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The Tibetan people are a people living in Tibet
and some surrounding areas. They are one of the largest among the
fifty-six nationalities officially recognized by the People's
Republic of China (PRC) to constitute the Zhonghua Minzu (Chinese
nation), although in anthropological terms they could be regarded
as comprising more than one ethnic group. According to an official
census of 1959, the number of Tibetans in the PRC was 6,330,567
[1]. The SIL Ethnologue documents an additional 125,000 speakers
of Tibetan living in India, 60,000 in Nepal, and 4,000 in Bhutan.
| Divisions |
| The Tibetan people are
divided into several groups. These include the Changri,
Nachan, and Hor, who are further divided into fifty-one
sub-tribes, each of them maintaining a distinct yet related
cultural identity. The Tibetans living in Kham are of
Qiang descent and speak a Qiangic language, although they
are not officially classified as part of the Qiang minority.
The Hor, who are further sub-divided into thirty-nine
sub-tribes, are of Mongolian descent. The Tibetans in Kham
are also known as the Khampa, while those in the far west
and north are known as Poiba. Descendants of the Karjia are
known as the Ando. Although the Tangut are now extinct as a
distinct people, their descendants can be found among the
Tibetans and Salar of Gansu.
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| Origins |
| It is generally agreed that
Tibetans share a considerable genetic background with
Mongols, although other main influences do exist. Some
anthropologists have suggested an Indo-Scythian component,
and others a Southeast Asian component; both are credible
given Tibet's geographic location. The romantic claim that
American Hopi and Tibetans are close cousins is not likely
to find support in genetic studies, although strong cultural
similarities may be found between the two groups. Some light
has been shed on their origins, however, by one genetic
study: Su, Bing, et al. (2000). Tibetans traditionally
explain their own origins as rooted in the marriage of the
bodhisattva Chenrezig and a mountain ogress. Tibetans who
display compassion, moderation, intelligence, and wisdom are
said to take after their fathers, while Tibetans who are
"red-faced, fond of sinful pursuits, and very stubborn" are
said to take after their mothers.
There are two main ethnic groups in Tibet, in addition to
the Han Chinese moved there in recent years by the PRC
government. Central Tibetans (those living in the vast area
around Lhasa, Ü-Tsang) obviously share a strong Mongolian
component in their ancestry. The tent-dwelling nomads of the
high Tibetan plateau (known as Drokpa or, in Tibetan, Hbrog-pa,
meaning "steppe-dwellers") and the "Khambas" in Kham are, by
comparison, taller and longer-limbed, with sharper features
and more aquiline noses. Some have suggested they are of
Scythian descent. The Eastern Tibetans are not as mixed as
the Central Tibetans in the sedentary areas. In Western
Tibet, notably around Ladakh and Kashmir, people are closer
to those of Indo-Aryan descent.
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| Notable features |
| 19th century, the Chinese
presence in Eastern Tibet has increased, and often the
Khambas there are bilingual. Still, mixed marriages between
Tibetans and Chinese are not common. Tibetans typically
have light brown skin, black, somewhat wavy or even curly
hair, moderately high cheekbones, and brown eyes, although
some have very light hazel or green eyes, due to their
Mongol heritage. The men typically have full moustaches but
sparse beards; traditionally, they pluck out their beards
with tweezers. Nomads have long braided hair, and the women
usually braid their hair in 108 braids.
Tibetans have a legendary ability to survive extremes of
altitude and cold, an ability no doubt conditioned by the
extreme environment of the Tibetan plateau. Recently,
scientists have sought to isolate the cultural and genetic
factors behind this adaptability [2]. Among their findings
was a gene which improves oxygen saturation in hemoglobin
and the fact that Tibetan children grow faster than other
children to the age of five (presumably as a defense against
heat loss since larger bodies have a more favorable volume
to surface ratio). The Tibet Paleolithic Project is studying
the Stone Age colonization of the plateau, hoping to gain
insight into human adaptability in general and the cultural
strategies the Tibetans developed as they learned to survive
in this harsh environment.
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| Religion |
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Tibetans generally observe
Tibetan Buddhism and a collection of native traditions known
as Bön (also absorbed into mainstream Tibetan Buddhism). The
Tibetan Muslims are also known as the Kache.
Legend said that the 28th king of Tibet, Lhatotori Nyentsen,
dreamed of a sacred treasure falling from heaven, which
contained a Buddhist sutra, mantras, and religious objects.
However, because the modern Tibetan script was not
introduced to the people, no one knew what was written on
the sutra upon the first look. Buddhism did not take root in
Tibet until the reign of Songtsen Gampo, who married two
Buddhist princesses, Brikhuti and Wencheng. It then gained
popularity when Padmasambhava, widely known as Guru Rinpoche,
visited Tibet at the invitation of the 38th Tibetan king,
Trisong Deutson.
Today, one can see Tibetans placing Mani stones all over.
Tibetan lamas, both Buddhist and Bön, play a major role in
the lives of the Tibetan people, conducting religious
ceremonies and taking care of the monasteries. Pilgrims
plant their prayer flags onto the sacred grounds as a symbol
of good luck.
The prayer wheel is a means of chanting the mantra by
revolving the object several times in a clockwise direction.
It is widely seen among Tibetan people. In order not to
desecrate religious artifacts such as Stupas, mani stones,
and Gompas, Tibetan Buddhists walk around them in a
clockwise direction, although the reverse direction is true
for Bön. Tibetan Buddhists chant the prayer "Om mani padme
hum", while the practitioners of Bön chant "Om matri muye
sale du".
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| Culture |
| Tibet boasts a rich culture.
Tibetan festivals such as Losar, Shoton, Linka, and the
Bathing Festival are deeply rooted in indigenous religion
and also contain foreign influences. Each person takes part
in the Bathing Festival three times: at birth, at marriage,
and at death. It is traditionally believed that people
should not bathe casually, but only on the most important
occasions. |
| Art |
Tibetan art is deeply
religious in nature, from the exquisitely detailed statues
found in Gompas to wooden carvings and the intricate designs
of the Thangka paintings. Tibetan art can be found in almost
every object and every aspect of daily life.
Thangka paintings, a syncretism of Chinese scroll-painting
with Nepalese and Kashmiri painting, appeared in Tibet
around the 10th century. Rectangular and painted on cotton
or linen, they usually depict traditional motifs including
religious, astrological, and theological subjects, and
sometimes the Mandala. To ensure that the image will not
fade, organic and mineral pigments are added, and the
painting is framed in colorful silk broadcades. |
| Drama |
The Tibetan folk opera,
known as Ache lhamo, which literally means "sister goddess"
or "celestial sister," is a combination of dances, chants
and songs. The repertoire is drawn from Buddhist stories and
Tibetan history.
Tibetan opera was founded in the 14th century by Thangthong
Gyalpo, a lama and a bridge builder. Gyalpo, and seven girls
he recruited, organized the first performance to raise funds
for building bridges, which would facilitate transportation
in Tibet. The tradition continued uninterrupted for nearly
700 years, and performances are held on various festive
occasions such as the Lingka and Shoton festival. The
performance is usually a drama, held on a barren stage that
combines dances, chants, and songs. Colorful masks are
sometimes worn to identify a character, with red symbolizing
a king and yellow indicating deities and lamas. The
performance starts with a stage purification and blessings.
A narrator then sings a summary of the story, and the
performance begins. Another ritual blessing is conducted at
the end of the play. |
| Architecture |
Tibetan architecture
contains Chinese and Indian influences and reflects a deeply
Buddhist approach. The Buddhist wheel, along with two
dragons, can be seen on nearly every Gompa in Tibet. The
design of the Tibetan Chörtens can vary, from roundish walls
in Kham to squarish, four-sided walls in Ladakh.
The most unusual feature of Tibetan architecture is that
many of the houses and monasteries are built on elevated,
sunny sites facing the south. They are often made out a
mixture of rocks, wood, cement and earth. Little fuel is
available for heating or lighting, so flat roofs are built
to conserve heat, and multiple windows are constructed to
let in sunlight. Walls are usually sloped inwards at 10
degrees as a precaution against frequent earthquakes in the
mountainous area.
Standing at 117 meters in height and 360 meters in width,
the Potala Palace is considered the most important example
of Tibetan architecture. Formerly the residence of the Dalai
Lama, it contains over a thousand rooms within thirteen
stories and houses portraits of the past Dalai Lamas and
statues of the Buddha. It is divided between the outer White
Palace, which serves as the administrative quarters, and the
inner Red Quarters, which houses the assembly hall of the
Lamas, chapels, 10,000 shrines, and a vast library of
Buddhist scriptures. |
| Medicine |
Tibetan medicine is one of
the oldest forms in the world. It utilizes up to 2,000 types
of plants, 40 animal species, and 50 minerals. One of the
key figures in its development was the renowned eighth
century physician Yutok Yonten Gonpo, who produced the Four
Medical Tantras integrating material from the medical
traditions of Persia, India and China. The tantras contained
a total of 156 chapters in the form of Thangkas, which tell
about the archaic Tibetan medicine and the essences of
medicines in other places.
Yutok Yonten Gonpo's descendant, Yuthok Sarma Yonten Gonpo,
further consolidated the tradition by adding eighteen
medical works. One of his books includes paintings depicting
the resetting of a broken bone. In addition, he compiled a
set of anatomical pictures of internal organs. |
| Life cycles |
There is a strong belief
amongst Tibetans in reincarnation, including the Buddhist
concept of Bardo during post-mortem. Religious ceremonies
relating to birth and death are conducted at appropriate
times, many stemming from rituals of the ancient Bön
religion, though they have been changed over time to
accommodate more prevalent Buddhist practise.
During the birth ceremony of Pangsai, relatives come
together for celebration and ritual. Gifts are presented to
the parents and infant, including food, clothing, and white
khada scarves. A pancake feast may also be prepared for the
visitors. It is the usual custom that a high-ranking lama is
also present to name the baby.
At death, Tibetans are given a "sky burial", which is
believed to take the spirit of the dead safely to heaven.
Before the sky burial, the body is wrapped in a white cloth
and kept in the house for several days while lamas chant
sutras to alleviate the punishments for sins committed while
alive. A red jar containing tsampa dough mixed with blood
and other food products is decorated with a white hada and
hung at the door of the house. The friends of the deceased
also mourn, bringing pots of wine a day before the removal
of the body.
On the day of the funeral, a body-cutter arrives to carry
the deceased body up to the burial ground, with friends and
a lama following closely behind. The body-cutter rips open
the body of the deceased, then calls for the vultures to
devour it. The skeleton is abandoned at the burial site.
Tibetans believe that the vultures have the power to bring
the spirit of the body to heaven. In the event that the
vultures do not eat the body, or devour only a portion of
it, It is believed that the person committed serious sins
and is doomed to a tenure in one of the hells. If the
vultures devour every part of the body or at least the
majority of it, however, the soul continues on into a purer
rebirth. Beliefs as to whether or not the soul rises into
Nirvana differ depending on the local religious school of
Buddhism and region. |
| Clothing |
Most Tibetans wear their
hair long, although in recent times some men do crop their
hair short. The women plait their hair into two queues, the
girls into a single queue. Men who keep their hair long coil
it on top of their heads, often wrapped in a red cloth that
serves as a turban.
Because of Tibet's cold weather, women wear skirts and silk
or cloth jackets. The men wear long, loose trousers,
accompanied by a loose and sometimes sleeveless gown, with a
band at the top tied on the right, and woolen or leather
boots. One or both sleeves on a garment are generally let
off and tied around the waist. Herders sometimes wear
sheepskin robes in place of the jacket. In addition, men
wear long waistbands, and women wear colorful aprons. |
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Buddhist
Poetry |
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"All that we are is the result of what we have thought.
If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows
him.
If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought,
happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.
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Lord Buddha |
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"If you lose all
differentiation between yourselves and others,
fit to serve others you will be.
And when in serving others you will win success,
then shall you meet with me;
And finding me, you shall attain to Buddhahood."
- Milarepa
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" as a flower blown out by
the wind
goes to rest and cannot be defined
so the wise man freed from individuality
goes to rest and cannot be defined.
gone beyond all images-
gone beyond the power of words "
From: Sutra Nipata
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BODHGAYA PHOTO GALLERY
BY TENZIN PHULCHUNG |
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