Khampas

Khampas, a, group of Tibetan tribes now settled in the western province of Gnari-Khorsum, but originally from Kham (East Tibet), whence their name Kham-pa, "People of Kham;" not to be confounded with their present neighbours the Khambas, from whom they differ in many respects. They are a robust, well-made people, armed with guns and swords, and great marauders. They wear apontis, or short sheepskin tunic, woolly side in, reaching to the knees, and attached with a woollen girdle. The men shave their heads, leaving only a queue like that of the Chinese, whereas the women let it grow to a great length, plaiting it in tresses interwoven with coins and silver ornaments. Both sexes are constantly in the saddle, either raiding or pursuing the antelope and wild sheep. All are Buddhists, like most Tibetans; but the language differs greatly from the standard Tibetan, the roots being the same, while the prefixes and suffixes are altogether different. (H. Trotter, Account of the Pundit's Journey in Great Tibet, Journal of the Royal Geoyraphical Society, 1877.)