Karma Donrub's (Kar+ma don 'grub) life begins on the boundless Tibetan grassland in 1983 in Yushu (Yul shul) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai (Mtsho sgnon) Province. Living in a black yak hair tent, Karma Dondrub begins tending his family's yak calves as soon as he can walk, in a grassland so barren that he is startled upon first seeing a tree at the age of eight. Charlatan livestock-stealing monks, anthrax, death, birth, happiness, and encounters with modern education create a powerful, unparalleled account of Tibetan nomad childhood in the late twentieth century - a way of life that will soon be forever gone.
This volume features research articles on Tibetan marmot hunting, Tibetan use of camels, Sinophone Tibetan author Alai, and yurt production and use, complimented by three short stories and seven book reviews. Asian Highlands Perspectives 35 (000-285)Author(s): Various(Full Text)Yurts in Be si chung, A Pastoral Community in A mdo: Form, Construction, Types, and Rituals (001-048)Author(s): Lha mo sgrol ma, and Gerald Roche(Full Text)Tibetan Marmot Hunting (049-074)Author(s): Sangs rgyas bkra shis, and C. K. Stuart(Full Text)A Complex Identity: Red Color-Coding in Alai's Red Poppies (075-101)Author(s): Draggeim, Alexandra(Full Text)Tibetans, Camels, Yurts, and Singing to the Salt Goddesses: An A mdo Elder Reflects on Local Culture (103-124)Author(s): Wenchangjia, and C. K. Stuart(Full Text)A Small Piece of Turquoise (127-141)Author(s): Nyima Gyamtsan(Full Text)Under the Shadow: A Story (143-158)Author(s): Huatse Gyal(Full Text)An Abandoned Mountain Deity (159-193)Author(s): Limusishiden(Full Text)Review Essay: Comparative Borderlands Across Disciplines and Across Southeast Asia (197-217)Author(s): Noseworthy, William B.(Full Text)Review: A Century of Protests (219-225)Author(s): Chandra, Uday(Full Text)Review: Empire and Identity in Guizhou (227-236)Author(s): Luo, Yu(Full Text)Review: Monastic and Lay Traditions in North-Eastern Tibet (237-242)Author(s): Weiner, Benno(Full Text)Review: Re-Constructed Ancestors and the Lahu Minority in Southwest China (243-253)Author(s): Du, Shanshan(Full Text)Review: Tales of Kha ba dkar po (255-274)Author(s): Zhang, Jundan(Jasmine)(Full Text)Review: Tibet Wild (275-285)Author(s): Bleisch, William V.(Full Text)
Asian Highlands Perspectives Vol. 10 The A mdo Tibetan Lab rtse Ritual by Kelsang Norbu Childbirth and Childcare in Rdo sbis Tibetan Township by Klu mo tshe ring and Gerald Roche Dmu rdo: A Powerful Hero and Mountain Deityby G.yung 'brug and Rin chen rdo rje Echoes from Si gang lih: Burao Yilu's 'Moon Mountain' by Mark Bender The Failure of Vocational Training in Tibetan Areas of China by Shiyong, Wang Fuel and Solar Cooker Impact in Ya na gdung Village, Gcan tsha County, Mtsho sngon (Qinghai) Provinceby Rdo rje don 'grub "I, Ya ri a bsod, Am a Dog": The Life and Music of a Tibetan Mendicant Singer by Skal dbang skyid, Sha bo don sgrub rdo rje, Sgrol ma mtsho, Gerald Roche, Eric Schweickert, and Dpa' rtse rgyal Purity and Fortune in Phug sde Village Rituals by Sa mtsho skyid and Gerald Roche Rgyas bzang Tibetan Tribe Hunting Lore by Bkra shis dpal 'bar sa.bə: A Tibetan Rite of Passage by Lhundrom Muulasan Mongghul by Limusishiden Story - Fate by Gelsang Lhamu A Stolen Journey by Blo bzang tshe ring Is It Karma? by Pad ma rgya mtsho Folklore Bear and Rabbit (I) by G.yu lha Folklore Bear and Rabbit (II) by Snying dkar skyid Folklore The Frog Boy and His Family by Chodpay lhamo Mchig nges and Repaying a Debt of Gratitude by Zla ba sgrol ma
Sangs rgyas bkra shis describes singing in a pastoral community in Mtsho sngon Province, China. Performances at weddings, family gatherings, neighborhood gatherings, and on the grassland while herding are richly contextualized. Musical instruments, what it means to be a singer, the worries of singing publicly, the introduction of electricity and cell phones and their impact on singing, singing competitions, generational preference for song types, recent prohibitions on alcohol consumption, and access to social media are examined. Musical notation, oral and literary texts, and English translation are given. Sang rgyas bkra shis’ BEING ANYTHING AND GOING ANYWHERE is a rich, vivid, and immensely informative account of songs and singing in Amdo. Written from personal experience but with a rigorous coverage and excellent illustration of music, texts, and contexts, this book is the next best thing to actually visiting Gcan tsha County. A beautiful and invaluable resource.--Anna Morcom, University of London
This work documents marriage customs and related oral traditions in Bang smad Village, Bang smad Township, Nyag rong County, Dkar mdzes Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China. Villagers speak the poorly documented Mi nyag language. This study provides novel linguistic and ethnographic data, including a Mi nyag-English word list, maps showing the distribution of Mi nyag-speaking communities, and numerous full-color photographs of village life and wedding festivities. Of special interest are the transcribed wedding speeches locally given in Mi nyag and Tibetan. Audio related to this publication can be found at: http://www.oralliterature.org/collections/bkrashis001.html
YESTERDAY'S TRIBE Reviewed: Kelsang Norbu; MY TWO FATHERS Reviewed: Sangs rgyas bkra shis; SMUG PA and CHU MIG DGU SGRI Reviewed: Konchok Gelek; KLU 'BUM MI RGOD Reviewed: Pad+ma rig 'dzin; PHYUR BA Reviewed: 'Brug mo skyid; TIBET'S BELOVED CHILD; Reviewed: Rinchenkhar; THE RISE OF GÖNPO NAMGYEL; Reviewed: Amy Holmes-Tagchungdarpa; IMAG(IN)ING THE NAGAS Reviewed: Mark Bender; THE DAWN OF TIBET Reviewed: Ivette M. Vargas-O'Bryan and Chelsea McGill; BRIGHT BLUE HIGHLAND BARLEY Reviewed: Limusishiden; A CACTUS OF TEARS and THE TUYUHUN KINGDOM Reviewed: Wu Jing; A CHANGE IN WORLDS Reviewed: Bill Bleisch; TIBETAN LITERARY GENRES Reviewed: Tricia Kehoe; LANGUAGE IN AN AMDO TIBETAN VILLAGE Reviewed: Zoe Tribur; EARLY CARPETS AND TAPESTRIES Reviewed: Juha Komppa; FOUNDING AN EMPIRE 1790-1840 Reviewed: Hilary Howes; CHINESE MUSLIMS Reviewed: Bianca Horlemann; THARLO and THE SACRED ARROW Reviewed: Khashem Gyal; RIVER Reviewed: Phun tshogs dbang rgyal; and AMNYE MACHEN MOUNTAIN CIRCUMAMBULATION Reviewed: Bill Bleisch. Contents Book Reviews 9-15 Yesterday's Tribe Reviewed by Kelsang Norbu 16-38 My Two Fathers Reviewed by Sangs rgyas bkra shis 39-45 Smug pa Reviewed by Konchok Gelek 46-50 Chu mig dgu sgri Reviewed by Konchok Gelek 51-65 Klu 'bum mi rgod Reviewed by Pad+ma rig 'dzin 66-72 Phyur ba Reviewed by 'Brug mo skyid 73-87 Tibet's Beloved Child Reviewed by Rinchenkhar 88-92 The Rise of Gönpo Namgyel in Kham Reviewed by Amy Holmes-Tagchungdarpa 93-97 Imag(in)ing the Nagas Reviewed by Mark Bender 98-104 The Dawn of Tibet Reviewed by Ivette M. Vargas-O'Bryan 105-110 The Dawn of Tibet Reviewed by Chelsea McGill 111-121 Bright Blue Highland Barley Reviewed by Limusishiden 122-131 A Cactus of Tears and The Tuyuhun Kingdom Reviewed by Wu Jing 132-144 A Change in Worlds on the Sino-Tibetan Borderlands Reviewed by Bill Bleisch 145-149 Tibetan Literary Genres, Texts, and Text Types Reviewed by Tricia Kehoe 150-158 Language Variation and Change in an Amdo Tibetan Village: Gender, Education and Resistance Reviewed by Zoe Tribur 159-171 Early Carpets and Tapestries on the Eastern Silk Road Reviewed by Juha Komppa 172-180 Founding an Empire on India's North-Eastern Frontiers 1790-1840 Reviewed by Hilary Howes 181-185 Chinese Muslims and the Global Ummah Reviewed by Bianca Horlemann Film Reviews 187-209 Tharlo and The Sacred Arrow Reviewed by Khashem Gyal 210-220 River Reviewed by Phun tshogs dbang rgyal 221-224 Amnye Machen Mountain Circumambulation Reviewed by Bill Bleisch
PLATEAU NARRATIVES 2017. AHP 47 features "Memories and Experiences" (six texts), "Beloved Animals" (ten texts), "Folktales" (thirteen texts), "A rig grad po" (four texts), "Uncle Ston pa" (thirty-five texts), and "Short Stories" (two texts). These texts range from a lengthy biographical treatment of one contributor's paternal grandmother (1938-2016) to a one-page A rig rgad po account to new Uncle Ston pa (Aku/Akhu Dunba, Tonpa, Tompa) creations that tell of the infamous trickster visiting Xi'an City and Thailand. These narratives were provided and translated into English by Plateau residents. Two texts are also available in Minhe Mangghuer (Monguor) and an additional two texts are also given in Namuyi Khato. AHP 47 is available as an at-cost hardcopy at http://www.lulu.com/shop/ahp-47/plateau-narratives-2017/hardcover/product-23137895.html All AHP volumes are available for free download at https://tibetanplateau.wikischolars.columbia.edu/Asian+Highlands+Perspectives PLATEAU NARRATIVES 2017 CONTENTS MEMORIES AND EXPERIENCES 13-42 Courage to Hope Pad+ma dbang chen 43-45 A Night Date Phun tshogs dbang rgyal 46-53 Herding, Romance, and a Letter Lcags so lhun 'grub 54-59 Stolen Horses Lcags so lhun 'grub 60-63 Nearly Gored to Death Lcags so lhun 'grub 64-75 Life Bla ma skyabs BELOVED ANIMALS 77-78 Kho lu Sangs rgyas bkra shis 79-81 Yellow-Head Horse Sangs rgyas bkra shis 82-83 Rag drug: A Faithful Horse Lcags so lhun 'grub 84-85 Gyang rta: A Gentle White Horse Rin chen don 'grub 86-87 Bkra 'dzi the Race Horse 'Jam dbyangs skyabs 88-90 The Black Mare Tshes bcu lha mo 91-95 A Faithful Dog Dbang 'dus sgrol ma 96-99 Mdzo mo G.yang skyabs rdo rje 100-102 A Heroic Dog's Loyalty G.yang skyabs rdo rje 103-104 Brtson 'grus Klu thar rgyal FOLKTALES 106-108 Why Pikas Have No Tail Gu ru 'phrin las 109-112 A Clever Boy Phun tshogs dbang rgyal 113-114 A Clever Man Tshe lha 115-119 The Greedy King and Tricky?Man Lcags so lhun 'grub (translator) and Rgya mo skyid (teller) RNAM RGYAL'S COLLECTION 121-124 Introduction Rnam rgyal 125-126 A Hen for a Horse Rnam rgyal 127-129 A Hunter's Destiny Rnam rgyal 130-135 A Lucky Man Rnam rgyal 136-138 An Argument About Karma Rnam rgyal 139-141 A Royal Gamble Rnam rgyal 142-147 The Merchant Rnam rgyal 148-150 The Provocative Rabbit Rnam rgyal 151-152 A Wise Father and His Foolish Son Rnam rgyal A RIG RGAD PO 154-155 A rig rgad po Threatens the Buddha With His Walking Stick Sangs rgyas bkra shis 156-157 A rig rgad po Visits Lha sa Pad ma skyid 158 Stuck in a Window Pad ma skyid 159 Keeping Watch Pad ma skyid UNCLE STON PA 161 Uncle Ston pa and the Thief Sgron dkar 162-164 The Buddha Image Eats Rtsam ba Pad+ma skyabs 165-169 Sewing Up the Queen's Vagina Rin chen rdo rje 170-172 Chanting, Herding, and Carrying Sangs rgyas bkra shis 173-175 Uncle Ston pa Visits Xi'an Sangs rgyas bkra shis 176-177 Grain in the Navels Pad+ma dbang chen 178-180 Foreign Adventures Pad+ma dbang chen 181-183 Nuns and Navels Wen Xiangcheng 184-187 A Wheat Seed and a Millet Seed Wen Xiangcheng 188-190 Can You See My Yak? Libu Lakhi 191-192 An Old Yak Finds Youthful Energy Mo lha dgu 'khor 193-194 A Clever Bus Driver Khro bo rkyal stong SHORT STORIES 262-267 Waiting for the Return Rdo rje skyabs 268-276 Faith, Faith, Faith Pad+ma skyabs
Himalayan Histories, by one of India's most reputed historians of the Himalaya, is essential for a more complete understanding of Indian history. Because Indian historians have mainly studied riverine belts and life in the plains, sophisticated mountain histories are relatively rare. In this book, Chetan Singh identifies essential aspects of the material, mental, and spiritual world of western Himalayan peasant society. Human enterprise and mountainous terrain long existed in a precarious balance, occasionally disrupted by natural adversity, in this large and difficult region. Small peasant communities lived in scattered environmental niches and tenaciously extracted from their harsh surroundings a rudimentary but sustainable livelihood. These communities were integral constituents of larger political economies that asserted themselves through institutions of hegemonic control, the state being one such institution. This laboriously created life-world was enlivened by myth, folklore, legend, and religious tradition. When colonial rule was established in the region during the nineteenth century, it transformed the peasants' relationship with their natural surroundings. While old political allegiances were weakened, resilient customary hierarchies retained their influence through religio-cultural practices.
‘This volume brings together a diversity of international scholars, unified in the theme of expanding scientific knowledge about humanity’s past in the Asia-Pacific region. The contents in total encompass a deep time range, concerning the origins and dispersals of anatomically modern humans, the lifestyles of Pleistocene and early Holocene Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers, the emergence of Neolithic farming communities, and the development of Iron Age societies. These core enduring issues continue to be explored throughout the vast region covered here, accordingly with a richness of results as shown by the authors. Befitting of the grand scope of this volume, the individual contributions articulate perspectives from multiple study areas and lines of evidence. Many of the chapters showcase new primary field data from archaeological sites in Southeast Asia. Equally important, other chapters provide updated regional summaries of research in archaeology, linguistics, and human biology from East Asia through to the Western Pacific.’ Mike T. Carson Associate Professor of Archaeology Micronesian Area Research Center University of Guam
AHP's 2013 annual collection contains 5 original research articles, 7 new pieces of fiction, & 20 reviews of recent books. ARTICLES Ian G Baird-Shifting Contexts & Performances: The Brao-Kavet & Their Sacred Mountains in Northeast Cambodia Dpa' mo skyid-The 'Descent of Blessings': Ecstasy & Revival among the Tibetan Bon Communities of Reb gong Gerong Pincuo & Henrëtte Daudey-Too Much Loving-kindness to Repay: Funeral Speeches of the Wenquan Pumi Wang Shiyong-Towards a Localized Development Approach for Tibetan Areas in China. William Noseworthy-The Cham's First Highland Sovereign-Po Romé (r. 1627-1651) FICTION Bsod nams 'gyur med-Folktales from Gcig sgril Lhundrom-Longing for Snow-covered Peaks: Deity Possession in the Philippines Thub bstan-Elopement Ba Lobsang Gonbo-Love in Shambala Pad+ma skyabs-The Price of a Thesis Pad ma rin chen-Scattered Memories of a Misspent Youth & Conflict REVIEWS Review - Scripture of the Ten Kings (305-313) Nietupski, Paul Review - Tibet: A History (315-317) Vargas-O'Bryan, Ivette Review - Mongolian Language Scholarship on the Mongols of the Gansu-Qinghai Region (319-327) Balogh, Mátyás Review - China's Environmental Challenges (329-338) Bleisch, Bill Review - Le bergers du Fort Noir (339-341) Buffetrille, Katia Review - Islam and Tibet (343-347) Chaudhry, Faisal Review - The Art of Not Being Governed (349-355) Grant, Andrew Review - Recent Research on Ladakh (357-361) Singh, Binod Review - Revisiting Rituals in a Changing Tibetan World (363-369) Kilby, Christina Review - Japanese-Mongolian Relations (371-373) Reid, Anja Review - China's 'Tibetan' Frontiers (375-380) Weiner, Benno Review - Drokpa (381-385) Beebe, Ligaya Review - Transforming Nomadic Resource Management and Livelihood Strategies (387-392) Winkler, Daniel Review - Explorers and Scientists in China's Borderlands (393-396) Rohlf, Gregory Review - Origins and Migrations in the Extended Eastern Himalayas (397-403) Hayes, Jack Review - The Sherthukpens of Arunachal Pradesh (405-411) Weedall, Christopher Review - Critical Han Studies (413-417) Ye, Zhiguo Review - Trade and Society along the Ancient Silk Road (419-422) Sengar, Bina Review - Emerging Bon (423-449) Zeisler, Bettina Free download of entire volume here http://www.plateauculture.org/writing/ahp-28-entire-volume At-cost hardcover:http://www.lulu.com/shop/various/ahp-28/hardcover/product-21362829.html
