Animals and Surroundings
On the Move
Today, people tend to forget how much we, homo sapiens, have always moved from one place to another. Migration, which happened ‘en masse’ for m...
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Religion and Culture
Silhouettes
Ritoma, like many other areas of grassland is a succession of hills and valleys. Nomads pitch their tents on the south facing flank of a hill, ...
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Religion and Culture
Going to the Races
Horses used to be central to life on the Tibetan Plateau, for transportation, herding and symbols of status. The Plateau was famous for its han...
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Religion and Culture
Sagadawa Practices
Sagadawa is a holy month during which merit is believed to count manifold over that accumulated at any other time. Tibetan Buddhist culture is ...
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Religion and Culture
As Losar Approaches
As the end of the year of the Monkey approaches to give way to that of the Dog, I think about Losar’s attributes: Though it may be cold outside...
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Clothing
Cham Dance
Every year around December, when the cold has settled in and the new year is close, the monastery in Garnying, a few kilometers from Ritoma, ho...
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Religion and Culture
Ritoma's Four Sacred Peaks
Across the valley from our house stands the highest peak in Ritoma, the Amney Tongra. Shaped in the hump of a crouching animal, it is the abode of ...
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Clothing
From Pasture to Street; Men's Wear in Tibet
The chuba is the core of Tibetan men (and women)’s dress, a full length cross over robe tied with a sash. The chuba’s shape varies from region ...
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Religion and Culture
Kangtsa Medical College
Kangtsa is a small monastery situated on the border between Zorge and Karkya. Along with Shakyong and Takster, it is among the oldest Gelukpa mo...
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Craft
Black Pottery
When looking to bring more charm to our Norden Camp dishware, we thought of Tibetan Black Pottery, which had undergone a revival in Gyethang, n...
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