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Society
Social Control
When individuals violate social norms or threaten the life of the community, the ultimate form of social control is ostracism, though it is very infrequently used. If the person does not cease the offending behavior, the lamas may stop serving the religious needs of the offender, which is highly demoralizing to the Ladakhis. No one may visit the offender; no one will help the offender or the family in any endeavor; no one offers or accepts food from the offender; and there are no possibilities of marriage alliances with other families. This harsh punishment can only be relieved when the offender seeks the pardon from the village civil and religious leaders.
Cooperation and Competition
Because of the harsh mountain environment of Ladakh, helpfulness and cooperation among families is essential for survival. The Ladakhis establish cooperative groups called phasphuns, in which several unrelated families maintain alliances of friendship, cooperation, and helpfulness. If both parents in a family would die, other adults in the phasphun would adopt the young children. If a family separates, the other members of the phasphun make a fair division of the property. The families in the phasphun usually live in the same village, participate in group religious ceremonies, and worship a common god, though they are not necessarily neighbors and are often not related. The mutual cooperation is carried out under the aegis of the ruling deity, who provides the link for the six to ten families in the group.
Sense of Self
The Ladakhis normally seem to be irrepressibly happy—they do not retreat into themselves due to sorrows, fears or insecurities. They have a strong sense of self and a deeply-rooted self-respect, combined with a noticeable lack of pride. They also have a strong sense of their place on earth, a bond developed through daily contact with their natural environment, and an equally firm feeling for their place in human society. Their traditional society has consisted of extended families, small, interconnected communities, and mutual interdependence. Their contentment and peace of mind do not rest on external circumstances, but rather on their own inner resources and calmness.
Raising Children
Ladakhi babies are cared for constantly and lovingly, mostly by the mothers but also by others in the family. As children grow older, they are involved with all activities and are rarely separated from the family. Adults are infinitely patient with children, suffering their interruptions without complaint. Despite the constant affection and attention that children receive, they do not appear to become spoiled. They grow up as part of a giving and receiving system of human relationships, and while they are still quite young they will share their own food spontaneously with their peers.
Avoiding and Resolving Conflict
While some scholars such as Harvey (1983) argue that Ladakhi peacefulness rests primarily on inner resources and calmness, personal characteristics that are fostered by their Buddhist beliefs, Pirie (2007) disagrees. She maintains that the monks and religious practices in the villages are quite disconnected from the political, social, and moral order. In the village she studied, the Ladakhi strongly disapproved of public displays of anger, disharmony, or discontent. They idealized a peaceful, united, harmonious community, free of conflict and anger. Conflict, they felt, is a manifestation of a society that is degenerate—though they recognized the failings in their own community.
The Ladakhis are known for their patience, tolerance, honesty, and truthfulness with one another. They similarly tend to deal with outsiders in a straightforward, peaceful manner. However, the massive presence of the Indian Army in Ladakh may harm the traditional nonviolence of the district.
But How Much Violence Do They Really Experience?
The Buddhist Ladakhis are normally very peaceful: major crimes are unknown, aggression and arguments rare, and traditional social systems minimize deviant behavior such as lying, stealing, and back-biting. One long-time observer and resident in Ladakh, Helena Norberg-Hodge, indicates that, in one village, people told her that “there has been no fighting in the village in living memory.” (1991 p.46) The 1979 political division of Ladakh into the Muslim Kargil and Buddhist Leh districts, plus the subsequent insensitivity in handling Muslim and Buddhist difficulties, led to some inter-community Muslim-Buddhist violence between 1989 and 1993. Since then the rifts appear to have healed. An article in 2014 analyzed in more detail the strife between the Buddhist and Muslim communities in Ladakh. |
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