picture and text by Patrick Sutherland (1998)
The late Tsewang Rigzin, meme Buchen from the village of Sagnam, Spiti, piercing his throat with a metal skewer and preparing to perform a sword dance. During the dance he will leap on to the tips of swords placed under his belly, his armpits or in his mouth. This performance is part of an ancient and elaborate ritual which culminates in a slab of stone, marked with images of demons, being smashed on a man’s belly.