A nomad's blog |
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Below are excerpts from the blog of a young Tibetan nomad revealing his feelings about nomadic resettlement and its consequences to the nomadic culture and lifestyle.
1. Losing the income for nomads
For a long time, the nomadic life could not be separated from animal husbandry. Nomads live on the meat; they use yak hair for wool; their tents and cushions are made of yak hair; their bodies are nurtured by yak milk and yoghurt and they use yak dung for heating.
Unfortunately after the nomads are resettled in towns, on the one hand they have no income and on the other hand they don’t have the food which they have eaten since they were children. As a result nomads have to buy food and fuel for cooking from the market. The prices of the food can easily rise beyond their means. In this situation they become hungry and empty- handed so that they have to depend on compensation from the government.
2. Losing solidarity among the nomads
Nomads who live in the highlands of Tibet are more united with their families and tribes. Tibetan nomads inhabit the mountains with only one or two families in each valley. So their social structure is formed by each unit of the tribe. They co-operate with each other to survive and work. They communicate a lot. The cooperation needed between neighbouring nomads deepens their sense of solidarity.
However, as nomads are resettled in town, they have no need for mutual work and co-operation. They don’t like to help each other. They become less related to each other. Finally, they lose the solidarity they cherished in the past and live lonely next door to each other.
3. Losing virtues and good qualities
For a long time Tibetan nomads have been well- mannered. They respect their elders, love young people as their brothers and sisters. They welcome guests and offer them yak tea, yoghurt and tsampa.
However, as nomads are resettled into towns and live in houses, their good manners disappear. The polite manner in which they welcomed guests cannot be seen in the present life of resettlement.
4. Losing the culture of nomadic life
Nomads live an independent life. They set up tents, build stoves, tie ropes.
With intelligence and skill our ancestors invented the nomads’ tent , a unique shelter, which is cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Nomads only burn yak dung in the stoves so they do not pollute the environment for humans or animals.
However, as nomads are resettled in towns their culture is disappearing. Many aspects of nomadic culture, such as and animal husbandry, setting up tents, building stoves, churning milk are being forgotten by our younger generations. The precious culture of nomads passed down from our ancestors is getting lost now. This is very sad for me.
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"...as nomads are resettled in town, they have no need for mutual work and co-operation. They don’t like to help each other. They become less related to each other. Finally, they lose the solidarity they cherished in the past and live lonely next door to each other." |
5. Losing the land
Ancestors of nomads led a life in highlands full of pure water. Their traditions love and respect Mother Nature; they protect the rivers and forests. Nomads believe that if someone destroys the land they will be punished by the god of the land.
Unfortunately nomads are seen as ignorant about the protection of the grasslands. In the name of grassland protection, livestock are sold and nomads are removed from their land and resettled in towns. Nomads are losing the land they have owned for many generations.
6. Losing nomadic folk culture
A nomad child learns culture and knowledge from the oral narration of the elders before they start school. They like to spend the night time together: they tell stories; sing songs, play riddle and knucklebone games. These are parts of nomadic culture learnt by children in daily life. The adult nomad’s life is also full of colourful folk culture. While I did not have the opportunity to get higher education, I amassed a lot of knowledge from the Legend of King Gesar and many other stories narrated by the elders. However, after nomads are resettled in towns they become fully absorbed with foreign culture, movies and cartoons. The folk culture of nomads is disappearing as they are resettled in towns.
7. Losing values
Tibetan nomads value high moral standards. Materially they might look poor and backward but they strongly believe in the law of karma. Nomads don’t take things that don’t belong to them. However, after the nomads are resettled in town they spend all day hanging around, playing pool, they wander streets at night to steal, and the number of thieves is rising at the moment.
8. Losing good nature
The personality of nomads is as pure as white wool. Their inner mind is pure as white wool. Their speech is soft as wool.
Nomads have many good qualities: they do not hurt others, they do not cheat others, they do not to take advantage of others. However, after nomads are resettled in towns they have contact with all sorts of people. They become more and more sly and less trustworthy. Seeing this I experience pain in my bones and flesh and this horrible situation of losing our good characteristics is turning me into an insomniac.
 Few of the articles in the UN Declaration of Human Rights apply in Tibet. Tibetans are denied basic freedoms. |  Free Tibet reproduces Prof. Robert Thurman's paper exploring the differences between Tibetan and Chinese civilisations. |
 China's Western Development Strategy aims to extract resources and cement control over Tibet. |  This section provides detailed information about political developments since the Chinese invasion of Tibet. |
