Tibet
TibetTibet is officially known as theTibet Autonomous Regionof
the People's Republic of China. Located in the highlands of
southwest China, Tibet is approximately 14,800 feet above sea
level. It has a land area of 463,320 square miles, which is twice
the size of Texas, and is home to five million people. With a
history dating back to 127B.C., Tibet was an independent country
until 1949, when it was invaded and occupied by the People's
Republic of China.
Lhasa is Tibet's capital and only major city. Tibetan is the
language spoken by most of the province's native peoples, even
though Chinese is recognized as the official language.
According to tradition, Tibetans trace their ancestry to the
copulation of an ape, a manifestation of wisdom, and an ogress, a
form of the goddess Tara, whose offspring gave birth to the Tibetan
people. Monkey gods are part of the religious folklore of India and
other Buddhist countries. Chinese scholars claim that Tibetans
descended from the Quiang, nomadic shepherds of western China who
first appeared around 1000B.C.
Language
Since the Chinese invasion and conquest of Tibet, Chinese has
been the official language of commerce and government.
It is also the primary language taught in Tibetan schools. But
native Tibetans continue to speak their native language.
The Tibetan language bears little resemblance to the languages
of neighboring China and India.
Religion
Buddhism encompasses the cultural values and social structure of
the Tibetan people. However, Buddhism was preceded by Bn, Tibet's
earliest religion, which was founded by Shenrab Miwo of Shangshung
in western Tibet. Bn was a religion that involved the violent
worship of local mountain and lake spirits. Magic and ritual,
including animal sacrifice, was strongly emphasized. With the
advent of Buddhism, the Bn religion diminished in influence,
although it is still practiced in some areas of Tibet.
SETTLEMENT PATTERNS
The majority of Tibetan Americans have settled in southern
California, whereTibetan Buddhismis the fastest growing branch of
Buddhism. Forty percent of all Buddhists in the United States live
in California. Approximately 90 Tibetan families are scattered
throughout southern California, most of them assisted by the Los
Angeles Friends of Tibet Association. The Tibetan American
community is close-knit and supportive.
The earliest Tibetans immigrating to the United States were
classified as "other Asian," and immigration records show that
between 1881 and 1890, 1,910 "other Asians" were admitted. It is
not known how many of these were from Tibet.According to the 1990
U. S. Census, there were 2,185 Americans with Tibetan and other
Asian ancestry. Most, if not all, Tibetan Americans have arrived as
refugees. The Refugee Act of 1980 allowed refugee admission of
persons for whom the United States expressed humanitarian concerns.
Transportation arrangements to the United States are usually made
through the International Organization for Migration.
Acculturation and Assimilation
Many Tibetan Americans keep their cultural tradition of having
only one name.
Like other refugees with limited education, Tibetan Americans
often take menial jobs in the community.
TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS, AND BELIEFS
Tibetans do not use surnames, preferring single or double first
names. For men, a middle name is given by thelama,a Buddhist holy
man. Tibetans throwtsampa,roasted barley flour, into the air to
celebrate marriages, birthdays, New Year's Day, and all other
important events.Throwing tsampa in the air is an expression of
good wishes for one's own and others' happiness and for the
overcoming of all obstacles.
CUISINE
Tibetan foods are practical reflecting the nomadic and often
severe lifestyle of Tibetans. Cuisine tends toward oils, dough,
spices, and meats that are usually boiled, then stir-fried.Tsampais
a flour ground from highland barley that is mixed with tea or
butter. A typical Tibetan dinner begins with spicy cold appetizers
followed by a main course of several hot dishes accompanied by
noodles or dumplings.
Momoare steamed dumplings made with onion, cumin, garlic, minced
lamb or beef, and soya sauce.Then thukis a noodle soup made with
fresh spinach, onion, garlic, ginger, and meat.Shamdayis a Tibetan
curry made with bean thread noodles, ginger, onion, turmeric, lamb
or beef, potatoes, and a handful of seaweed.Sha-balis a deep-fried
dough surrounding beef or lamb to form meat pockets seasoned with
onion, ginger, garlic, cumin, and soya sauce.
MUSIC
The chant of Tibetan monks is recognized around the world as the
music of Tibet. The Tibetans cultivated multiphonic singing, in
which a singer intones three simultaneous notes, creating a
complete chord. Chanting is accompanied by musical instruments
unique to the area such as thedranyem,a traditional stringed
instrument. The most unusual Tibetan ritual instruments are long,
copperrag-dungtrumpets.
TRADITIONAL COSTUMES
Traditional Tibetan costumes are made from the wool of yaks or
sheep.Fabric is woven in relatively narrow widths and long lengths,
cut and assembled side-to-side for garments, blankets and other
textile uses. The decoration of textiles is achieved
byplangi(tie-dying). Typical patterns, often used in various
combinations, include circles inscribed with crosses, multicolored
stripes, and Buddhist motifs.
DANCES AND SONGS
Tibetan dance celebrates an enchanted world of wizards, demons,
singing maidens, dancing yaks, acrobatic dances, thunderous horns,
and lilting melodies.
Two times per year, the great Lama Dances are celebrated.
HEALTH ISSUES
Tibetan medicine is a tradition that has been practiced for over
2500 years and is still used today.Tibetan medicine, which is
calledgSoba Rig-pa,is a science of healing based on the use of
herbs and precious metals.Because Tibetan medicine is effective in
its treatment of chronic diseases such as rheumatism, arthritis,
ulcers, chronic digestive problems, asthma, hepatitis, eczema,
liver problems, sinus problems, anxiety, and problems connected
with the nervous system, the Western medical community is now
examining it.
Family and Community Dynamics
Nomadic Tibetan family life was structured to preserve their
livelihood from tending yaks and surviving on the mountains of
Tibet. Young children assumed duties essential to the family's
survival. The Chinese conquest of Tibet brought dramatic changes to
nomadic family life. Nomadic families were restricted to only one
child per household, were stripped of individual ownership of herds
and were reorganized into a communal structure.
THE ROLE OF WOMENHistorically, women in Tibet owned land and
conducted business with a status equal to that of men except in the
spiritual arena, where nuns (anis) are regarded as inferior to
monks. In some Tibetan monasteries, women are not allowed to enter
the chapel out of fear that spirits may be offended.Traditional
Tibetan society practiced polyandry, whereby a woman could legally
be married to two or three men, usually brothers, simultaneously.
The practice developed as a way to prevent land divisions, but was
discontinued by the 1990s.
WEDDINGS
For Tibetans, a wedding is a social event between two
communities. The maternal uncle of the bride is the most honored
figure at the wedding and presides over the event. In the early
morning, the groom's wedding party comes to invite the bride for
the wedding ceremony. Guided by her chaperone, the bride is carried
piggy-back through her village gate by her older brother. If the
bride does not have a brother, she can pick someone as the brother
figure. Her wedding party, her close friends and relatives, escort
them to the wedding ceremony.
FUNERALS
Typically, Tibetans do not bury their dead.
Tibetans cremate their dead or bury them in a sky funeral,
considered the only way to ensure rebirth.
Specially trained monks hack the body to pieces, grind the bones
and flesh, and feed this to the vultures bit by bit.
Sky burial sites are located on hills near monasteries.
EndThank You
