Kajia

Song Region

This song is sung by locals in Shangri-la County

Song Learning

When she was a young girl, she was always with her grandmother, who was a good singer locally. At that time people held many parties, at which they sang this sort of song. When she was about sixteen years old, her grandmother taught her many songs, of which this is one.

Song History/ Status

G.yang sgron explained that people her age can all sing this song. She was certain that all the people in the generation before her could also sing this song. Nowadays, people hardly ever sing this song and young people don’t learn this song anymore, due to use of TVs and VCDs.

Context of Song

This song was usually sung at the parties where males and females sat in two lines on opposite sides of a tent or a house, and sang to each other.

Meaning of Song

This song praises Tibetan Buddhist gods, because they protect people and give them a happy life.

Situation Notes

She looked sad while singing the song; she had not sung this song for about thirty years. Because the dog was barking in the yard, I restarted the recording several times before making the final recording.