. He cuts the leaves in quite small strips and then roasts them on a fork over the fire. He then puts some fine bamboo shavings and a little opium in a small pan over the fire. After a few seconds the opium melts and (44) boils up. He mixes it with the b. shavings, squeezes them out and puts the shaving into a small wooden box. The pan with the remaining opium he cooks in a bigger cup, then he puts some roasted pan leaves into the opium, mixes both thoroughly with two small sticks. He wraps up the mixture in a dried "lai" leaf and takes a small quantity of it, which he puts in his water pipe made simply of two bamboos, lights the pipe with a glowing stick and begins to smoke. In very short intervals he puts small quantities more into the pipe. (SKETCH P.44. |
| text: |
(45) At 11.15 his wife has finished with kneading the clay and begins to prepare betel. He soon has finished his opium and at 11.25 he starts with moulding the form on a flat stone, always applying plenty of water. |
| text: |
For making a round bump (SKETCH P.45. |
| text: |
(46) All this is completed at 11.45. He puts the mould now into the sun in order to dry. he now cleans a small earthen cup in which he will melt the brass (SKETCH P.46a |
