Home
Reports
How the resettlement of Tibetan Nomads causes a loss in local knowledge of sustainable development
Sonam Ongmo
20 May, 2010
JIGME GYALTSEN from Golok Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture talks about how the relocation of nomadic Tibetans, who lived so in sync with the environment and their natural surroundings, is causing a break-down and eradication of the local knowledge of sustainable development and an ancient sustainable way of living.
Jigme Gyaltsen is the Principal of Nationalities Vocational School at the Golok Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. He holds a degree from Qinghai Nationalities University and has studied at several prominent Tibetan Buddhist Colleges. To promote his vision for educational reform Jigme Gyaltsen established in 1994 the Jigme Gyaltsen Nationalities Vocational School in the Golok Prefecture which now has more than 800 students. With assistance from a U.S foundation he has recently also set up the Machen Rajun Girl's School which now has 400 students.
"When you talk about Sustainable Development it can be applied to both the positive and negative. in talking about it, it has to be focused on benefits - the essence is not whether it can be beneficial temporarily but whether it can have benefits over long term from life time to life time. This kind of development is based on Tibetan philosophical view of sustainability.
The characteristic of Tibetan life is largely herding and nomadic in nature. The Tibetan understanding of Environmental Protection is incorporated within this lifestyle. There is a Tibetan idiom: The black hair of the humans depends on the quality of hair of the animals, the quality of hair of the animals depends upon the quality of the grass.
For generations we have come to an understanding of how to live and cope with our environment understanding interconnectedness. Our people have understanding of ow to adjust and manageme environmental protection, as it was incorporated in their everyday life and relationship with the mountains.
We have deities protecting forests and mountains, the treasures that are in them. Because of that respect and understanding that it was the home for the local spirits people treated these places with great respect so even if they wanted to use some natural resources from these places they did so by appeasing these deities with rituals and handling the environment with great care.
The unique way of Tibetan life has led us to live self-sufficiently for generations. Even when we constructed homes we built them understanding the environment. Tibetan's know how to react and interact with the characters of nature's elements so that there is harmony in the way they live. Houses are built with natural material which was good for health and also for how it would impact the environment in the long run. Our clothes were all home spun from natural material and food and daily supplies all came from immediate natural surroundings so in many ways the nomadic way of life is the most simple, yet sustainable way of life. Even health care. Tibetan's have profound ways of medical treatment with natural ingredients and understanding the elements of earth, water, wind, and fire
In business and manufacturing even Tibetans made products based on local needs and local conditions. Except for tea, everything was produced locally.
Our education was oral and institutional. Oral education was passed down from eminent masters and local scholars and the institutional consisted of the monastic system. Both education system's were based on the causality, reincarnation and life after death.
For Tibetans life is not a single piece existing by itself. Life comes about because of interdependence. When we talk about today's situation of Tibet's nomads who are being relocated from grasslands to Permanent homes we are talking about a way of life being cut off from their traditions and a way of life which is very much in tune with their natural surroundings.
The new policy of resettlement for the Tibetan nomads means that these people have to neglect or abandon the grasslands. This neglect causes the rich and the good quality grasslands to go to waste. There are no animals grazing and so the grasslands get infested by rats and rodents. The people are forced to adjust their lives to a very different and difficult existence. It is very difficult for them because
they can no longer rely on their traditional way of life in their natural environment. One thing affecting them greatly is the source of food and clothing. Initially they didn't rely on manufactured goods or store purchased items but now the policy of relocation and resettlement has led them to lead this unfamiliar lifestyle where they are totally depended on everything purchased.
This adjustment is hard. Not only has this affected/impacted them in terms of their livelihood but it has affected them mentally and their understanding of the environmental protection is being forced to change. In order to adjust to these new circumstances they have to find new ways to keep themselves occupied and find a living. There are still some nomads but many have been relocated inside or close to cities. Not only do these people not fit in the city way of living but the climatic conditions and the unfamiliar surroundings are not healthy for them.
So as an educator my main objective is education and based on my experience and understanding I realize it is important and necessary to improve the quality of education and combine it with local business. My Buddhist practice has taken me to a new point of understanding entrepreneurship and I realize that when there is a lack of economic policy that will benefit these people we have to come up with one that copes with current problems. So I formed this organization called the Tibetan Nomads Association.
Development cannot be defined by the number of buildings and the height of them; or how many corporations and manufacturers there are. Development should be based on the benefits it brings to people locally through something that makes them happy. So even if numerous buildings go up but if its not in tune with what the people want then that is not development.
The primary mission of the Association we created combines 3 things - the Economy, the Culture and the Environment. It is with the understanding of co-relations with each other that we are trying to bring this together without ignoring the other. This idea came from my practice of Buddhism. When people talk about economic development they only think on one track - making money and material development. So similarly the relocation of the nomads is only looked at as progress but with no consideration of these people's culture. This is not long term progress. Long term progress is preserving local knowledge.
The trainers in our organization are not business oriented but trying to help the nomads find a system which will help them cope with the new ways. The organization has been so successful that it has now expanded to 7.
What does the organization do?
We buy all the local products from the resettled people who now have to have an income. We make sure that there is quality and find a market for these products (mainly dairy). In this way we teach the people to continue their practices of local knowledge of sustainable development and protection of the environment so that they don't neglect what they do best. This system has had benefits because before every household was like a little business, competing and trying to find a market. Now they it is convenient for them that there is always a buyer for their products and bring in a steady income.
Tibetans have always had a good understanding of their environment but they have never been good at economic development.
In Tibet we have to meet many local government, State government and Central government requirements. We are now trying to work with all these government officials and the head of the Centre for Economic Studies in China to see how we can improve this situation."
Back to Archived Reports List