ML138498
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Subject 1: (Interview). Subtitle: Petra Kelly. Timecode In: 00:06:35. Timecode out: 00:12:03. Notes: Tibet. Subject 2: (Interview). Subtitle: Heinrich Harrer. Timecode In: 00:12:21. Timecode out: 01:40:25. Notes: Tibet: Past, Present, and Future. Equipment Notes: Stereo=1; Dual-Channel Mono. Petra Kelly Heinrich Harrer Petra Kelly (from the German Parliament) introduced RH. She quoted from Avedon's book when HH met with DL: "he opened his book and said now we will learn English" Q. what he remembers from that first encounter with DL. HH talked about the following in his lecture: Mountain climbing, the Eiger and the Himalayas, his days in prison camp and his many escapes, his arrival in Tibet, captured and escaped again many times. Barley growing so high on the mountainsides, so much smoke because the Tibetans burn yak and cow dung. In Tibet everything is different. But most important, the Tibetans are the gayest and happiest people on earth¿¿.. One unusual custom is to stick out their tongue. Butter tea -butter is usually rancid and full of yak hairs! Yaks -most useful animal the holy mountain which is the center of religion -many make pilgrimages there talks of Nomads -had to bluff and cheat them, Yaks were stolen, food was eaten by wolves and snow leopards. Q. Where was he headed when he kept escaping? After two years of walking he saw the Potala. Afraid monks were protecting it, but people were kind and greeted them when they walked thru the gates. then under house arrest. Dalai Lama lived on top floor of Potala -modestly Potala -one of 7 wonders of the world Photos are more than 40 years old -NGS was first to publish them Lhasa Rimpoches -lamas Dalai Lama became his friend State Oracle of Tibet -man or woman who gets into a trance -dances, struts thru town, collapses, he decides major issues of war and peace Showed a photo of D.L.'s mother -she had 14 children, only 5 survive -she was strict with HH, and said he should not be late for teaching D.L. Wonderful time but it didn't last long. Chinese came and wanted to "liberate" China ¿¿¿¿ D.L. and HH crossed borders -took refuge in small monastery When Tibet opened for tourism, HH snuck along with an American tour in '82. From then on he had an agent with him everywhere he went (story in itself he says) HH made a joke about how one Austrian can give such a headache to one billion Chinese. Showed new pictures of Tibet -Lhasa -totally different under Chinese. Q. When he returned what had changed What is it about the culture which so distinguishes it Why is it so unique 99% of all 6,000 monasteries destroyed. Except for the Potala, all is lost. Books lost¿.¿¿¿ When he left Tibet for the second time, he told D.L. what he saw. Went to see the oracle, and he said "The Gods Shall Prevail". (Good ending for your piece perhaps -at 1:09:44 on the OAT) HH also ended his speech with those same words. Better to go to Ladakh to find Tibetan culture, nothing left in Tibet Tibetan medicine important. Also their knowledge of herbs and how they can be useful to medicine He tells the story of the blue flower -of romanticism, of youth, of dreams, searched for 50 years for that same flower which he found in Tibet he then talked of his freindships -Peter who traveled with him, and then his wife, and of course the Dalai Lama he talked of magic, and mystery as it is associated with Tibet Also of E.T. and how he says in the movie he is homesick and "I want to go home". Tibetans want to go home too....
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- Cataloged
- 29 Apr 2005 - Ben Brotman
- Digitized
- 29 Apr 2005 - Ben Brotman
- Edited
- 29 Apr 2005 - Ben Brotman