Via Tricycle // The Environmental Impact of Sacred Tibetan Scarves

 

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July 13, 2024 The Environmental Impact of Sacred Tibetan Scarves What happens when a sacred object, like the khata, becomes ubiquitous? This is the central question of the film Khata: Purity or Poison? Khatas are long white pieces of thin fabric predominant in the Tibetan Buddhist world. These ceremonial scarves are often presented to show appreciation or as a greeting, wrapped around religious statues, and burned in ceremonies. Once made from wool and used in early indigenous Tibetan practices, these highly symbolic textiles are now frequently made of polyester—and are quickly polluting the planet. “Khata are polluting the environment,” says Huatse Gyal, the film’s director and a professor of anthropology at Rice University. “They pile up in trash cans, in the rooms of Buddhist monasteries; they get stuck in fences; animals eat them. Moreover, they release toxic smoke when they’re burnt—and you can see them melt into a solid form—which happens during offerings. Sheep-shearers now use khata to tie the legs of sheep. They’re being used for all kinds of utilitarian purposes now… However, there are efforts to spread the word about health risks and harm. People are starting to raise their concerns. I’m hopeful.” This ethnographic documentary film explores the paradoxical relationship between the meaning of khata and its materiality, between purity and poison, to raise awareness of the unintended consequences of our good intentions.    Watch the film today »