In the Tibetan Plateau, in a region of Asia, reside some of the last nomadic pastoralist families whose rich culture and traditions are beginning to vanish as globalization works its way into some of the most remote areas of the world. Such tribes are collectively known as the Tibetan Tribes or drokpa, the native word they use to describe themselves, which loosely translates to nomads in English (Hoffmann 1970). Tibet is in the Asian continent, precisely in between Asia and India and it is inhabited by hundreds of tribes, each with its own unique culture.
Although each family is unique in their own way, because of their location, some can be deeply influenced by either India or Asia, depending on their proximity to each pertaining country, as well as by the outside world around them. Because the Tibetan Plateau is one of the highest regions of Earth, that is it is composed of tall mountains, which means extremely high elevations, it is no surprise to find out that the people that inhabit these areas have shown biological adaptations that enable them to live in such environment (Hoffman 1970).
In addition to the biological adaptations they have developed evolutionary, as individual families (tribes) cultural adaptations and traditions have evolved among them which can be seen with the way they cope with the contemporary world and which can also be accredited for their uniqueness. The Tibetan people have been studied by a limited number of anthropologists, all of which agree on at least one thing—their unique and rich culture as well as their current associations with surrounding countries.
According to Hoffman, the Tibetan people are more largely identified with the Chinese, although they have adopted the Indian religion orientation—Indian Buddhism-as well as the Indian alphabet. Hoffman supports such allegations due to the matter and the results of a dispute in between the Indian Pandit Kamalashila and the Chinese monk Hva-shang Mahayana, in which of course the Chinese lost and thus the Tibetan people adopted numerous of Indian traditions (Hoffman 1970).
Continuing with the history of the Tibetans, Hoffman also mentions that a major reason why the Tibetan people are manly iated with the Chinese rather than the Indian, is due to Indians way of thinking, which is what he calls cyclic, which means that the world consists of four ages, this being the last one (Kali Yuga, the time we live in today) and after it is over, the cycle will start all over again. Because of this logic, the Indians believe it is in vain to change history events and thus do not consider the Tibetan people part of their culture as that would go against their beliefs (Hoffman 1970).
However, while Hoffman takes a systematic approach based on evidence and historical events, Robert B. Ekvall (1960), explores the idea of what the Tibetan people think of themselves and how similar and connected they are to the Chinese. As aforementioned, these cultures are becoming extinct as the world becomes more globalized and industrialized, and such reality is no exception for the Tibetan people. In the later decades of the 20th century, the Tibetans saw their traditions and culture endangered by the norms that the Chinese were trying to impose on them.
Due to such oppression from the Chinese, the Tibetans feel a sort of estrangement from them, some no longer being able to identify themselves with this group and others wishing for the outsiders to no longer associate their people with the Chinese and instead accredit their own ideals of what it means to be Tibetan. In ethnographic study with the Tibetans, Ekvall (1960) concludes that the Tibetans have five criteria that brings them together as a people, which include (in order of importance): (1) Religion, (2) Folkways, (3) Language, (4) Race and (5) Land.
Interestingly enough, religion is their most important criteria in their self identification of a people and thus we can find a type of religious hierarchy among the Tibetans. This aspect of their beliefs dominates most fields of their lives as well as their intellectual horizon since they also consider the sciences, drama and dance (more than the sciences) part of religion. Such importance is manifested in their rich and elaborate rituals and celebrations by the time these events take as well as the expenses required in terms of work effort, time invested and substance (Ekvall 1960).
It can therefore be said that this is what constitutes to be a true Tibetan, or at least according to those involved in Ekvall’s ethnography. It can also be concluded that they wish to be identified as their own people and not part of the Chinese since they have their own religion and language, which are some of the most important elements in the separation of individual ethnicities and their culture.
The Tibetan people have been described in many different ways, some of which could be considered demeaning such as the description Showkat Bhat (2013) provides in her article. The previously mentioned authors conducted what seemed like an objective study as they refrained from making any comment that would appear offensive but perhaps this has much to do with the fact that their studies and articles were conducted nearly four to five decades ago, a time in which our own society was not as advanced.
In this recent study, Bhat (2013) describes the Tibetans as “economically poor, socially backward but culturally sound. ” Although this declaration seems valid describing them as socially backward could be wrongly taken by the Tibetans. Asides from this description, Bhat does state that the Tibetans tribes’ poverty surpasses that of the general population. Furthermore, Tibetans’ “housing, sanitation, electricity and health care facilities are very low sub-standard than other sections of population.
The literary rate among schedule tribes of Kashmir is also very low” (Bhat 2013). Although the Tibetans are very rich in culture, they are, in fact, very poor in other aspects—almost every aspect considered of high importance in more industrialized societies—which could lead to a misunderstanding of their culture such as being labeled as socially backward in the eyes of an outsider.
Much of the Tibetans current conditions is due to India’s social system which dictates that those of purer blood (not contaminated by other social classes) occupy a higher place in society thus leaving the Tibetan tribes without basic amenities such as healthcare, education and proper infrastructure. The Tibetan people still reside in the Tibetan Plateau today. However with the limited resources and the little aid they are given by the governments of surrounding countries such as India and China their cultural traditions are endangered just as those of other tribes around the world.
Although usually associated with the Chinese, we see that the Tibetan like to be identified as an individual people with their own set of criteria and beliefs. Due to the little cooperation between surrounding governments and the tribes as well as the infestation of globalization, such cultures are likely to be extinct in a matter of years and it is imperative to document every aspect of their lives before they disappear into the industrialized world.