Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes the process of millet plantation. Firstly, they planted seedlings of millet, and after a few weeks, they made the soil loose. She says they practiced the labor exchange program, where they didn’t make cash payments to workers. During the break, they are offered fermented wine in an ox horn. Before millet plantation, they would get goats from Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, India, and use the manure as fertilizer. She says that millet was planted before the arrival of the magpie, and that planting millet after the arrival of the magpie was considered late and generally wouldn’t have a good yield.

Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes the process of millet plantation, saying there are two ways to plant millet. One is planted before the magpie departs, and another is planted when the magnolia flower blossoms. The latter one is not transplanted. In the past, when people forgot to plant seedlings before the arrival of the magpie, they would make the sound of the magpie and plant the millet when the magpie leaves instead.

Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes the lineage of Sero which originated in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, India. She says Mr. Damba Tashi is first among the holders of the golden lineage of Sero. As a mark of respect to him, his descendants keep a long ponytail, even if they shave. She says the lineage started when Damba Tashi married the princess of the serpent world. Mrs. Humchung says she came to know about these stories through marriage to Damba Tashi’s descendants.

Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes the Thragom Tshokhang which no longer exists today. She says it was built by three grandsons of Abi Lhaden. She explains that it was demolished to build Thragom Primary School.

Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes an annual pilgrimage to Tawang, saying this was most celebrated among the older generation of Dakpa in Thragom, Bamchang, Rinzentangpang, Dukti, and Namdhi villages. The event was seen as a way to connect back with relatives across the India-Bhutan border. They usually went to witness Tawang Torgya, a three days mask dance festival. It took around three days by foot to reach Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, India when road links were not yet there across the border.

Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes when she went to see His Holiness Dalai Lama in the 1980s. The says that, during that visit, she, her husband, and fellow villagers spent around one month waiting for His Holiness Dalai Lama. They were hosted by a relative of her husband. She also went into the field to help her host with farming, collecting firewood, making alcohol, and constructing the house. She explains that, that this time, it was common for relatives in these two countries to host each other for these visits.

Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes how to prepare and consume millet and demonstrates how to improve the taste of the millet by stirring with the ladle. She recommends having this meal along with hot chili paste.

Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes how to prepare ponpo curry using lichen, demonstrating the process of steaming the lichen with ash before cooking. She explains that people in Thragom village consume ponpo curry once a year to wash away any dirt or hair inside the body.

Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes how to prepare ponpo curry using lichen and demonstrates how to thoroughly wash the dirt from the lichen. She also shares memories of eating ponpo curry and collecting dry lichen while gathering firewood during childhood.

Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes how to prepare ponpo curry with lichen, chili powder, garlic, black pepper, oil, and salt. After the lichen is thoroughly steamed and washed, the curry is ready in 5 minutes. She says the lichen can be directly consumed with chili paste (without steaming).

Mrs. Humchung is one of the oldest people living in Thragom village. She describes how to prepare and consume Shang Nelap (tree’s ear) mushrooms. The process of making this mushroom is similar to that of lichen. First, the mushroom is steamed in ash and washed thoroughly. Then it is prepared with chili paste. She says that, like lichen, one can eat mushrooms from any tree except the Magnolia tree.

Chote Tshering and Lama Tshering, two respected lay monks, discuss the ritual cake for the annual ritual of Mrs. Humchung. This ritual cake symbolizes the Lama (teacher), Yidam (tutelary deity), Chösung (religious protector), family deities, and the wrathful form of peaceful Buddha. They are also talking about the origin and meaning of these ritual cakes.

Mr. Lama Tshering is an annual ritual performer of Hunchung and other households in Thragom, Rinzentangpang, Bamchang, and Ranjung. He has been performing the ritual for past several years. The religious text that they are reciting is the appeasement of the main deities of the Gelugpa sects of Buddhism. Some of the deities they appease are Damchen Dorji Legpa and his retinue.

Chote Tshering and Lama Tshering, two respected lay monks, recite a prayer for Tshok (feast offering). Tshok offering is part of annual rituals in Thragom village. These offerings are made to Buddha, Bodhisattvas, tutelary deities, dharma protectors, the god of wealth, and deities to bring fortune, success, and a healthier life to the family. This recording was done in the evening after rainfall for half of the day.

Residents of Rolam village are cultivating this paddy in Mazhing, near Rolam village after a long absence of rain during the peak season of monsoon. Water for irrigation is allocated based on a lottery system. Conversations among the villagers and children can be heard in the background.

View of rice paddies from Rolam Mazhing toward Thragom village. It is known as Mazhing 'main', meaning it is the main paddy for Rolam village. Conversations among the villagers and children can be heard in the background.

Conversation between Lama Wangmo, Chador, and Tshangpa while uprooting paddy seedlings. They say these seeds must be planted for two to three months before being transplanted. Lama Wangmo says that, this year, she was a little late, hence these seedlings are not that good.

View of rice paddies in Mazhing, near Rolam village going toward Thragom village. It is known as Mazhing 'main', because it is the main paddy for Rolam village.

Mr. Koncho Tshering describes how his son helped build the Jarungkhashor stupa located outside Kathmandu, Nepal. Also known as Bouddha, Boudhanath, or Khasti Chaitya, it is one of the oldest stupas in the world. He says that construction and later renovations were funded by selling religious instruments and blessed earth collected from Nepal, India, and Bhutan in the Tawang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India.

Mr. Koncho Tshering discusses Tshokhang's history and construction. He says the land for Tshokhang was chosen by Mr. Zhokpo, and Mr. Nagsang and Tandin were the carpenters involved in the construction. He says it was originally much smaller than it is today. After the construction of Tshokhang, every 10th day of the lunar calendar a Bazer Guru and Chenrezig mantra is recited through the sponsorship of villagers.

Mr. Koncho Tshering discusses his family's migration to Bhutan. His parents and his mother's two relatives migrated to Bhutan from the Tawang district in Arunachal Pradesh, India. He says the main reason for this was the heavy tax in Tawang at the time. He says their parents have to take plank towards Tshona (Tibet) every year, and also pay taxes to Tawang Monastery. After migrating to Bhutan, they stayed in Thragom village.

This recording shows the change in construction methods and materials in Thragom village. This block was made by workers and local community members. In the past, house construction was a community affair where everyone lent their hand. In this case, the construction of the house is given to the lowest bidder.

Chorten Tshering and Koncho Tshering discuss their concerns about how the annual feast offerings will be carried out by the upcoming generation. They say that, with much hardship, their parents were able to start the community feast offering. In the past, local customary taxes were levied upon the households to conduct feasts, and used as seed money for the following years. Still today, these feasts are funded by this seed money.

Chorten Tshering and Koncho Tshering discuss their concerns about how the annual feast offerings will be carried out by the upcoming generation. Chorten Tshering says that, in his view, those children born in villages are more likely to continue than children born in towns. He thinks that children born in villages have a strong connection with the village's customs, are easier to mingle with, and will more easily adapt to difficult situations. He is worried that, in the future, future generations may not carry forward the local customs and traditions.