The Salt Men of Tibet
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July 22, 2018The Salt Men of Tibet
Please watch the first 30 minutes of the documentary The Salt Men of Tibet and read the accompanying New York Times review. When you’ve done all of that, please write a multi-paragraph essay in response to the following question:
Who are the subjects of The Salt Men of Tibet? Where do they live and what activities do we see them engaging in? In what ways are they similar and in what ways are they different than the nomadic peoples described in Chapter 3 of your textbook?
The Salt Men of Tibet Part I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
The Salt Men of Tibet Part II
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Chapter3 https://wetransfer.com/
Chapter 3 https://www92.zippyshare.com/
”The Saltmen of Tibet,”
At several points in ”The Saltmen of Tibet,” Ulrike Koch’s profoundly absorbing
study of a small band of nomads trekking across the Tibetan high country with a
caravan of 160 yaks, the camera draws back to observe from afar an annual
pilgrimage that has been taking place for 2,000 years. The spectacle of the
distant caravan almost imperceptibly inching its way across an arid, seemingly
endless steppe rimmed with snow-capped mountains is such a primal image of
human perseverance that it has the power to sweep away for a moment more
sophisticated reflections on civilization and its discontents.
The entire movie, in fact, could be described as a kind of spiritual palate
cleanser because of the force with which it conveys a life reduced to its
essentials but still vibrant with faith.
The subjects of this documentary, which runs nearly two hours and opens
today at the Film Forum, are the members of a nomadic Tibetan tribe that has
subsisted for centuries by extracting salt from a group of remote holy lakes in
northern Tibet and trading it for grain. Each spring, a tiny band of men from the
tribe leads a caravan on a grueling three-month cross-country journey to the
Himalayan lake region in northern Tibet. Wading in the muddy shallows, they
rake the salt into pyramidal heaps, then pack and sew it into huge sacks that are
strapped to the backs of the animals for the laborious return trip.
The entire process unfolds in a spirit of solemn joy, with elaborate chants
and prayers accompanying every step of the journey. Once the nomads enter the
lake region, they begin to communicate in a secret ”salt language” known only
to themselves and to the Buddhist deities they are honoring. One of the final
rituals is the creation of miniature animal sculptures, which are left behind in
the lake as an offering.
A continuing theme of the film is the intimate relationship between the
tribesmen and their animals. There is precious little grazing land for the yaks
along the route, and sometimes the beasts become so hungry that they begin
eating sand. The film’s most touching scene involves the gentle examination of a
yak that has contracted a fatal intestinal ailment after consuming dirt. The
herdsmen are so sensitive to the animal’s health that they can gauge its
condition by putting their ears to its stomach and listening.
Punctuating the movie are excerpts from the story of King Gesar of Ling, a
national Tibetan epic, hauntingly sung by an unidentified female shaman who is
a member of the tribe.
Ms. Koch, the German-born filmmaker who made ”The Saltmen of Tibet,”
is a Sinologist and ethnographer who worked as a location scout and casting
director on the Bernardo Bertolucci films ”The Last Emperor” and ”Little
Buddha.” Hearing of the legendary but seldom glimpsed salt caravans from a
Chinese photographer who had lived in Tibet, she and a film crew undertook an
extensive search through the wilds of the country to track down the elusive
traders.
When the Chinese authorities revoked permission for Ms. Koch to shoot a
16-millimeter documentary, she returned with a digital video camera and a crew
of three to spend three months surreptitiously traveling with the tribe. The
video was transferred to 35-millimeter film.
Without bearing down too heavily, the film suggests that the 2,000-year
tradition may be coming to end. When the salt men reach the lake, they find
themselves competing with modern commercial interests, arriving in trucks.
Even here, on the ”roof of the world,” modern industry has begun staking its
claim.
THE SALTMEN OF TIBET
Written (in Tibetan, with English subtitles) and directed by Ulrike Koch;
director of photography, Pio Corradi; edited by Magdolna Rokob; music by
Stefan Wulff and Frank Wulff; produced by Christophe Bicker and Knut
Winkler; released by Zeitgeist Films. At the Film Forum, 209 West Houston
Street, South Village. Running time: 110 minutes. This film is not rated.