23. Good Fortune
(བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས)(2004)

When living in New York in 2004, Grieve and his wife, Sarah Krive, came across an advertisement that pictured a model sticking out her tongue.  It reminded Grieve of the Tibetan practice of sticking out one's tongue as a sign of greeting and respect. According to Tibetan folklore, a 9th century Tibetan king, Lang Darma, known for his cruelty, had a black tongue. People started to stick out their tongues to show that they were not incarnations of the malevolent king. Nowadays, often when Tibetans meet, they briefly extend their tongues as a greeting. In addition to being a greeting, sticking out one’s tongue is used to show agreement, and over the past few years, this gesture has evolved into a sign of respect.