A Proposal for Tokens of Appreciation for the Master Kamis

A consumable such as a keg of beer is ok,I think.And notice; that I am being carefull.A SAK to show off might not be.I`ll defer to Bill`s wife on this;but not Uncle Bill.Bill knows my reasons for feeling strongly on the subject.For that matter;Rusty and ysva do as well.

------------------
 
I am interested. I letting you in the "know" play this out as to what to do, if at all.

sing
 
To our great advantage in this effort is we have Kami Sherpa as deliverer and messenger. He understands the way and will do the job right.

My suggestion is clean out the junk drawers and send the stuff that is no longer wanted or needed. An old SAK with a broken blade will make a treasured addition to some household in Nepal. A used but functional old Timex will be the pride and joy of some kami.

I will agree with ghost regarding the ability of Americans to screw things up in distant lands. But Kami Sherpa is a Nepali, not an American, and ultimately he will be THE man -- not us.

I prefer keeping this effort right here where it started -- in the forum. This is easier than trying to do it privately and who can argue with such an undertaking. And this is most certainly a khukuri related thread.

Uncle Bill
 
:
I have just had this question asked of me by a friend in Sweden.
If it would be proper to give a gift in someone elses name.What she is wanting to do is honorable and is proper considring all things.
I told her it would be fine and what and how to do it.

Among the Indin people I know gift giving "and" receiving is something that goes on frequently. There are some areas in this country that begins to approach (and Notice I only said "begins to approach.") the poverty in Nepal.There are places in Oklahoma that the "Old Ones" have a great feeling of despair and uncertainity when someone strange drives onto thier place.These people are Cherokee and don't speak English,let alone read and write the Yoneg's language.
These Old Ones rarely have any form of transportation and depend on thier relatives for staples from the store.
Nothing is ever wasted in these homes. I can relate to what Uncle Bill was saying about there being no litter in Nepal at one time,because people picked up our throwaways and used them.
The point? It is that these Old Ones will enjoy and treasure the smallest thing.They are kept "put up" and taken out from time to time to look at.They are never "bragged up."
I do understand what ghostsix is saying and if it were to come from someone other than the Master Kami
then it might not be a good thing.

How do I know these things?
I am only three generations from these kinds of circumstances. My grandmother kept many of the Old Ways and one of them was to take things out and "look and feel" of/at them once in a while. Usually about once a year. When she walked on there were things still in the original package that they came in. There were many brand new blankets 30 to 40 years old that she wouldn't use.She would use the old ones until they had been repaired many times. I like to think that I feel a bond with the people there that some "others" might not be able to understand. I am not that far from them in time and space.I have relatives that only recently have gotten electricity.( the last 25 years.) Some still have the outhouses.

I think it will be done and accepted "in a good way." I also think this is the place to discuss it.

------------------


>>>>---¥vsa---->®
The civilized man sleeps behind locked doors in the city while the naked savage sleeps (with a knife) in a open hut in the jungle.
 
Yvsa, as a child I knew a couple of the "old ones" who lived by the "old ways" and I can tell by your posts and your personal email to me that you are one who had the same experience and are trying to cling to what you were taught. It makes my heart warm to see this.

I know for a fact that some of the small items I gave away in Nepal are both used and treasured still to this day. Even some of the clothes that I gave away 15 years ago are still kept and worn only on special occasions. And, there is always that mighty reward of having them say, "My American Dhaju gave me this when he left Nepal." ALWAYS the reward is in the giving.

Uncle Bill
 
It sounds as if the best course of action is for each of us to send their tokens off to Bill to await Kami’s arrival. It does not sound as if any complex coordination is necessary. I’ll probably get a little box off tomorrow.

Ghost,

I suspect that you have seen things that I hope never to see. There is some turmoil in Nepal now, and people are being hurt. People were killed in Cambodia because they wore glasses. But that does not mean that glasses are bad and should not be worn. It means that at the center of the thangka, greed, hatred, and delusion are consuming each other, as they have for untold ages.
 
I have a collection box already started. It has some stuff in it that I want to send. I have a special knife and a camoflage cap I want to send to Til Bai that I know will cheer him after his surgery. Other odds and ends going with Kami when he returns to be distributed according to his wisdom, fairness and discretion. This is the best route.

ghost has seen too much aid in the form of bullets and money that does not seem to work.
Our gifts are much different.

Uncle Bill
 
Back
Top