Animals and Surroundings
HARVEST OF THE OATS
Harvest on the plateau is a relatively new phenomenon. Pastures of time gone by were more ample and plentiful, with less animals and larger herds ...
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Animals and Surroundings
THE WIND HORSE
Before Buddhism spread across the plateau, the wind horse was already an ancient bearer of good fortune. Depicted running and bearing the flami...
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Animals and Surroundings
TIBETAN NOMAD FENCES
There is evidence that the Tibetan Plateau has been home to human activity for hundreds of thousands of years, beginning with groups of hunter-gath...
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Animals and Surroundings
THE TIBETAN YAK
The yak is the nomad’s most precious commodity, the source of all ‘nor’ or wealth on the Tibetan Plateau - the bond between yak and herder sacred. ...
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Animals and Surroundings
SPRING EQUINOX
Spring on the Plateau is a slow, evolving process that comes in fits and starts as the temperature gradually rises, bringing the grassland back to ...
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Animals and Surroundings
STONE CAIRNS
The dumbom, or stone cairn, is an endemic feature of the Tibetan Plateau landscape. They appear on common ground, on the banks of lakes, hilltops, ...
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Animals and Surroundings
T I B E T A N Y A K
The yak is the nomad’s most precious commodity, the source of all his ‘nor’ or wealth and the main bovine on the Tibetan Plateau. A distant cousin ...
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Animals and Surroundings
YEAR OF THE WATER RABBIT
The Lunar New Year is marked by the first day of the lunar year and is the most celebrated festival on the Tibetan Plateau. It is a symbol of new b...
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Animals and Surroundings
CHOEKHOR DAY
As autumn rolls in with yellowing and darkening skies, Ritoma’s pastoralists prepare for winter. Yak and sheep, which had been grazing at higher al...
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Animals and Surroundings
SOGWA - INTERVIEW WITH A NOMAD COUPLE
Each year, nomads move their herds to higher pastures for winter grazing in a period called Sogwa by the nomads of Ritoma. Moving towards new groun...
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Animals and Surroundings
3 YAK STORIES
Birth of a yak: Each year, Spring on the Plateau begins with the birth a new crop of yeko, or baby yaks. As children, it was an exciting time. Whi...
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Animals and Surroundings
NOMADS RETURNING HOME
The beginning of autumn is marked with grass turning a subtler shade of green that makes its way to yellow. Insects become larger and louder, blue...
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