MYCOLENS (75) ral wonder that comes from a Xanadu, a Xanadu, comes from that ral wonder but it is only one piece of the story. it is only one piece story. but of the Advertisement. Translation from Tibetan Tibetan from Translation 2. Advertisement. Fig. line): “The(upper Karpo”. pilgrimage place Khawa (lower Chinese line): “Shangri-La”, from Translation summer worm Mountain—Winter Snow “Meili grass”. Advertisement. Translation from Chinese: from Translation 1. Advertisement. Fig. summer “Winter worm Mountain”, Snow “Meili grass”.

during a two-month-long field research in the eastern Tibetan the eastern in research field a two-month-long during . She used grow together— once populations (Shrestha (Shrestha populations Ophiocordyceps. They believe Ophiocordyceps Soon after lunch, Droma found the found Droma Soon lunch, after After an hour of hiking, an hour and After Droma requires patience and concentration. The and concentration. patience requires project usually above are 2-3 cm stromata soil, difficult and are the to distinguish vegetation. Droma surrounding the from but own, searched on their and Phuntsok first Droma eyesight within each other. still on started to crawl walked for a while, then places which she thought the at ground the three hours could be promising.first The disappointing, so theywere decided to have They some lunch. a break and eat brought packaged snacks, and cola. biscuits, Tsampa the package the lunch, and of biscuits After — the meadow on left out were cola bottle sight in not an uncommon unfortunately areas.these piece of first of Ophiocordyceps on the tent, to our & Babu 2013). Near there highland meadow, imagined “pristine” beer and littered piles of waste cans were banks. river the across foraging the at site arrived Phuntsok ‘hunting’ 08.30 h, and started their around to they had 15.00–16.00 h, when until a such at Walking before sunset. return for some even high is not easy, altitude high-altitude used who are to the Tibetans Searching for environment. the the soil around remove fingers to her and out carefullystroma, pulling it entirely was box. a little Phuntsok it into putting finding; he Droma’s by motivated suddenly around area the at search started to actively first Droma’s Ophiocordyceps the of is a peculiar caterpillar . It is not only known for its extraordinary medicinal a wide extraordinary for its sinensis values, which cover ) is a peculiar only is not known fungus. caterpillar It entomopathogenic fungi, ethnomycology, , fungi, ethnomycology, entomopathogenic Ophiocordyceps commodification, we see missing pieceswe see experience a from personal missing commodification, Ophiocordyceps sinensis Ophiocordyceps (syn. Cordyceps, Cordyceps,

only grows between harvesters during the the harvesters during Ophiocordyceps harvesting season harvesting an in on local people and local servation, con tan script, Tibetan people,, Tibe tan mountains, snowy employ Retailers often origin also production. medicinal its its of the but value, ” do not solely promote sinensis phiocordyceps

from Chinese urban consumers in in consumers urban Chinese from

MISSING PIECES The Ophiocordyceps 3000 m and 5200 m (Winkler 2010). regularly below drop temperatures Here, night. Droma, the freezing summer on a up 06.30 h, waking at day the wife, starts warmth. for breakfast and a fire to make and I got breakfast was when up Phuntsok Tsampa tea and some yak butter After ready. Phuntsok and Droma (roasted barley flour), carefully plants placed and prickly stones to before leaving tent plastic their around pigsprevent or yaks while inside coming bring often Harvesters away. were we they come to when them livestock with grazing the which increases mountains, the has This beensuggested intensity. as one decline to the factors contributing of the sinensis last twothe decades a unique created has fungal (Winkler the economy in 2018 Ophiocordyceps June 2009). In The skyrocketing demand for demand The skyrocketing INTRODUCTION average quality sold for 50 000 US$/ was the same time the kg Shanghai – at in gold only was 38 000 US$/kg. price This communities among fieldwork ethnographic of Ophiocordyceps Ophiocordyceps area, 2018 reveals Tibetan , in eastern of demand increasing of the impacts the Ophiocordyceps ecology. Abstract: O Siran Liang e-mail: 330, 69120 Heidelberg, author Feld Germany; corresponding Neuenheimer Im University, Heidelberg Asia Institute, South of Anthropology, Department [email protected] fungus – fungus Missing pieces in the story of a caterpillar of a caterpillar story in the pieces Missing Key words: dicinal products, advertisements for advertisements medicinal products, many 2013). Unlike & Lama life-story also (Yeh fascinating for its but fatigue ranging of illnesses from cancer, to spectrum “Cordyceps natu imagined it is a The products. that their and green a message to advertise geographyblue sky meadows delivers to consumers the consumers, to deceive site is not meant production of its The description place. and unpolluted untouched exotic, a distant, of veil Behind the meadows. All the loitering cans packaging plastic declining Ophiocordyceps populations, the and aluminum climate, harvesters, a harsh 2018: Tibetan regionsummer in also story. are part production these of the VOLUME 9 · NO. 2 MYCOLENS

Fig. 3. Camp ground: Villagers from neighboring areas are only allowed to set up Fig. 4. Foraging: Harvesters looking for stromata of Ophiocordyceps. Photo: Siran tents, while the villagers who own these mountains can build houses. Photo: Siran Liang. Liang,

you find one, there must be more around. numbers of harvesters. Some, however, home empty-handed. “She can’t find even At the end of the day, Droma had found suggested it was because of . one piece. But she doesn’t want to look two pieces and Phuntsok one. Three pieces Coincidently, a recent study underlines the for other jobs, she also can’t do other jobs. in one day was worse than at the beginning influence of global warming on the decline As if the money derived from “Cordyceps” of the harvesting season, and unfortunately in Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Hopping et would be more valuable than the one from it gets worse each year; but still, they were al. 2018). The locals themselves observed other means. She tasted the sweetness of better off than the people who came back first-hand the effects of climate change: “In plucking Cordyceps. People cannot let go empty-handed. the past, the snow could be so heavy that it the fact that there is no more “Cordyceps”!” After selling the day’s findings to would hinder us from coming to “Cordyceps” His statement implies that although there middlemen, Droma went back to the tent mountains, but in the last few years there is a sharp decline of Cordyceps, people still to do housework, while Phuntsok headed was not much snow.” However, most of have the imagined gold in their minds. The to a poker room. At 4000 m, cash flows in my informants attribute the reason of the Ophiocordyceps has empowered the lives of great volumes for just two months through decreasing production of Ophiocordyceps to these people, but it has also restricted their grocery shops, restaurants, pool tables, poker the mountains’ “will”. They believe that if livelihood options. rooms, chess tables, a jewelry stand, and the supernatural power wants to bless them, even a dancehall. That day Phuntsok did not there will be more Ophiocordyceps. come back for dinner. He spent his evening I explained the life-cycle of CONCLUSIONS at the poker room until 02.00 h. The next Ophiocordyceps to Droma and Phuntsok day, he told us he had lost 60 ¥ (about 9 together with a drawing, which they quickly The medicinal attributes of Ophiocordyceps US$), equivalent to about two stromata understood. They started to explain it to sinensis are often promoted together with of Ophiocordyceps. The same night, Droma their friends, many of whom were eager to the exotic origin of production — the went out to the dancehall with her friends. learn. They asked me how to make it more mysterious, pure, untouched Tibetan The dance hall was lively, with colorful sustainable. I told them they could start plateau. However, this is not the complete dresses, laser beams, mainstream Tibetan from not collecting “the ones wearing a story. This ethnographic investigation music, alcohol, soft drinks, cigarettes, and hat”. Locals call the over-mature stromata reveals first-hand the daily struggle of the other kinds of activities that blurred the with evident sporulation “the ones wearing Tibetan Ophiocordyceps harvesters and the harsh environment outside. It is probably a hat”. I suggested this because these “over- challenges that they face. one of the highest altitude dancehalls in the mature” stromata are the main source of of Ophiocordyceps has not only led to a world. the ascospores, and as they usually have sharp decline of its population but has Many Tibetan harvesters were much less economic value due to the also resulted in negative environmental complaining that it was getting harder and softness of the larvae (Winkler 2010); impacts on the remote sites from which harder to find anyOphiocordyceps . I was middlemen call these “dead Cordyceps” or it is harvested. Furthermore, although informed by the elderly that decades ago “rubbish Cordyceps” and they would pay at this fungus has empowered the otherwise each person could easily find hundreds of most 5 ¥ (0.80 US$). After listening to my marginalized Tibetan harvesters in the pieces a day, and that they used to eat a wok suggestions, one girl responded: “Even if I last few decades and has come to play an of the fungus for dinner when there was no don’t pick it, other people will pick it.” indispensable role in their lives, the prospect other option of food. Some of the harvesters Nyima, a 60 year old shepherd, told me is that the current unsustainable practice blamed the decreasing finds on increasing that his daughter-in-law often comes back may lead to a devastating impact on local

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Ophiocordyceps sinensis Concern over the over-harvesting of over-harvesting the over Concern I thank Daniel Münster for his constant guidance. for his constant Münster Daniel I thank I am also grateful scholarship provided by to the PROMOS fieldwork DAAD my which made ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS view of my findings, it is evident that this that findings, is view it of my evident throughout requires attention urgent matter which areas in the occurs. livelihoods, habitat degradation, and a loss and a loss degradation, livelihoods, habitat of biodiversity. fungusthis adjacent been in has expressed case of the and in Himalayas, areas of the place in was putting government the Bhutan wise management the promote to measures et al (Cannon resource of this VOLUME 9 · NO. 2