XX A LADAKI WOMAN'S COSTUME 375 



blanket, woven, as Is customary with tribes of nomadic 

 origin, in narrow strips about a foot wide. The narrow 

 strips were originally necessitated by the small looms, 

 which the early wandering habits of the race required, 

 and it was curious to see, amongst a people who were 

 no longer nomads, traces of a custom not arising out of 

 their existing habits, but surviving solely as a relic of the 

 past/ The strips, which are sometimes varied by lines 

 of red and blue, are joined together to form the skirt. 

 My wife tried to get some of this cloth, but found it 

 was not procurable in the bazaar. It appears that when 

 a Ladaki lady requires a petticoat she sits down and 

 weaves the material she wants. On her feet she 

 wears thick cloth boots with turned - up toes, and 

 coming half-way up the leg. These boots are generally 

 ornamented with scarlet embroidery, but give the feet a 

 singularly large and awkward appearance. 



1 The Bhutias, who annually visit the English territory on their borders, carry 

 small looms and always make their blankets in narrow strips. 



