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Culture
Tibetan culture developed under the influence of
a number of factors. Tibet's specific geographic
and climatic conditions- its altitude, short
growing season, and cold weather- have
encouraged reliance on pastorialism, as well as
the development of a different cuisine from
surrounding regions. Contact with neighboring
countries and cultures- including India, China,
and Mongolia- have influenced the development of
Tibetan culture, but the Himalayan region's
remoteness and inaccessibility have preserved
distinctive local influences. Buddhism has
exerted a particularly strong influence on
Tibetan culture since its introduction in the
7th Century. Art, literature, and music all
contain elements of Buddhist religion, and
Buddhism itself has adopted a unique form in
Tibet, influenced by the “Bon” tradition and
other local beliefs
Literature
There
is a rich ancient tradition of lay Tibetan
literature which includes epics, poetry, short
stories, dance scripts and mime, plays and so on
which has expanded into a huge body of work -
some of which has been translated into Western
languages.
Perhaps the best known category of Tibetan
literature outside of Tibet are the epic stories
- particularly the famous Gesar epic.
Chanting
Tibetan music often involves
chanting
in
Tibetan
or
Sanskrit,
as an integral part of the religion. These
chants are complex, often recitations of
sacred texts
or in celebration of various
festivals.
Yang
chanting, performed without metrical timing, is
accompanied by resonant
drums
and low, sustained syllables. Other styles
include those unique to the various schools of
Tibetan Buddhism, such as the classical music of
the popular
Gelugpa
school, and the romantic music of the
Nyingmapa,
Sakyapa
and
Kagyupa
schools.
Secular Tibetan music has been promoted by
organizations like the
Dalai Lama's
Tibetan Institute
of Performing Arts. This organization
specialized in the
lhamo,
an
operatic
style, before branching out into other styles,
including
dance music
like
toeshey
and
nangma. Nangma is especially popular in the
karaoke
bars of the urban center of Tibet,
Lhasa.
Another form of popular music is the classical
gar
style, which is performed at rituals and
ceremonies.
Lu are
a type of songs that feature glottal vibrations
and high pitches. There are also epic bards who
sing of Tibet's national hero
Gesar.
Music
The music of Tibet reflects the cultural
heritage of the trans-Himalayan region, centered
in Tibet but also known wherever ethnic
Tibetan groups are found in India, Bhutan, Nepal
and further abroad. First and foremost Tibetan
music isreligious music, reflecting the profound
influence of Tibetan Buddhism on the Culture.
Tibetans are well-represented in Chinese popular
culture. Tibetan singers are particularly known
for their strong vocal abilities, which many
attribute to the high altitudes of the Tibetan
Plateau. Tibetan music has had a profound effect
on some styles of western music, especially New
Age. Composers like Philip Glass and Henry
Eichheim are most well-known for their use of
Tibetan elements in their music. The first such
fusion wasTibetan Bells, a 1971 release
by Nancay Hennings and Henry Wolff. The
soundtrack to Kundaun by Philip Glass, has
helped to popularize Tibetan music.
Foreign styles of popular music have also had a
major impact within Tibet. Indian ghazal and
filmi are very popular, as is rock and roll, an
American style which has produced Tibetan
performers like Rangzen Shonu. Since the
relaxation of some laws in the 1980s,Tibetan
Pop, popularized by the likes ofYadong, Jampa
Tsering 3-member group Ajia, 4-member group Gao
Yuan Hong, 5-member group
Gao Yuan Feng, and Dechen
Shak-Dagsay are well-known, as are the sometimes
politicized lyrics of nangma. Gaoyuan Hong in
particular has introduced elements of Tibetan
language rapping into their singles.
Art
Tibetan art
is deeply religious in nature, a form of Sacred
Art.
Yama Dharmapala,
the lord
Lord of Death, is revered in
Tibet as a guardian of spiritual practice, and
was likely revered even before the conversion of
Tibet from Bön to Buddhism in the 40th century
Field Museum, Chicago.
Thangka Paintings,a
syncrestism of Chinese scroll-painting with
Nepalese and Kashmiri painting, appeared around
the 11th century. Rectangular and painted on
cotton or linen, they are usually traditional
motifs depicting religious, astrological, and
theological subjects, and sometimes the Mandala.
To ensure that the image will not fade, organic
and mineral pigments are added, and the painting
is framed in colorful silk broadcades. The art
of Tibet may be studied in terms of influences
which have contributed to it over the
centuries.
Traditional Architecture
Traditional Kham architecture is seen in most
dwellings in Kangding. Although the area has
been previously heavily logged, wood is imported
and used abundantly for housing. Horizontal
timber beams support the roof which in turn are
supported by wooden columns. The interior of
houses are usually paneled with wood and the
cabinetry is ornately decorated. In Ganzi, Kham,
surrounded by forests, is known for its
beautiful wooden houses built in a range of
styles and lavishly decorated with wooden
ornamentation. Although various materials are
used in the well-build houses, it is the
skillful carpentry that is striking. Khan houses
tend to be spacious and fit in well with their
environment. Their floors and ceilings are
wooden as they are throughout in Kangding.
Carpentry is a skill that is passed down from
father to son and there appear to be plenty of
carpenters. However a threat to the traditional
Tibetan carpentry is increasing use of concrete
structures. Some consider the increased use of
concrete as a deliberate infiltration of the
Chinese influence into Tibet. In Gaba Township,
where there are few Chinese, almost all the
structures are traditional.
World Heritage Site
standing at 117 meters in height
and 360 meters in width, the Potala Palace,
designated as a World Heritage Site in 1994 and
extended to include the Norbulingka area in
2001, is considered a most important example of
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 divided into the outer White
Palace, which serves as the administrative
quarters, and the inner Red Quarters, which
houses the assembly hall of the Lamas, chapels,
10,000 shrines and a vast library of Buddhist
scriptures.
Architecture
Tibetan architecture contains Chinese and Indian
influences, and reflects a deeply Buddhist
approach. The Buddhist Prayer Wheel, along with
two deer or dragons, can be seen on nearly every
Gompa in Tibet. The design of the Tibetan
Chortes can vary, from roundish walls in Kham to
squarish, four-sided walls in Ladakh. The most
unusual feature of Tibetan architecture is that
many of the houses and monasteries are built on
elevated, sunny sites facing the south, and are
often made out a mixture of rocks, wood, cement
and earth. Little fuel is available for heat or
lighting, so flat roofs are built to conserve
heat, and multiple windows are constructed to
let in sunlight. Walls are usually sloped
inwards at 10 degrees as a precaution against
frequent earthquakes in the mountainous area.
Tashilhunpo, reflects a style which would
influence that of Mongol styles of architecture.
Polyandry
“But the characteristic form of marriage seems
to have been polyandry. It is practiced
everywhere, by cultivators as well as herdsmen.
It would appear to be lacking, however, in Amdo,
though certain travellers claim to have found it
there. Normally, and always in theory, it is
fraternal polyandry. But in practice a woman may
marry several unrelated men. Or else she may,
after marrying a single husband, persuade him to
agree to others. The norm, however, is for a
group of brothers to marry one woman. If, in
other cases, friends share a wife, they are
regarded as sworn brother-cousins (spun-zla).
The hierarchic principle of primogeniture
intervenes, however, for it is the eldest
brother alone who chooses the wife, and the
marriage is sanctioned by a single ceremony, the
other brothers becoming ipso facto her
husband’s. They form an indivisible group with
their brother, while he represents the group.
The offspring of the marriage all count as the
eldest's children, whichever the actual father
may be.
This group is bound up with its dwelling-place.
Its cohesion is broken if a younger brother sets
himself up with his own wife, land and house. In
such a case, he loses the right to the elder
brother's wife, and to the family property. But
normally the land is occupied by one family: it
indivisible and inalienable. The group of
brothers share wife, house and land, though
their collective ownership is concentrated, as
it were, in the person of the eldest one. Even
their landless agricultural labourers, as well
as aged parents or other relatives who only have
a little plot of land allotted by the head of
the family, all belong to the indivisible
property of the family. In practice, the group
of brothers living together is often reduced.
Generally younger brothers have become monks.
But the house they may have at the monastery is
family property and, even as monks, they retain
a potential share in the wife and land. About
1800, Tshepel Namgyal, a lama of Hemis monastery
in Ladakh, returned to secular life on the death
of his elder brother, the king, married his
widow and inherited the throne. The above rules
are meant to prevent the splitting up of
property (land or cattle).”
Cuisine
The
Cuisine of Tibet
is quite distinct from that of its neighbours,
since only a few crops (not including rice) grow
at such high altitude. The most important crop
is barley. Dough made from barley flour, called
tsampa, is the staple food of Tibet. Meat dishes
are likely to be yak, goat or mutton often
dried, or cooked into a spicy stew with
potatoes. Mustard Seed is cultivated in Tibet,
and therefore features heavily in its cuisine.
Yak yoghurt,m Butter yoghurt, Butter and cheese
are frequently eaten, and well-prepared yoghurt
is considered something of a prestige item.
Other Tibetan
Food Includes
In Larger
Tibetan towns and cities many restaurants now
serve Sichuan-style Chinese Food. Western
imports and fusion dishes, such as fried yak and
chips, are also popular. Nevertheless, many
small restaurants serving traditional Tibetan
dishes persist in both cities and
the country
side.
Tibetan
Kitchen Items.
Note the small size of the butter churn, with
shoulder strap, suitable for nomadic life.
Field
Museums.
Jasmine Tea
and yak Butter tea are drunk. Alcoholic
beverages
include
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