Tibetan people
The Tibetans speak the Tibetan language natively and form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China (PRC), although in anthropological terms they include more than one ethnic group. According to an official census of 1959, the number of Tibetans in the PRC was 6,330,567 [1]. Tibetans are one of the four non-Chinese nations incorporated into the PRC, the others being the Uighur, the Manchu and the Mongols. The SIL Ethnologue documents an additional 125,000 Tibetan language speakers living in India, 60,000 in Nepal, and 4,000 in Bhutan.
Divisions
Contributing to their ancestry, the Tibetan people are divided into several groups, which include the Changri, Nachan and Hor, who are further divided into fifty-one sub-tribes, and each of them maintain a distinct, yet similar, cultural identity.
Of Qiang descent, he Tibetans living in Kham speak a Qiangic language, although they are not officially classified part of the Qiang minority. On the other hand, the Hor, who are further sub-divided into thirty-nine sub-tribes, are of Mongolian descent. The Tibetans in Qamdo are also known as the Khampa, while those in the far west and north are known as Poiba. On the other hand, descandants of the Karjia are known as the Ando.
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).
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 father, while Tibetans who are "red-faced, fond of sinful pursuits, and very stubborn" are said to take after mother.
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, whereas the tent-dwelling nomads of the high Tibetan plateau (known as Drokpa, in Tib. Hbrog-pa, "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.
Notable Features
Since the late 19th century, 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 and green eyes, due to their Mongol heritage. The men typically have full mustaches but sparse beards; traditionally, they pluck out their beards with tweezers. Nomads have long braided hair, the women usually braid their hair in 108 braids.
Tibetans have a legendary reputation to be able to survive extremes of altitude and cold, abilities which were no doubt conditioned by the extreme environment of the Tibetan plateau. Of late, scientists have sought to isolate the cultural and genetic factors behind this adaptability[2]. Among their findings: a gene which improves oxygen saturation in hemoglobin, and also a study that found 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 surface to volume 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.
Religion
Tibetans generally observe Tibetan Buddhism and a close affiliate known as Bön, although pockets of Tibetan Muslims, known as Kache, can be found.
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, owing to the fact that the modern Tibetan script was not introduced to the people, no one knew what was written on the sutra upon the first look. However, Buddhism did not take root in Tibet at that time.
It was not until during the reign of Songtsen Gampo, who married two Buddhist princesses, Tritsun and Wencheng, did Buddhism take root. It then gained popularity when Padmasambhava, widely known as Guru Rinpoche, visited Tibet at the intivation 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 Dorje, or prayer wheel, is a sacred means of chanting the mantra by revolving the object several times in a clockwise direction, is widely seen among the Tibetans people. In order not to desecrate religious artefacts 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; practicioners of Bön chant a distinct mantra, Om matri muye sale du.
Culture
Owing to its rich civilisation, the Tibetans boast a rich culture. Festivals celebrated such as Losar, Xuedun, Linka and the Bathing Festival are deeply rooted in religion, alongside with foreign influences.
Art
Deeply religious in nature from the exquistely detailed statues found in Gompas, wooden carvings, and the intricate designs of the Thangka paintings. Tibetan art can be found in almost every aspect, and every object in the daily life.
A syncrestism of Chinese scroll-painting, Nepalese and Kashmiri painting, Thangka paintings first appeared around in the 10th century. Rectangular in shape and painted on cotton or linen, they are usually traditional paintings depicting religious affairs, and the subject of Mandala is not excluded. To ensure that it will not fade, organic and mineral pigments are added, and then framed in colorful silk broadcades. A Thangka can cover any subjects, such as religion, astrology and theology.
The Tibetan folk opera, known as Ache llhamo, which literally means fairy, is a combination of dances, chants and songs. The repertoire is drawn from Buddhist stories and Tibetan history.
Founded in the 14th century by Thangthong Gyalpo, a Lama and a bridge builder, the Tibetan opera was formed when he organised the first performance by recruiting seven girls to raise funds for the building of bridges to faciliate transportation in Tibet. The tradition continued, and llhamo is held on various festive occasions such as the Linka and Shoton festival.
Usually held on a barren stage, a performance is usually a drama that combines dances, chants and songs. Colorful masks are sometimes worn to identify a character, with the red for a king, and yellow for the deities and lamas.
The performance starts with a stage purification and blessings. Following up, a summary will be sung by a narrator to tell the story, and the performance will begin. Another ritual of blessing will also be conducted at the end of the play.
Architecture
Absorbing influences from Chinese and Indian styles, Tibetan architecture reflects a deeply Buddhistic approach. The Buddhist wheel, along with two dragons, can be seen on nearly every Buddhist 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 unique feature of Tibetan architecture is that much of the houses and monasteries are built on elevated, sunny sites facing the south , which are often made out a mixture of rocks, wood, cement and earth. Flat roofs are built to conserve heat, and multiple windows are constructed to let in light as there are few fuel resources to burn. Last, but not least, walls are usually sloped inwards at 10 degrees as a precaution against frequent earthquakes in the mountanious area.
Standing at 117 meters in height and 360 meters in width, the Potala Palace is considered as the most important artefact in 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 also divided between the Outer White Palace, which serves as the adminstartive quarters, and the inner red quarters, which houses the assembly hall of the Lamas, chapels, 10,000 shrines, and as well as a vast library of Buddhist scriptures.
Medicine
Tibetan medicine is one of the oldest in the world, boasting up to 2,000 categories of plants, 40 animal species and 50 minerals served as its ingredients.
One of the key figures in its development is the reowned eighth century physician, Yutok Yonten Gonpo, who produced the Four Medical Tantras, which integrated material from the medical traditions of Persia, India and China. The tantras contained a total of 156 chapters in the form of Thangkas, which tells about the archaic Tibetan medicine and the essences of medicines in other places.
His descandant, Yuthok Sarma Yonten Gonpo, further consolidated the tradition with his addition of his 18 medical works in it. One of which includes the paintings of resetting a broken bone. In addition, he even compiled a set of Anatomic pictures of Internal Organs. Thus, Yuthok was considered as the deity of medicine in the mortal world.
Life cycles
Traditionally, Tibetans believed in reincarnation, and religious ceremonies relating to birth and death are conducted at appropriate times. Many of these rituals stemmed from ceremonies of the ancient Bön religion.
The birth ceremony, Pangsai, involves the visiting by the relatives to come together for a celebration and ritual. Items such as food and clothing, and especially the white Hada scarves, which would first be presented to the parents, then to the baby. A pancake feast may also be prepared for the visitors. This also encompasses the high-ranking lama, who would give a name for the baby.
Upon the death of a Tibetan individual, the Tibetans believed that sky burial would bring the spirit safely to heaven.
Wrapping the body in a white cloth, it would be kept in the house for several days, while the lamas would chant the sin-redeeming sutras. A red jar, hung at the door of the house, is decorated with a white hada, containing Tsampa dough mixed with blood and other food products. The friends of the deceased will also mourn, bringing pots of wine a day before the removal of the body.
On the day of the funeral, a body-cutter would arrive to carry the deceased body up to the burial ground, with friends and a lama following colsely behind. The body cutter would then rip open the body of the deceased, and then call for the vultures.
It is a belief that the vultures have the power to bring the spirit of the body to heaven. In the event that the vultures do not eat, or only devour a portion of the body, it is believed that the person has committed sins during his lifetime and would be doomed to hell. On the other hand, if the vultures devour every part of the body, or at least the vast portion of it, they believed that the soul would rise to nirvana in a pure state. The skeleton is then abandoned at the burial site.
Lifestyle
Generally, most people wear their hair long, although in recent times some men do crop their hair short. The women plait their hair into two queues, while 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.
Owing to Tibet's cold weather, silk or cloth jackets with skirts are worn by the women; the men wear long, loose trousers, accompanied by a loose and sometimes sleveless gown, with a band at the top tied on the right, and woollen or leather boots. Those clothes that have sleeves usually have one or both sleeves of the gown let off and tied around the waist. Herders may also wear sheepskin robes in place of the jacket.
While men wear long waistbands, women wear colorful aprons.
Customs
The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica reported that "among the customs of the Tibetans, perhaps the most peculiar is polyandry, the brothers in a family having one wife in common, mainly for the reason of avoiding the dividing of property. Monogamy, however, seems to be the rule among the pastoral tribes, and polygamy is not unknown in Tibet, especially in the eastern parts of the country." Polygamy is also practiced by some, mainly by the Tibetans in Kham. Tibetan fraternal polyandry continues in recent times. [Goldstein, 1987] Intermarriage with Han Chinese exists but is uncommon, as many ethnic Tibetans have negative sentiments towards the Han.
External Links
References
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
{{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Goldstein, Melvyn C., "Study of the Family structure in Tibet", Natural History, March 1987, 109-112 ([3] on the Web Archive).
