Is this legal?
Dunno. It’s an antique, FWIW.
Yes,probably legal. There’s a brisk trade in human bone
artifacts in Nepal. Tibetan Buddhists like to use human bones
in various ways, especially those of especially holy lamas.
these are often sold. Includes musical instruments.
Here’s an old post–a related story:
I was living on the outskirts of Katmandu, near the Swayanbu
stupa. A large lugubrious American fellow
visited me–we played flutes together.
He brought with him the cap of a human skull
that had been sawed off a lama’s head.
Holes were drilled in the rim so that
incense sticks could be inserted.
He left it behind. So I took it
into town and found him.
‘You forgot your skull,’ I said.
He looked at me lugubriously.
‘It was a gift!’’ he said.
I was stuck with it. After awhile I used it
as an ashtray, later as a teacup.
When I went South I took it with me in
my backpack. I was in a hotel room in
Bombay with some Swedish hippies.
‘That’s no human skull…it’s a baboon skull,’
they laughed. ‘Tibetans sell them to foolish
tourists!’
Much relieved I left it behind in the hotel room.
I took the ferry to Goa, where I met
Mr. Lugubrious.
‘Where’s the skull?’ he asked.
I explained that it was a fake.
‘No,’ he said. ‘It’s real. It was very expensive,
it’s very holy. There are no baboons
in Tibet.’
I took the ferry back to Bombay and
went back to the hotel room, but the
skull was gone…thank heaven!..or
I’d still have it. Best
Baboons come from Africa.
They are non-hominid primates and their skulls are the most dissimilar to humans of any of the medium to large primates.
My wife is a zoologist.
You can’t trust Swedish hippies, no question.
Learned my lesson, I did.
Unlike Tibetans, Indians don’t like much like bones,
which is probably why the skull was gone from
the hotel room in Bombay I shared with the Swedish hippies.
But there was a lot of Shamanism in Tibet
before Buddhism arrived from India, and it
got incorporated into Tibetan Buddhism.
Trumpets made of human leg bones, and so on.
And you know bodies aren’t cremated, as they
typically are in India, but put out
for birds to eat. So the bones are left to make
flutes.
Wonder what key it’s in? Imagine showing up
with it at a session. Cool!
Don’t ITM sessions have bone players already?
I just looked and eBay pulled it off their site - they must have thought it illegal as well.
Or perhaps, they do not want to be asscociated with the trading or selling of human body parts… however ancient they may or may not be.
Wallop the Spot by Ciarán Carson
One Morning in May as I carelessly did stray
Across the wild Slieve Gallon braes, I met with Captain Rock,
Who did salute me on the banks of sweet Lough Neagh.
He wore a wig, stilettos, and a poppy frock.
He opened up his chinese box and offered me
A pinch of salt, some rare tobacco from his powder-horn.
Then he engaged me with the future history
Of Ireland free, where beauties waited to be born.
He wore a spot upon his cheek, an earring in his nose.
The pupil of his eye was black with laudanum.
The last I seen of him was hanging on a gallows
At a crossroads, with two other deviant brutes.
The next I heard of him, his skin was someone’s drum,
His tibiae and humeri were Orange flutes.
Regards,
H.
Terrific story Jim. Great poem Harry.
No worries, here’s another:
http://www.zanzibar-trading.com/store/default.asp?id=1570
You suppose it’s loud?
Yes, great poem, Harry, and M 31’s link to the
Zanzibar trading co is well worth reading.
Buddhism has sometimes tended to incorporate the indigenous
religions of the places to which it spread. In Tibet shamanistic
practices were incorporated. Also the fierce demons that
populate the Bon religion became defenders of the Buddhist
faith.
This gives a very exotic and often fierce flavor to Tibetan
Buddhism. Chants that translate–At dawn I cut the
aorta of the enemy of the faith…
There are lots of power objects that can work miracles,
summon demons, ward off demons, whatever, including
bones of lamas whose power is derived from the
accumulated merit of the lama (plus the merit of his
former incarnations).
Also tantric practices, which are meant to get you enlightened
pronto by indulging desires, especially sexual desires, as
a means of overcoming them. Much good fun!
I expect much of Tibetan Buddhism would have curled the
Buddha’s hair–if he hadn’t shaved his head.
However there’s something else going on too.
When Buddhism died in India–the destruction of
the great Buddhist university, Nalanda, by moslem
invaders in 1193 AD is the major date–Buddhist
scriptures were spirited up into Tibet. So Tibetan
Buddhism contains and preserves the flame of a very pure,
non-shamanistic Indian Buddhism.
So the Dalai Lama’s writings express consistently and simply
the Buddha’s central teachings.
I’ve never knowingly heard bone instruments played, but where I lived in Nepal, at the base of a mountain with a famous stupa (allegedly
containing relics of the Buddha) I was often awakened at three AM or so
by people marching around the stupa playing trumpets
and beating drums. Heaven knows what their instruments were
made of! Loud is definitely the name of the game.
Really enjoyed the Ciaran Carson poem & Jim’s stories. Thanks folks. (& happy holidays!)
if my bones were used for flutes, or anything else musical, what an honor!
Eddie Gein Model
Hannibal Lector, Hannibal Lec… OMG!!! THAT’s who that guy I was tutoring last month!!! Ooooohhhhh Nooooooo!!!
I’m doomed…
Dave
Oh, I don’t think so, Dave. If he liked you enough for you to tutor him, he wouldn’t eat you. That would be bad manners.
…have to find a new tute tudor too…
…and there’s that, as well.