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| Tibetan nomad black tent with innocent kid posed |
“If you really want to know more
about Tibetan nomads, the best way is to spend some time in a Tibetan nomad’s
black tent made from tsipa, the yak-hair”
-Som
Welcome to the land of Tibetan
nomads. When we talk about the Tibetan nomads, I might be one of the best
narrators, who could give some clear sheet of a picture into your mind being myself was born as a nomad family.
In fact, I was born in Tibet, a
nomadic family in Machu. When I was a child, I had to go and look after
domestic animals to help my elder brothers. Amdo Machu is a region in Tibet
where people heavily depend on animals and nomad is the main occupation. Most
of the families carried a huge number of animals and literally we called them
Drokpa. The three well-known domestic animals are Ta, Nor and Lug in the Tibetan
language and horse, Yak and sheep respectively, where Yak is the male and
female we called Dri, which is not even registered in google Wikipedia. Dri can give milk, but Yak can’t. In the Machu region, some rich drokpas carried
thousands of sheep, around five to seven hundred yaks and hundreds of horses
when I was there in Tibet before I came to India. They herd animals up to the
hills for grazing and travel from place to place and used to stay at a place
rich in the grass to feed their animals before they move to another place for a better feed.
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| Yak female called Dri |
Tibetan nomadic civilization was
based on their unique culture and ancient traditional way of life for a certain area of people for thousands of years, which is not based on caste and
color. Despite modern science and technology developments on the Tibetan
plateau, they continue to fascinate world people by moving across the grassland
with their animals and tent as a sweet home.
Although yaks play an
indispensable role in maintaining nomad’s daily necessities, mobility is a
central characteristic of Tibetan nomadic pastoralism since a vital means of
transportation for passengers; nomad tents and other possessions are carried by
horses and yaks like the camel as the desert ship. Nomads also spin yak’s tsipa
into ropes and weave it into the fabric for tents, blankets, bags, and clothing. The
wool from the Tibetan sheep also ranks among the best carpet wools of the
world, which is also very good eco-friendly with old people’s health when they
use it on a regular basis. It is high-priced for its great elasticity, mild
and outstanding tensile strength. The fabric of the sheep wool has an
exceptionally smooth in touch and light in weight, which makes them more
lustrous than wool from other breeds.
As mobility is the primary
characteristic of Tibetan nomadic pastoralism, nomad’s herders range across to
Tibetan plateau using their intimate knowledge of the landscape to find the best grazing for their animals. One of the most interesting characteristics of
Tibetan nomadic life is their relationship with the land and livestock.
They are experts in terms of the needs of an animal’s survival of the fittest.
They are always in good judgment when the grazing has reached its limit and
move on to the next lush pasture. This knowledge has been passed down through
the nomadic people for thousands of years. Tibetan nomads have a superb memory
that allows them to identify their hundreds of yaks and thousands of sheep
within few minutes when they are mixed with other neighboring ones, their
intelligence has no limit even they could tell the age of animals by counting
the layers of horns and numbers of teeth, which could be highly appreciated.
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| Nomad Horse Riders |
The livestock management of Tibetan nomads is designed according to the movements of herds to various
pastures during different seasons of the year and the tracking of favorable
grazing conditions.
Nomads are constantly exposed to
the elements of nature, wild wind, rain, mud, snowstorm, and so on, but they
never lose their hope and courage being the owner and protector of snow land.
The indigenous people of nomads are always peaceful despite being in a state of
solitude. They continue herds and flocks grazing on the lush green grass of the
plateau.
It’s true that they might have a
characteristic of wild and insistence being rough and tough to challenge with
wild yak and bison to train them as a domestic animal. They have a wild volume
of vocal cords, but mild behaviors. Moreover, you might see them in black in color, but they have kind hearts. They do not much respect the rules, but they
are strong believers in the law of karma. In addition to their unyielding
spirit and tough atmosphere, even the annual average temperature is below
freezing and the lowest temperature recorded minus thirty to forty. Tibetan nomads
are born with an optimistic outlook and friendly character. Tourists are often
surprised to find out their generosity and simplicity for any strangers who
come across.
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| Flock of Yaks |
Tibetan are well known for being
sturdy nomads, an ethnic group that lives side by side with livestock and
nature. The world's most famous Tibetan black tents made of yak’s hair is the
symbol of their simplicity and White House of the nomads. To my surprise, it
has a beautiful characteristic being cold in summer and hot in winter
seasons.
In hot summer weather, the loose wool weaves let the wind blow through, keeping the
air fresh and cool inside the tent. In cold winter, the tent weaves become
tight; keep wind, cold, and snow out. A typical nomad tent is often furnished
with a mad stove placed in the center of the tent for daily cooking activities
and its smoke escape at the top of the opening tent as a chimney is not
much less than scientific as well. This tent can be easily dismantled and
moved since their world cherishes mobility and the liberty to move place to
place in search of lush grass and water.
The diet of Tibetan nomads was
very much dependent on their livestock and consisted primarily of milk products
and fresh meat. Any of the traditional nomadic female animals would be milked and
the milk used to make butter, cheese, and yogurt so on. The most famous
breakfast of Tibetan nomads is Tsampa, which I called the world's healthiest
breakfast even better than the UK famous breakfast. Usually, Tibetan people eat
tsampa with Tibetan butter tea, which accumulates all kinds of basic nutrition
that our body is supposed to need. The composition of tsampa breakfast consists
of all kinds of nutrition like protein, carbohydrate, fat, salt, and sugar so
on. While we eat tsampa, the roasted barley flour is mixed with dry cheese and
butter with the help of Tibetan butter tea, that tea contains milk, salt, and
organic tea leaves. Therefore, being a tsampa eater, I strongly recommend to
the world people to go for tsampa breakfast if you are really conscious about
your health and hygiene.
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| Tibetan Mastiff |
One of the most interesting and
indispensable companions in the Tibetan nomad's life is the Tibetan Mastiff,
which we called Do-Khyi in Tibetan. The dogs of Tibet are twice the size of
those we see in India with large heads and hairy bodies. They are powerful
animals and are said to be able to kill a tiger. During the daytime, they are
kept chained up to avoid attacking travelers passing by and are let loose at night to guard their master’s tent. Tibetan mastiffs are brash, fierce, and
extremely loyal to the owners. They assist nomads in herding livestock,
defending properties, and even protecting domestic animals from wolves and other
dangers during the night, I called them a guard of the herds at night. Somehow,
Tibetan mastiffs may see an outsider or strangers as a threat and an attack
could be dangerous and deadly, but they will never attack you when their owners are with you. A family without a Do-khyi or two is not a nomad as the
saying goes. Moreover, Tibetan mastiffs are also one of the most expensive dog
breeds in the world.
Last but not the least, welcome to
the land of Tibet and spend some time in a Tibetan nomad tent and drink Tibetan
butter tea. Then you will be privileged for its top-secret of simplicity and
contentment. Today, the whole world is rushing after wonders and modern
technology as fast as it can to achieve some palm of happiness, but Tibetan
nomadic people are happy with their simple lifestyle, living on the Tibetan
beautiful pasture and wandering across the lush grassland in their bare feet
while singing melody nomad songs.
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| Tibetan Yak |
Long live Tibet
Long live Nomads.
10th May 2020
Drop your suggestions plz
ReplyDeleteNicely written..
ReplyDelete