Dress Adornment

The Lhobas' clothing style is particularly practical. They make their clothes mainly from plant fabric and animal skin. Men usually wear homemade sheepskin coats or long Tibetan pulu robes, over which a black vest called Namu is pulled. They wear a brimmed bearskin hat. The brim is wrapped with a ring of bear fur, and hanging at the back is a patch of bearskin with eyeholes. The hat is said to be capable of confusing the fowls when they go hunting.

The women like to wear little collarless short-sleeved garments woven with flax together with close-fitting knee-length skirts and ankle leggings.

Both men and women like to wear ornaments. They grind a bluish stone into beads, and hang them around their necks. Every adult has several strings of the beads. Some people wear dozens of strings on festivals.

In the past, due to the scarcity of farm land and relatively low levels of production skills, their agricultural harvest was too meager to meet their year round needs. Consequently, hunting became an important part of their economic activities. During the off-seasons, groups of Lhoba men often went hunting in the mountains. They have learned many ways to trap game and fowl, and use poisoned arrows to deal with big fierce animals they encounter. Hunting in the dense wild forests is, in any case, a dangerous and adventurous job for every hunter. It is in fact a grave challenge on their virility.