At one point two of the attendants unwrapped one of the bodies and calmly began to cut it up. At first they sliced of pieced of flesh which they tossed to an area about fifteen or twenty feet from where they were working. A couple of huge vultures were flying high overhead, and a couple of others were perched on some rocks at some distance. Then the men began to wave their arms and made some strange haunting sounds that reminded me of wild animal or bird calls. It probably took about 15-20 minutes for the birds to come - a few dozen. In the meantime the two men charged with the job of disposing of the bodies, continued to cut up the bodies, one at-a-time. The bones were hacked or broken into smaller pieces and tossed aside. The vultures swooped down and tore off pieces of flesh or in some cases flew off with a large chunk which they could eat without being challenged. The bigger bones were broken up on the rocks with large heavy stone, and the pieces tossed easily into the feeding area. Although there seemed to be more than enough for all the birds, by nature they kept vying for the spoils. The whole affair was not harried, but rather a methodical solemn process that must have lasted for a little more than an hour. When it was over I felt a sense of deep connection to rhythm of life and to the universe as a whole. No one talked much about the experience. I remember reflecting on the fact that these bodies had not suffered the indignity of worms and maggots. In some ways it seemed quite civilized. It was a haunting experience that in many ways is still fresh in my mind. In the past thirteen years I don't think Ari and I ever talked about that day. We don't have to. With some reluctance she has helped me recall some of the details, and for that I am grateful. I also am reluctant to talk about it but I have decided to share this experience in the hope that it might be a helpful and useful contribution to the understanding of the Tibetan people and their burial ritual." Sorry, bad quality pics, they have apparently been scanned.
