Uploads from reurinkjan, tagged tibetanplateauབོད་མཐོ་སྒང་bötogang

Shaman Festival, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Sun, 19 May 2013 01:06:57 -0700

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During the Shaman festival, the women performed first, carrying long khata scarves in their hands. Afterwards, the men came forward, dancing while beating drums. A few men climbed on to the roof of the entrance of the temple grounds and lit sang, or juniper branches, as an offering. Next, one man with a long braid emerged from the temple, shaking and spitting. As the oracle, he served as a medium for the mountain god. He emptied bottles of alcohol on the ground as an offering and other men stood around him, clearing his way. Then, two boys on stilts came out and danced while beating drums.
blog.snowliontours.com/2012/06/shaman-festival-in-rebkong...

Local man and boys take part in the Shaman Festival, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Sat, 18 May 2013 02:25:16 -0700

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The Shaman Festival in Tongren (Repkong) is a large-scale sacrificial performance activity prevailing among the local Tibetan and the Tu villages in Repkong area, which is held annually between June 17th and 25th of the lunar calendar.
Shaman Festival is a grand and festive occasion for local people to show their devotion and gratitude to the Mountain God. The Tibetan and Tu ethnic minorities in Tongren County worship the Mountain God as the immortal who protects them. The belief is believed to date back to the ancient worship of totems in the pre-civilization era of this part of Tibet.

Nomad settling, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:52:19 -0700

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Settling nomads
Government policy aims to settle more and more nomads. It says that this is aimed at improving the economic viability of animal husbandry and lessening the effects of natural disasters on the livelihood of Tibetan herdsmen.
This allows the government to manage the nomadic population as it gives them fixed addresses.The Chinese government is removing the nomads from their traditional grasslands, sometimes forcibly, to exercise more control over the Tibetan population.

Culture shock

For most nomads, the transition to a more urban lifestyle is difficult.
They are often settled in featureless blocks of housing by the side of roads or in newly created urban areas, and face the problem of creating an entirely new and sustainable livelihood.

Approximately 40% of the ethnic Tibetan population is nomadic or semi-nomadic.
www.humanrightshouse.org/Articles/11820.html

Nomad Women, big city shopping, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:07:26 -0700

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Tibetan women usually lead a more difficult life than Tibetan men. Tibetan women are in charge of most of the household chores. Nomad women wake up early in the morning to collect yak dung to be dried. Since most of Tibet is treeless, yak dung is dried and used as fuel for fires. Women milk the yaks before the men or children take them up the mountains to graze. Women are also in charge of cooking the meals and taking care of the children.
kekexili.typepad.com/life_on_the_tibetan_plate/2008/02/ti...

Landscape of the Gu Chu river valley, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:43:05 -0700

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Allong the river valley of Gu Chu going south (upstream), after the passage thru a ravine, you wil reach the capital of Repkong county "Rongpo Gyakhar".
Repgong county, in central Amdo and just south of the Ma chu རྨ་ཆུ་ ( Yellow River) in the hart of Amdo, contains a large proportion of the Tibetan population. Farmers and nomads are spread through the verdant valleys and plains, and there are many monasteries dotted around the region. Its principal monastery predates Labrang and Kumbum by several centuries, and the county itself possesses 36 smaller monasteries, mostly of the Gelukpa school, although there are also important Nyingmapa and Bon hermitages here.
The main river of Repkong is the Guchu, which flows north to converge with the Ma chu རྨ་ཆུ་ ( Yellow River) below Lamo Dechen.
The capital, Rongpo Gyakhar, is both the administrative centre for Repkong county and for the entire South Ma chu རྨ་ཆུ་ ( Yellow River) Prefecture.
Area:3.353 sq km.
www.footprinttravelguides.com/c/2848/tibet/&Action=pr...

Enjoying the Shaman Festival, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Mon, 13 May 2013 21:08:30 -0700

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Mangra county Landscape, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Sun, 12 May 2013 20:55:20 -0700

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The northern part of the county is barren, sandy desert, while south of the Mangra chu, towards the low mountain range that divides it from Kawasumdo, there is some lush grassland. Prior to the Cultural Revolution in 1958 there were 19 monasteries and temples within the county, including one Gelukpa nunnery and one Nyingmapa centre. Of these, about 13 have been rebuilt by Tibetans and two (Ati Gon and Rungan Dratsang) allocated to Trika county. The county town Mangra is 144 km from Trika and 96 km from Kawasumdo, and until recently it was the only county in this prefecture closed to foreigners.
Area: 5.585 sq km.
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Headmasters of Sertri Gompa at Taktsang Lhamo, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Sun, 12 May 2013 00:08:27 -0700

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The Monastery "Sertri Gompa" belonging to the Gelukpa order. It was founded in 1748 by the 53rd head priest (Ganden Tripa) of Ganden Monastery. Sertri means "Seat of Gold".
Sertri Gompa was totally devastated during the Cultural Revolution. In 1981 reconstruction began, so that this monastery now houses about 400 monks.
www.footprinttravelguides.com/asia/tibet/?Action=product&...

Tibetans call Nomads "Lord of Cattle", Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Fri, 10 May 2013 23:36:44 -0700

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Photo: It was very quiet, only the yak was grunting.

Contrary to popular belief, yak and their manure have little to no detectable odor when maintained appropriately in pastures or paddocks with adequate access to forage and water. Yak wool is naturally odor resistant.

Yak physiology is well adapted to high altitudes, having larger lungs and heart than cattle found at lower altitudes, as well as greater capacity for transporting oxygen through their blood due to the persistence of foetal haemoglobin throughout life. Conversely, yaks do not thrive at lower altitudes, and begin to suffer from heat exhaustion above about 15 °C (59 °F). Further adaptations to the cold include a thick layer of subcutaneous fat, and an almost complete lack of functional sweat glands.
Yaks are highly friendly in nature and can easily be trained. There has been very little documented aggression from yaks towards human beings, although mothers can be extremely protective of their young and will bluff charge if they feel threatened.
Domesticated yaks are kept primarily for their milk, fiber and meat, and as beasts of burden. Their dried dung is an important fuel, used all over Tibet, and is often the only fuel available on the high treeless Tibetan plateau.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yak

Never ending Landscapes of Tibet, 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Fri, 10 May 2013 00:47:04 -0700

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Sogwo prefecture is a region where the dominant population is ethnically Mongol, but so thoroughly integrated with the Amdowa, that only a few distinctive cultural traits remain. The yurt, the round felt tent of Mongolis, is found in abundance here, and slight differences in dress and jewellery can be detected. The best sheepskin coats, for which this region is famous, "in Tibetan called - chuba" are made from the skins of blue sheep. All 4 monasteries within the prefecture are Gelukpa.
Henan (Tb Sogwo) is the county capital.
Area: 6.072 sq km.
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The icon of the local mountain god at the Shaman festival, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Thu, 09 May 2013 01:37:32 -0700

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In Tibetan-inhabited areas, people have long believed that deities live at the top of high mountains and there are many legends regarding them. In the eyes of the Tibetans, these mountain gods have their various special roles. Older people worship them and make offerings in the hope of living a long and healthy life, while young men hope they will become more handsome and girls more beautiful; herders pray for the possession of large numbers of cattle and sheep while farmers seek bumper harvests.
An old herder in North Tibet said: “Mountains god are worshiped because they can control the forces of nature such as wind, rain, snow and hail, can protect us and ensure our good health and ensure our livestock prosper; but, they can also cause disaster and so endanger us. But, mountain gods are easier to be enraged than any other deity. Don’t enrage them. Mountain gods always live in the mountains and high valleys in the image of hunters on a horse. It is easy to meet them face to face. If you offend them, you will get sick and even die.”
The early predecessors of the present Tibetan race thought that there were gods on each mountaintop who controlled the wind, rain, thunder, as well as the hunting, and harvesting.
Today, there are still some Tibetan taboos related to the moods of the mountain gods. For example, when people pass by high mountains, valleys, cliffs and original forests, they shouldn’t make much noise; if offended the mountain gods can cause violent storms with lightening, or even mountain torrents and avalanches.
In the period of Tsampo Zhigung of the Tubo Kingdom (ca AD200), the Bon religion was introduced from Zhangzhung, and the mountain gods that formed part of the original natural worship of the predecessors of the Tibetans expanded. From then on, the gods were said to control the order of nature, human birth and death, and even the spread or elimination of plague.
Tibetan people think that in the Tibetan-inhabited areas there are four great holy mountains: Yalhashangbo in U-Tsang areas, Nyangqentanglha in the north, Kulharigyi in the south and Wodegonggyi in the east.
2007.tibetmagazine.net/en/20056-p40.htm

Khamra National Forest Park, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Tue, 07 May 2013 20:37:58 -0700

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Khamra National Park (Ch Kanbula):
Located in the northwest of Jentsa County , 131 kms from Ziling (Ch Xining), the Kanbula National Forest Park covers an area of 39.17 square km. The park is featured with its stone peaks of Danxia landform, forests and man-made sight. This scenic spot consists of hills, eroded hillock, and small basins among mountains, with 50 tourist attractions, of which Danxia landform, Buddhist temples, and Lijia Gorge Power Station are the highlights. Khamra National Park is an ideal place for sightseeing, worshiping, and summer resort. The weather amid the mountains can change very frequently. The middle segment of Namdzong Valley, which extends 5 km, should be the most beautiful place in the park.

Bareback horse race, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:57:25 -0700

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Very much away from any tourist trail, a local horse race festival.
Horse racing is an activity beloved by Tibetan people, for it is not only an assemblement for leisure time and exchanging farming experience, but also a show of horse racing spirit of local people.

The Horse Racing Festival, originally an ancient Tibetan harvest festival, is celebrated in large parts of the Himalayan region, showing that despite 50 years of Chinese rule parts of Tibet's cultural identity remain.
Long-distance galloping: Participants are mostly local youngsters who grew up on horseback. They wear colorful garments instead of Tibetan robes. There is no saddle on the horse to lighten the weight and also prevent a rider being dragged along by the horse if he becomes unseated.
www.thingsasian.com/stories-photos/3438

Nomad at home, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Sun, 05 May 2013 21:02:02 -0700

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The Arrows Shop, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Sun, 05 May 2013 00:57:31 -0700

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Latse (Tib: ལ་རྩེ་།/ la rtse) is a large bundle of weapons (fake rifles, swords, arrows and tree branches) that is positioned on a high place, usually mountain peaks. Once a latse is created, locals insert more arrows and tree branches to it annually, on the same day when it was first created. In doing so, according to local belief, the locals seek good luck and protection from natural disasters such as storms and floods. A latse is a seat of a mountain god or a local deity from whom people get assistance.
www.flickr.com/photos/8538663@N06/3873536379

The river Lu Chu in Luchu county, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Sat, 04 May 2013 00:32:10 -0700

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The county of Luchu occupies the upper reaches of the Lu chu river, which is the principal tributary of the Ma chu རྨ་ཆུ་ ( Yellow River) in Ganlho prefecture, extending from Serlung near the river`s source through to the borders of Lintan county in its mid-reaches. The county capital is located at Luchu town.
Area: 4.253 sq km.
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From generation to generation the Tibetan tradition "lives on", Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:48:46 -0700

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Shaman Festival is a grand and festive occasion for local people to show their devotion and gratitude to the Mountain God.
Every summer, the Shaman Festival is held in Rebkong, Amdo. This important ceremony honors the local mountain god and requests that he bestows good health on the villagers and a successful harvest on the local community. All of the local villagers participate in the ceremony: women dance, men beat drums, boys perform dramas, and girls show off the traditional dress of the region. The festival is lively and colorful, with everyone dressed in colorful robes. The local mountain god is even invited to join the ceremony, and an oracle serves as his medium.

Before the horse race starts, the horses are blessed, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Wed, 01 May 2013 20:47:05 -0700

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Very much away from any tourist trail, a local horse race festival.
Horse racing is an activity beloved by Tibetan people, for it is not only an assemblement for leisure time and exchanging farming experience, but also a show of horse racing spirit of local people.

Before the horse race starts, the horses are blessed. Tibetans circumambulate there horses arround a heap of stones where they are burning incense of himalayan juniper. Walking trough the incense smoke and throwing paper prayerflags called lungta (“wind horse”, colorful papers, which represent good luck and life force) to the air.

Offering tea to the horse at the Thanka unveiling ceremony, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:54:37 -0700

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Special to take this picture are the monks and there rituals, the horse that gets offered tea and more over that astonished me is seen on the left corner of the photo the "fuchsia house plant".

Kumbum Jampa Ling is a very spiritual place for Tibetans…and very important. It is the birthplace (1357) of Tsongkhapa the founder of the Gelugpa yellow hat sect and also near the home of the current Dalai Lama and where he studied for several years. Today Kumbum has 4 monastic colleges and around 400 monks in residence…mostly students from the Amdo and Mongolian areas. There are about 30 temples and hundreds of small brick and mud houses for the monks and students. The holiest place is the birthplace of Tsongkapa which is covered by a gold roof monastery.
www.dharmatraveler.com/dharmatraveler/?p=372

Gu Chu valley landscape, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:32:56 -0700

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Allong the river valley of Gu Chu going south (upstream), passage thru a ravine, you wil reach the capital of Repkong county "Rongpo Gyakhar".
Repgong county, in central Amdo and just south of the Ma chu རྨ་ཆུ་ ( Yellow River) in the hart of Amdo, contains a large proportion of the Tibetan population. Farmers and nomads are spread through the verdant valleys and plains, and there are many monasteries dotted around the region. Its principal monastery predates Labrang and Kumbum by several centuries, and the county itself possesses 36 smaller monasteries, mostly of the Gelukpa school, although there are also important Nyingmapa and Bon hermitages here.
The main river of Repkong is the Guchu, which flows north to converge with the Ma chu རྨ་ཆུ་ ( Yellow River) below Lamo Dechen.
The capital, Rongpo Gyakhar, is both the administrative centre for Repkong county and for the entire South Ma chu རྨ་ཆུ་ ( Yellow River) Prefecture.
Area:3.353 sq km.
www.footprinttravelguides.com/c/2848/tibet/&Action=pr...