ami 



Photograph from Horace Brodzky 

 TWO MONGOLIAN BEAUTIES, THE WIVES OE WEUv-TO-DO CATTEEMEN 

 They wear their wealth upon their hair, including a profusion of silver ornaments. 



men and women, respectable characters 

 and notorious thieves, Lamas and laymen, 

 dressed — some well, some poorly, but 

 nearly all gaudily — in yellow, blue, red, 

 white, or green. 



On the day of the ceremony the; monas- 

 tery is astir before dawn. The monks of 

 various grades assemble soon after cock- 

 crow, gorgeous in purple hieratic gowns, 

 red waistcoats, scarlet or golden togas. 



The Living Buddha appears in his 

 fringed orange felt helmet, the abbots in 

 their fat lacquer hats, the lesser Lamas 

 in silk or gold brocade skull caps, the lay 



officials in the old Manchu hats topped 

 with colored buttons to denote their rank. 



The whole company rides out of the 

 monastery gate on ponies well groomed 

 for the occasion and crosses the steppe 

 to the obo, or sacred mount. 



Such elevations, crowned by piles of 

 stones with a flagstaff and fluttering 

 prayer banners in the center, are land- 

 marks all over Mongolia (see illustration, 

 page 543). They represent the ancient 

 totems to the nature spirits which have 

 been adopted by Lamaism from the 

 "Black Faith" (Shamanism) and dedi- 



