Wildlife
Animals and Surroundings

Wildlife

In Ritoma, as in most nomadic area of the Tibetan Plateau animals more numerous than humans by tenfold. There are of course the herds of domest...

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Backstage; a Sum of Parts
Ritoma

Backstage; a Sum of Parts

A Norlha scarf is a sum of many parts. The sum is a scarf, an item of clothing, a blanket, an object of beauty and comfort; a fashion statement...

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Tibetan Rugs
Craft

Tibetan Rugs

Tibetan rugs are an ancient craft, practiced by the nomad/farmer communities in Central and Southern Tibet. They used the wool of highland shee...

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Losar
Religion and Culture

Losar

The New Year is a time to start anew, to put negative thoughts, habits and struggles behind us and look towards the future with hope and resolv...

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As Losar Approaches
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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Cham Dance
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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Winter Sport in Ritoma
Animals and Surroundings

Winter Sport in Ritoma

Tibet is a country of lakes, and in winter they shimmer in the midst of the yellow grassland. Animals cautiously walk over them, licking the ic...

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Norlha's Yetis
Clothing

Norlha's Yetis

At Norlha, we have our own version of the yeti. For most Tibetans, yetis are shy ape like creatures who can be very fierce if encountered in th...

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Afternoon in a Nomad Tent
Home

Afternoon in a Nomad Tent

Nomads lived in large yak hair tents moving camp 3 to 4 times in a grazing season, following their animals to new pastures. A generation or two...

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CHADOR KHORCHEN
Animals and Surroundings

CHADOR KHORCHEN

Past Ritoma Monastery, hidden from view on a hill is a small temple devoted to the meditational deity Chanadorje. It was built in the late 18th...

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