Tibetan Diz

Tibetan Dzi beads are felt by Tibetans to be of supernatural origins. It is inconceivable to most Tibetans queried told the same set of stories concerning the origin of Dzi.

Offered first was the belief that in ancient times Dzi were the ornaments of semi-gods who threw them away whenever they became blemished even slightly; this is said to be the reason that hardly any of the beads are found in perfect condition.

Next came the story involves a man who saw one of these ‘insects’ high in the mountains and threw his hat over it to capture it. When he removed the hat, the ‘insect’ had become petrified. In its place lay a Dzi. Other stories relate that Dzi were encountered in the high mountains by someone with especially good karma who managed to catch them. But in coming into contact with the human touch, the Dzi petrified. Other tales are told of Dzi being found in slaughtered animal horns or in cattle dung. Dr. R. Nebesky-Woikowitz (1952) recounts in ‘Prehistoric Beads From Tibet,’ a legend from Ngari, Western Tibet.

It is believed that Dzi originated from a mountain near Rudok. In ancient times, they were said to flow down its slopes like streams. One day, however, a wicked woman cast the “evil eye” on the mountain and the flow immediately stopped. And to this day, so the legend claims, the characteristic black and white stripes of the Dzi are still seen where the Dzi once issued.

The “insect” theory of the origin of Dzi seems to be very widespread and is cited to explain various peculiarities. This, the Tibetan claim, is why sometimes a great number of Dzi are found forming a kind of ‘nest’. Some believe that even after the beads have been unearthed, some will continue to move about for a little while. In any case, to the Tibetan, the Dzi is not man-made bead, but a precious jewel of supernatural origin.

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