The authors original studies reveal that tibetan culture is. During this era, the political centralization of the earlier tibetan empire collapsed following a civil war between yumtan and osung. The histories of amdo, which are the focus of this essay, on the other hand are still virtually unknown. An overview of amdo northeastern tibet historical polities. Amdo tibetan, one of the three main dialects of spoken tibetan, is gradually gaining notoriety in the western world. These differences may have emerged due to geographical isolation of the regions of tibet. Tibet here means the whole of tibet known as cholkasum utsang, kham and amdo. Kham and amdo of tibet descriptive ethnography series ethnocentrism series, human relations area files issue 2 of hraflex books issue 2 of hraflex books. This is partly due to the pivotal role this religion has played in the development of tibetan and mongol cultures and partly because almost all native historians of the country were buddhist monks. The written history of madhya pradesh goes back to the emperor ashoka in the 3rd century b. Codicological and historical studies of an archaeological find in mustang, nepal. The first, albeit short, history of amdo was written in 1652 by the gelukpa lama who converted rongwo monastery in repgong to the geluk tradition, shar kelden gyatso.
A comprehensive guide to the monasteries of the amdo region of tibet english and tibetan edition 9781492866862. His current research project, amdo tibet, middle ground between lhasa and beijing 15781865, is a historical analysis of the economic and cultural relations between china and tibet in the early modern periods 16th 19th centuries when the intellectual and economic centers of tibet shifted to the east, to amdo a tibetan cultural. After a few years, he spent most of his time in lhasa. It is known as the one of the historical and sacred sites of amdo tibet. But the bulk of tibetan language records of amdo history start in the seventeenth century with the rise of gelukpa power in the region. Although my family had settled in dokham, my forefathers came from central tibet. Colloquial amdo tibetan is not far behind, but certain chinese terms are only included in the glossary rather than within the lessons. Benno weiner is assistant professor in the department of history at carnegi. The chapters describe the ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity within the muslim communities of amdo and illustrate complex social interactions with other amdo communities. Madhya pradesh, information about madhya pradesh, madhya. Compelling history in its careful treatment of the perplexing search for manhood, social placement and meaning, and religious practice and belief particularly lha pa spirit mediums gives great value to klu thar rgyals grandfathers and greataunts meticulous accounts of ordinary life among herders in the 19291958 era among a mdo tribes. Asian studies south asia, general interest biography, letters, memoirs, religious studies. Sherab dhargyal, the author of the book, was born in 1967 in chenza tsongon in amdo province to father logen and mother late phagmo thar.
During the first half of the 7th century ad, the 33rd tibetan king, srongtsan gampo created an empire that largely corresponds to the presentday extension of the tibetan cultural realm incorporating tibetan speaking areas in india. As noted above, the tibetan phrasebook is perpetually looking for more and more resources of this kind, to help make learning amdo. This translation makes a fascinating if painful period of modern tibetan history accessible in english. Rather than a voluntary union, amdo was integrated through the widespread, often. This was the first time in tibets long history, that the people had elected their political leaders. About the book this volume being the firth volume of the proceedings of the ninth seminar of the iats, 2000 investigates eastern tibetan recovery from the devastation of high socialism and a new engagement with attempts to modernise the region in the era of reform and opening in postmao china. Tibet amdo nomad life experiencing tour tibet universal. The magnificent holy recipient is located to the south of prangmar valley, a fertile valley about 26 km from trikha county town in the amdo kokonor region. High peaks pure earth summer 2020 tibet reading list. Covering the social, cultural, and political development of tibet from the seventh.
He depicts pilgrimages to monasteries, including a 1500mile horseback expedition his family made to and from lhasa. Nangshig a tibetan bonpo monastery and its family in amdo. This book presents the fascinating world of northeast tibet. Amdo holy pagoda of drilsil ma in tibet articles in english. Amdo encompasses a large area from the machu yellow river to the drichu yangtze. The part until 1955 pretty much parallels goldsteins history of tibet, adding detail from the tibetan side but leaving out some of the subtleties of power struggles within china which affected tibet. The book has its roots emerging from tcv and traces a path into adult life common to many young tibetans in diaspora traversing issues of emotions, identity, discovery, and realizations. Tibet travel information in amdo and amdo tour explore tibet. Tibetan literature generally refers to literature written in the tibetan language or arising out of. The chinese revolution on the tibetan frontier october 7 at 5 pm. Feb 01, 2021 focusing on the amdo region on the sino tibetan borderlands and using previously unavailable archives and rare primary sources that he collected in western china and tibet, weiner shows that the communist partys goal during the first decade of the prc was not just to build a state but to create a nation.
Multidisciplinary approaches offers nine case studies from several academic disciplines. Famous people by birthplaces clickable quiz by greendragon. Amdo is home to approximately 25% of the total tibetan population, and around 1. With gray tuttle, he is coeditor of the tibetan history reader. In this interview, he discusses some of the early fighting in amdo and the waterdragon year peoples association that arose in 1952.
A comprehensive grammar textbook is a rigorous oneyear collegelevel textbook for english speakers who wish to learn the amdo dialect of the tibetan language this comprehensive introduction to the language provides dialogues at the start of each new lesson to illustrate the constructions covered in that lesson. In my tibetan chldhood, naktsang nulo recalls his life in tibets amdo region during the 1950s. The amdo tibetan is the tibetic language spoken by the majority of amdowa, mainly in qinghai and some parts of sichuan and gansu. Tibetan clothing and jewellery is unique in its reflection of historical material. The first phase of the project focused on the older generation of tibetans living in exile in india and the himalayan region and from all walks of life.
The book comprises more than 600 pages with 82 chapters covering events of modern tibetan history such as the british expedition to tibet, treaties signed between tibet and other nations, the seventeen point agreement, etc, from. The tibetan phrasebook is a phrasebook of colloquial amdo tibetan. The earliest tibetan history of amdo that we haveskal ldan rgya mtshos 1652 a mdo i chos byung history of the dharma in amdo begins with mention of eminent lamas from central tibet and, in particular, the visits to amdo by the third and fifth dalai lamas. Reviews of books on tibet seldom if ever appear in south asia research. Tibetan history, as it has been recorded, is particularly focused on the history of buddhism in tibet. We are excited to announce a new title in the studies of the weatherhead east asian institute book series. He is currently working on a book manuscript that investigates how the teahorse trade shaped the natural, social and cultural landscapes in amdo from 68 to 1735. In my tibetan chldhood, naktsang nulo recalls his life in tibet s amdo region during the 1950s. His book was published in 2007 in china, where it was a bestseller before the chinese government banned it in 2010.
Uneven mostly middling text accompanies the splendid photography taken during the swiss authors travels to the region in 19992000, which is supplemented with pictures of religious artefacts thankas, statues from museums in zurich, basel, and st petersburg. The author argues that understanding spatial and historical dimensions of the. The chinese revolution on the tibetan frontier is an important read for those interested in the history of amdo, the sino tibetan borderland, and modern chinese history more broadly. Based on chinese sources and extensive fieldwork and travel in these regions. Tibetan province amdo was the birthplace of the 14th dalai lama. In my tibetan chldhood, naktsang nulo recalls his life in tibets amdo region. The tibetan, chinese, mongolian and muslim interface. Speaker launches book on modern tibet history and gyalo.
In the 18 th century, amdo was incorporated into the expanding qing empire 16441912. Tibets glorious history of thousands of years from medieval to modern ages is compacted in this book akin to the style of story. Yeh abstract this article focuses on one of the most disturbing features of life on the tibetan grasslands today. The afterlives of empire in contemporary china cornell. Various sources mention 15 unnamed dialects within hbrogpa. It is possible that details about amdo history prior to the 17th century might be found in the biographies of important lamas who visited the region, such as sakya pandita, pakpa, the 3rd and 4th karmapas, and so forth. Jul 15, 2020 tibetan childrens village school, known simply as tcv, is the largest boarding school of tibetans residing in india, located in dharamsala. Oct, 2014 in my tibetan chldhood, naktsang nulo recalls his life in tibet s amdo region during the 1950s. Amdo tibetan history, oral tibetan history, qinghai history, asian highlands perspectives, ethnohistory, tibetan memory memoirs, tibetan biography, tibetan autobiography collection opensource language english. By historically, culturally, and ethnically a tibetan area, amdo was administered by a series of local rulers since the mid18 th century and the dalai lama have not governed the area directly since that time. Benno weiner department of history dietrich college of. Within amdo there are four mutually unintelligible languages, of which hbrogpa is the largest. How they came to settle in eastern tibet is a simple story.
Schaeffer is professor and chair of the department of religious studies at the university of virginia. It is written by tsering thar from information gathered during his fieldwork. Horrendous clashes with the chinese have resulted in massive loss of amdo tibetan life. My tibetan childhood naktsang nulo 9780822357261 netgalley. Sources for the tibetan era of fragmentation history forum. Horrendous clashes with the chinese have resulted in massive loss of amdo tibetan. The ngyarong khampa rebellion of mid 1800s lasted for over 10 years and wiped out qing and lhasa influence from kham. This part of tibet, now called amdo, was known in chinese as hexi, meaning. These four related languages share a common written script but different in phonology, grammar and vocabulary. New views of tibetan culture edited by david templeman. Get ready to experience homestay in both farmer and nomad families that allows you to understand real livelihood on the tibetan plateau. The chapters are short, concise and dense with information. If you travel about 28 kilometers from the city of bhopal, the capital of the central state of india, madhya pradesh, you reach the sleepy village of bhojpur.
Discounts available for groups of 3 or more persons. A tibetan bonpo monastery and its family in amdo is a 146 page study of the largest yungdrung bon monastery in tibet as well as the family and reincarnation lineages associated with it. Sultan shah jahan, begum of bhopal five photographs, 1860. Speaker of tibetan parliamentinexile, pema jungney launched a book with two volumes on modern tibet history, and gyalo dhondup authored by sherab dhargyal at his chamber, 4 december. This book investigates tibetan recovery from the devastation of high socialism and a new. Parts of amdo also lie in three other chinese provinces. Navy aviation maintenance duty officer amdo association. From the moment he first became a christian, pastor amdo s focus was on preaching the gospel in the most remote tibetan villages. Of the three texts, modem oral amdo tibetan does the best job. Amdo tibetan is one of the four main spoken tibetic languages, the other three being central tibetan, khams tibetan and ladakhi. It documents the people, and their costumes and related crafts, focussing on the historical tibetan regions of amdo and kham. The region of tibet often called central is not so much a geographical designation as a recognition of the centrality of lhasa in tibetan history as the home of the dalai lama godkings, the imposing potala palace and the ancient jokhang temple, a place of pilgrimage for all tibetans. Speaker launches book on modern tibet history and gyalo dhondup.
Spatial politics and authority on the grasslands of amdo emily t. The oral history archive was initiated by the latse library in 2006. Shining new light on a neglected region of tibet, the contributions to this volume demonstrate the diverse ways in which islam intersects with tibetan society through trade, culture and religion. His research revolves around chinas contested and possibly incomplete transition from empire to nationstate and in particular the processes and problematics of twentiethcentury state and nation building within chinas ethnic minority regions. From the perspective of himself at age ten, he describes his upbringing as a nomad on tibet s eastern plateau. A remarkable book, dedicated to the intricacies of tibetan costume. One of the earliest states that existed in madhya pradesh was avanti of which ujjain was capital, a part of the 3rd to 4th century bc mauryan empire. It is geared towards preparing students of amdo tibetan to be conversational in the field of study, allowing students to pronounce and understand the phonemically complex language. Amdo, one of the three main provinces in china where tibetan living, is located on the northeast corner of the tibetan plateau, with the other two regions being utsang and kham. Nov 20, 2020 please note that the above history is largely restricted to the tibetan regions of utsang today tar. In our last newsletter, we were able to share about pastor amdo, a former tibetan buddhist who became a christian.
The book unpacks the cultural, historical, and political economic. In his first autobiography, my land and my people he writes. Nov 12, 2015 no doubt, muslims in amdo tibetan society will soon become a standard reference work amongst scholars. The period was dominated by rebellions against the remnants of imperial tibet and the rise of regional warlords.
No doubt, muslims in amdo tibetan society will soon become a standard reference work amongst scholars. The oral history process records the words spoken by interviewees in response to questions from an interviewer. Gurgon kyab was born in chentsa in amdo, tibet, part of qinghai province. It includes the presentday chinese administrative areas of the socalled tibet autonomous region, qinghai province, two tibetan autonomous prefectures and one tibetan autonomous county in sichuan province, one tibeta. In 1872 she was created a grand commander of the most exalted order of the star of india.
He graduated with a masters degree in history from qinghai nationalities university in xining in 2004. Amdo tibetan family homestay is a fiveday trip adventuring in the eastern tibet, amdo region, an intensive tibetan cultural area in qinghai province. Songsten gampo who was legendary in the stature captured changan, capital of tang empire to force, emperor teizong sign the treaty of brotherhood and friendship acknowledging the might of tibet for first time. A comprehensive grammar textbook is a rigorous oneyear collegelevel textbook for english speakers who wish to learn the amdo dialect of. Jul 07, 2019 the era of fragmentationis a period of tibetan history in the 9th and 10th century. The tibetan speakers voices are native to qinghai province, the geographic heart of the dialectwhere the majority of amdo speakers are. The eastern part of tibet is a historical region named kham, while in the. But the bulk of tibetan language records of amdo history start in the 17th century with the rise of gelukpa power in the region. Jul 07, 2019 the last 150 years of tibetan history. We can arrange this journey for groups of two to ten people. Amdo is very different from other varieties of tibetan.
This tibet amdo nomad life experiencing tour can be done anytime from midapril through to midoctober. Good to know about tibet amdo nomad life experiencing tour best time of visit. This adfree experience offers more features, more stats, and more fun while also helping to support sporcle. Amdo tibetan dialect clips w english subtitles a youtube playlist of every single amdo tibetan dialect clip that we could find on and off the interwebs. The book s author, benno weiner is associate professor in the department of history at carnegie mellon university and coeditor of contested memories. He is the author of the culture of the book in tibet and himalayan hermitess. The chinese revolution on the tibetan frontier published by cornell university press.
Unfortunately, since our last newsletter, pastor amdo succumbed to his bout with cancer and has gone on to. Amdo tibetans in transition society and culture in the post. Finally, the eyeopening auspicious amdo dialect instructional book defers to the literary in every case, and does not include chinese loan. Benno weiner is associate professor in the department of history at. The big three buddhist monasteries of the gelugpa sect, drepung, sera, and ganden. Amdo tibetan family homestay tour featured amdo trip. From the mid 18the century until the mid 20the century, much of amdo was ruled by local kings and. The tibetan regions of amdo and part of kham were integrated and governed separately into the qing empire in the 1720s, falling more in line with the tusi system, which relied on local chiefs and lords to govern qinghai and western. In the chinese revolution on the tibetan frontier, benno weiner provides the first indepth study of an ethnic minority region during the first decade of the peoples republic of china. The chinese revolution on the tibetan frontier focuses on the multicultural borderland region known to tibetan speakers as amdo largely presentday qinghai and southern gansu provinces. Throughout most of tibetan history, its literary works have been strongly influenced by buddhist. Tibetan recorded history began in 127 bc when the first emperor nyatri tsenpo gnya.
His holiness the 14th dalai lama, tenzin gyatso, is both the head of state and the spiritual leader of tibet. This book is the first attempt to outline the postal history of the entire tibetan highland, covering the preadhesive period, the chinese imperial post, the tibetan local post, the republican and finally the peoples post, examining both civilian and military. Employing previously inaccessible local archives as well as other rare primary sources, he demonstrates that the communist partys goal in 1950s amdo was not just state building, but also nation building. Francoise aubin, parissorbonne university muslims in amdo tibetan society opens a brilliant new chapter on tibetan history. The amdo rebellion of the 1830s lasted for almost 30 years and showed everybody how weak qing was when the qing couldnt protect mongols and uighurs against amdo tribes in gansu and qinghai. Its near the south bank of the yellow river amid some dramatic scenery, it is also a serene spot. Books and articles on tibetan nomads and tibetan environment. Tibet s glorious history of thousands of years from medieval to modern ages is compacted in this book akin to the style of story. He was born on 6 july 1935, to a farming family, in a small hamlet located in taktser, amdo, northeastern tibet. He depicts pilgrimages to monasteries, including a 1500mile horseback expedition his.
Insights from a spatial analysis of historical and. Jan 25, 2021 in this meticulously researched book weiner examines why and how this failed, and the violent and painful consequences of that failure. Wheelers history of the imperial assemblage at delhi london,1877. Proceedings of the ninth seminar of the iats, 2000.
From the perspective of himself at age ten, he describes his upbringing as a nomad on tibets eastern plateau. Given the almost complete absence of tibetan language sources for the history of most of amdo between the tibetan imperial period and the sixteenth century, sperling instead examines local sources from the ming dynasty 681644, such as thegazetteer of hezhouhezhou zhi and centralized compilations of dynastic history. The tibet oral history project serves as a repository for the memories, testimonies and opinions of elderly tibetan refugees. The book is available from cornell university press for 30%. Weiner is a historian of modern china, tibet and inner asia. This book investigates tibetan recovery from the devastation of high socialism and a new engagement with attempts to modernize the region in the era of reform and opening in postmao china. Dec 05, 2020 speaker launches book on modern tibet history and gyalo dhondup. However, in amdo the first decade of communist rule is or better was absolutely silenced. From the mid 18the century until the mid 20the century, much of amdo was ruled by local kings and chiefs or by warlords. The tibetan phrasebook is a phrasebook of the modern amdo dialect of the tibetan language. It is the most reprinted modern tibetan literary work. He has also authored or coauthored more than 110 books. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study.
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