White Wednesday: "The Lhakar Pledge"

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated a blogpost by a Tibetan blogger that was originally posted online on June 9, 2010 on a blog hosted by the now defunct site Tibet123.com.

*UPDATED* Tsampa Eaters and Sweet Tea Drinkers: Tibetan Identity Assertion Through Food

High Peaks Pure Earth has updated this post from January 19, 2011 to include some more interesting food-related trivia and new photos. We are keeping the original post up on the previous URL here. Since publishing this post as part of GOOD's "Food for Thinkers" week-long online blog festival, we have received great feedback and information. We have also read with great interest the long article by Jamyang Norbu all about tsampa and look forward to the rest of his series "In Defence of Tibetan Cooking". 

Below is the updated version of "Tsampa Eaters and Sweet Tea Drinkers: Tibetan Identity Assertion Through Food"

Tsampa Eaters and Sweet Tea Drinkers: Tibetan Identity Assertion Through Food

High Peaks Pure Earth is thrilled to be taking part in GOOD’s Food for Thinkers - a week-long, distributed, online conversation looking at food writing from as wide and unusual a variety of perspectives as possible taking place between January 18 and January 23, 2011.

Tibet may not exactly be renowned as a home for exotic cuisine but food makes an interesting lens through which to examine Tibetan identity, particularly after the protests of 2008 and the subsequent political and military crackdown. This High Peaks Pure Earth contribution to GOOD’s online festival hopes to provoke discussion about food in terms of identity and resistance.

Here at High Peaks Pure Earth we love good writing, good ideas and good food and readers are encouraged to check out the conversation in full at GOOD.is/food, leave comments and follow the Twitter hashtag #foodforthinkers.

"I Am Tibetan" and "My Tibetanness" - Two Poems by Gade Tsering

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated two poems by a young poet from Amdo called Gade Tsering. The poems are called "My Tibetanness" and "I Am Tibetan".

Gade Tsering (spelled Gadai Tsering by official Chinese media) was born in 1981 in Amdo (today's Qinghai Province) and is a prolific poet in Tibetan and Chinese languages. Here is a link to his Chinese language blog which is called "Tibet, or After the Last Sky" - http://blog.sina.com.cn/gadaicairang - and below is a screenshot of the blog:

"I Am Tibetan" Series: Poem by "Son of Snow" Dhondup

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated a poem originally written in Chinese on February 10, 2010 by a Tibetan university student calling himself "Son of Snow" Dhondup and posted the next day on his TibetCul blog. This was around the time of Losar (Tibetan New Year) when there was an upsurge in online activities and poems centred around the theme of "I Am Tibetan". 

This poem was also posted by Tibetan writer Woeser on her blog on February 15, 2010 with several other poems of the same title, some of which have already been translated into English including this poem by Adong Paldothar and this prose piece by Dechen Hengme. 

The poem below forms part of the series of poetry and prose pieces on High Peaks Pure Earth titled "I Am Tibetan".

I Am Tibetan

by "Son of Snow" Dhondup

In low profile, I live
on the noble snow-covered plateau
In my simple mother tongue, I tell
of how false history
in those days buried the truth and we
have tried our best to discover
the truth in this world
through our Tibetan identity

With a guitar on my back, I walk
on the ever desertifying grassland
Singing sadly, playing feebly
From tents to tall buildings
From steeds to cars
All development is suffused with dense “fakery”

His back bent,
Father takes up the time-worn prayer wheels and
prays for the dead spirits that exist everywhere on the plateau
In those days when lovers aged
We have endured the most miserable pastoral song
A sigh in the middle of the night outweighed
The countless barking dogs

Tukshey (Tap Dance), Gorshey (Circle Dance) and Zhes (Folk Dance)
Who shakes the wilderness that lies in deep sleep?
Steeds, armour and sharp swords
Who commands the awakened army?

I gaze at the temples as dear as Mother to me
Guarding the last piles of mani stones

We have been waiting for too long
We have been voyaging too far
Tibetans, carrying dignity on their backs,
Bearing pain, are gradually rising.

Written in Amdo on February 10, 2010.

"I Am Tibetan" Series: Poem by Huare Yinggya

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated a poem originally written in Chinese by a Tibetan university student on March 10, 2010 and posted on his TibetCul blog on March 19, 2010. According to the blog, the student calls himself Huare Yinggya, meaning he is from Huare, an area in Amdo in today's Gansu province.

Although his blog is still active, this poem has since been removed from TibetCul, the original link http://duoyingjia1987.tibetcul.com/84737.html does not work.

The poem is an interesting meditation on discovering Tibetan Buddhism at university and closely related to Tibetan identity. Hence this poem fits well into the loose series of postings on High Peaks Pure Earth titled "I Am Tibetan".

As the original post is no longer available, the original Chinese is copied below the English translation.

Screenshot of Huare Yinggya's Blog

Thoughts on Tibetan Buddhism by a university student who 
has studied Tibetan since elementary school and is about to graduate

By Huare Yinggya

It wasn’t until university that I started to systematically study our Tibetan nationality's broad and deep traditional culture;
It wasn’t until university that following the teachers’ hard work started guiding us to an ocean of knowledge;
It wasn’t until university that the extraordinary ambition of youth started to have free rein;
It wasn’t until university that I started entering the scripture halls of Buddhist learning.

It wasn’t until university that I knew such different people are living in the world;
It wasn’t until university that I knew wonderful mysteries are aglow within science;
It wasn’t until university that I knew the place for exerting myself;
It wasn’t until university that I knew the warm sense of home when wandering.

It wasn’t until university that I felt spiritual power is needed in life;
It wasn’t until university that I felt the guide of interest is needed in study;
It wasn’t until university that I felt mutual tolerance is needed in love;
It wasn’t until university that I felt considering the true meaning of life is needed in time.

It wasn’t until university that I loved to read books that burst with wisdom;
It wasn’t until university that unawares I studied Buddhist scriptures;
It wasn’t until university that I fell madly obsessed into the Buddhist ocean;
It wasn’t until university that I sighed with my own boundless happiness.

It wasn’t until university that I considered the ocean of suffering taught in Buddhism;
It wasn’t until university that I considered the connections between Buddhism and life;
It wasn’t until university that discovered I am full of courage;
It wasn’t until university that I studied the original forms of Buddhism.

It wasn’t until university that I concluded Buddhism is not a shallow religion;
It wasn’t until university that I concluded Buddhism is a high philosophy;
It wasn’t until university that I experienced Buddhism gives us a lifetime of happiness;
It wasn’t until university that I could say Buddhism is the world’s highest teaching.

It wasn’t until university that I thanked our ancestors for leaving us the best teaching;
It wasn’t until university that a devout faith arose for the lama in my hometown;
It wasn’t until university that a responsibility was fostered to struggle for the people;
It wasn’t until university that I started chanting Buddhist mantras.

It wasn’t until university that I lamented the rarity of the soul of life;
It wasn’t until university that I discovered helping others is life’s greatest happiness;
It wasn’t until university that I understood the philosophy of a water drop entering the ocean;
It wasn’t until university that it was affirmed the joy of studying Buddhism comes only when caring for others.

I have graduated into the bosom of my alma mater;
I have graduated and it is tinged with slight tears;
I have graduated and hope you will all walk my path;
I have graduated and await all your eternal happiness.

I have graduated and am but one member of society;
I have graduated and am still a child of my alma mater;
I have graduated and am still as compulsive;
I have graduated because of pride in my nationality. 

I have graduated and blood beats through my bosom;
I have graduated and I consolidate Buddhist thoughts;
I have graduated and undertake a holy mission;
I have graduated and I preach the poetry of Buddhism.

Dotsang Yinggya from Huare, poetry student, written in the Chengdu branch office of TibetCul
March 10, 2010

一个从小学习藏文现在即将毕业的大学生对藏传佛教的感悟

到了大学才开始系统的学习我们藏民族博大深渊的传统文化
到了大学才开始跟着老师辛勤的教导漫漫的走向知识的海洋
到了大学才开始挥洒年轻人非凡的雄心壮志
到了大学才开始进入佛学的典堂

到了大学才知道世界上生活着五彩的异人
到了大学才知道科学中焕发着美妙的奥秘
到了大学才知道自己还处在拼搏的行列
到了大学才知道漂泊中感觉那家乡的温馨

到了大学才感觉生活中需要精神的动力
到了大学才感觉学习中需要兴趣的引导
到了大学才感觉爱情中需要彼此的宽容
到了大学才感觉时光中需要思考生命的真

到了大学才翻阅爱心中爆发的智慧的著作
到了大学才无意中学习佛教的经典
到了大学才疯狂地痴迷到佛学的海洋
到了大学才感叹到自己无尽的快乐

到了大学才思考佛学中教授的苦难的大海
到了大学才思考佛学和生活的彼此关系
到了大学才发觉自己满腹的勇气
到了大学才研究佛学的原始面貌

到了大学才得出佛学不只是浅薄的宗教
到了大学才得出佛学是一种高层次的哲学
到了大学才体会佛学给我们终生的快乐
到了大学才赶说佛学是世界上至高的教育

到了大学才感谢祖先给我们最好的教育
到了大学才虔诚的信仰起家乡的活佛
到了大学才树起为民族奋斗的义务
到了大学才开始念诵起奇特的佛号

到了大学才感叹生命是无常的难得的灵魂
到了大学才明白生活中助人是最大的快乐
到了大学才理解一滴水流进大海的哲理
到了大学才断言有爱心才能进佛学的快乐

毕业了在这个母校的怀中
毕业了夹杂着淡淡的泪花
毕业了希你们走我的道路
毕业了期你们永久的快乐

毕业了我只是社会的一员
毕业了我仍是母校的孩子
毕业了我还是那样的冲动
毕业了就因为民族的骄傲

毕业了我怀着满腔的热血
毕业了我凝固佛学的思维
毕业了我扛起神圣的使命
毕业了我宣讲佛学的诗歌

2010.3.10 华锐娃朵仓英加学诗于藏人文化网成都分公司办公室

Poem: "I Am Tibetan" by Adong Paldothar

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated another poem with the title "I Am Tibetan". This poem was originally written in Chinese by a poet from Amdo called Adong Paldothar and was posted on Woeser's blog on February 15, 2010 along with several other poems and a prose piece of the same title by various authors. To read the prose piece "I am Tibetan" please see this previous posting.

High Peaks Pure Earth will continue to translate poems and online pieces on the theme of "I Am Tibetan". For background information and other pieces on this topic, please see the following previous postings:
http://www.highpeakspureearth.com/2010/02/i-am-tibetan.html
http://www.highpeakspureearth.com/2010/02/i-am-tibetan-by-woeser.html

Finally, a selection of profile pictures used by Tibetans on social networking sites can be viewed as a photo album on our Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=149461&id=245680196705

“I am Tibetan”

by Adong Paldothar

I feel
From the eternal transmigration and
Boundless mercy: treating all living creatures like one’s own parents
That I am a Tibetan

I feel
From the truth of the light breeze touching my face
Caused by the fast-spinning prayer wheel in Grandma’s hands
That I am a Tibetan

I feel
From the meditation of the Lamas
From their heavenly murmurs when praying for all living beings and world peace
That I am a Tibetan

I feel
From our natural and harmonious coexistence with antelopes, condors, as well as forests and springs
That I am a Tibetan

I feel
From the piety of honouring mines and riverheads as gods and spirits
Worshipping and caring for them
That I am a Tibetan

I feel
From the phrase we would say every time we dirty a small piece of crushed food and throw it away:
“May it be picked up by a blind bird”
That I am a Tibetan

I feel
From all those innate ancient bearings
Such as spitting out then covering it with earth
That I am a Tibetan

I feel
From the maxims and idioms spoken and written in the great immortal Tibetan language
That I am a Tibetan

I feel
From the glittering starry splendour in the sky above the Derge Scriptures Printing Hall where the thirty ancient letters are preserved
That I am a Tibetan

I feel
From the Hor-Ling War, in which King Gesar’s Red Hare Horse surpassed Achilles’ steed
And which is as immortal as the Trojan War
That I am a Tibetan

I feel
From the image of a foetus obtained through Tibetan medicine as accurate as a contemporary ultrasound
The Tibetan tantra which explains the essence of life 
as well as the Tibetan calendar which predicted the existence of water on the moon
That I am a Tibetan

I feel
From the curves of David Beckham’s crossings
The big feet of Tibetan football players and
The highland gene of the Royal Polo Team
That I am a Tibetan

I feel
From the wedding between the monkey and the demoness
As well as the legend about the formation of the Plateau: first ocean, then forest and finally grassland, of which Darwin only learned much later
That I am a Tibetan

I feel
From the yaks leisurely wandering in the frosty snow on the peak of the earth
The naked herd boys playing by the rivers under snow-covered mountains
And the pulse of the clan, whose ancestors used to steal and drink the milk of Snowlions
That I am a Tibetan

I feel
From the invincible Tibetan Tsenpos (Kings)
 and the great changes from above to below of the Sakya, the Pamodrupa, as well as the Ganden Phodrang rule
That I am a Tibetan

I feel
From the documents written in Tibetan buried under the dunes of Dunhuang
The immortal colours of the Guge mural paintings and the towering Tibetan stone houses on the Ancient Tea and Horse Caravan Road
That I am a Tibetan

I feel
From the entirety consisting of U-Tsang, the holy region of Buddhism
Dokham, the region of braves and beauties
And Amdo, the region of fine steeds
That I am a Tibetan

I feel
From the grey stone tablet under the white and the red palaces of Potala Palace in memory of the Alliance
And the “Kamalok” Clan of Dokham
That I am a Tibetan

I feel
From all the confusion and sullenness
Of not knowing but being Tibetan
That I am Tibetan

"I Am Tibetan" Poetry and Prose Pieces

High Peaks Pure Earth has been following the online activity related to pride in Tibetan identity. Our first posting about this was in the run up to Losar, Tibetan New Year. More recently, we noted the continuation of these feelings expressed online in the aftermath of the Kham earthquake. 

Over the Losar period, Tibetan writer Woeser posted several poetry and prose pieces written by Tibetans on her blog, all of which had the same title "I Am Tibetan".  The following translation is just one of the pieces from that post:

I Am Tibetan 
by Dechen Hengme

An imagined frail chestnut horse, In striding steps speeds over the plateau

In a place faraway I discover the ocean, its welling waves and tides

The wind gallops away over the grasslands

At this my pen came to a stop, and I felt a certain frustration and loss. The thought of an emaciated chestnut horse out on the prairie as it collapsed in the grass, thin, helpless and dirty streaked my face with tears – who had abandoned this poor horse in these desolate grasslands? Not a glimmer of light on the vast prairie but for countless miniscule starlights across the broad sky. The chestnut horse lay by a sudden bank of shingle, and the shingle was as cold as black iron with clusters of grass struggling to grow between the stones. Inky tones grow in the colors of dusk. And I’m thinking: a bank of shingle on the vast grasslands as affectionate as this by the horse, as though guarding it, and all memory of it will be lost in the last gasps of this life.

The light from myriad stars outshines the moon, hidden in cloud; the moon sees all this, but sees not the recovery of life. The light from myriad stars does not stop, as though it cannot wait, but their power is so faint and remote! This horse of the imagination is frail, its body young and immature. It has probably never had the joy of running for miles across its land, let alone had the wind in its mane leading it to neigh long and hard. All that is from an age when it was young, in the memories of horses before they were lost, when it nuzzled close to its mother and drank from her udders in sunny days and every day was as cosy as the next. When wind and rain drove down to where it hid below its mother’s knee, it sheltered from disaster on disaster. But now it is left alone in the world, with nothing left but memories of black iron beside it in a desolate scene where soon it will die.

The black iron is silent and the grass upon it bends to the wind. There are no words, no questions, no answers for anything. All that remains is a wisp of a thought that accompanied by the night will pass from these vast grasslands.

Marco Polo, Qingtang
(Marco Polo is the author's pen name, Qingtang is the old name for the city known today as Xining in Qinghai Province)


Over on Woeser's other blog that she runs with Wang Lixiong that collates online articles about Tibet, the following comment appeared on April 10, 2010, at the end of a long post about the late X. Panchen Lama:

The comment reads:

Tashi Delek friends, I feel very moved, let's all keep on going together, we should all say everyday three times, I am Tibetan, I am Tibetan, I am Tibetan

Finally for this posting, on March 18, 2010, a Tibetan blogger calling themselves "Khampa Snow" posted the following "I Am Tibetan" poem online:

I am Tibetan
By "Khampa Snow"

I am Tibetan
A black-haired and ochre-faced Tibetan
My feet have trod countless snowy peaks
In our proud realm of snowy extremes
Sincere smiles
Remain through summer rains and winter snows
Our will and grit shine yet through bitter cold and cruel heat

I am Tibetan
A compassionate-hearted Tibetan
Prayer wheels and beads have flown in my hand since time eternal
Our piety was cast in Shambala’s pure lands
The six-syllable mantra is muttered
Under the discriminatory gaze of others and the ridicule of misunderstanding
We pray as ever for harmony and well-being for all living things

I am Tibetan
A Tibetan who can sing and dance
The seven colours of the rainbow are woven into my long flowing sleeves
And our jubilant dances raise the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers
Our innocent dances and
Songs of praise sound out in the golden era, delight dances through the soul

I am Tibetan
A dream-cherishing Tibetan
The wisdom and glory in the 30 letters of the Tibetan alphabet
Shine on the path of our progress
The milk of ten bright cultures
Fortifies our minds and bodies
With the blessings of our ancestors’ culture we stagger out with leaps and bounds into the ranks of the world

I am Tibetan
The agitated blood in my veins is a constant reminder
I am Tibetan
In my lilting mother tongue I want to say loudly
“I am Tibetan”

High Peaks Pure Earth will continue to translate poems and online pieces on the theme of "I Am Tibetan".

"Lhasa in February" by Woeser

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated a blogpost by Woeser that was originally written for Radio Free Asia on February 24, 2010 and posted on her blog on March 4, 2010.

This is the second blogpost that Woeser has written from Lhasa and she vividly describes, in a poetic way, everyday life there with a lot of interesting details. For background information on her trip to Lhasa, see the introduction to the last post she wrote titled "What Is Happiness?" here on High Peaks Pure Earth.

In her final paragraph, Woeser refers to young Tibetans who are proudly asserting their Tibetan identity, she has described it as a kind of "mission" they are on. For an earlier posting on this topic by Woeser see "I Am Tibetan" and don't miss two videos from Amdo, I Am Tibetan and the hip hop video "New Generation".

"Lhasa in February"

By Woeser

Lhasa in February, with the arrival of Losar (Tibetan New Year), the city is slowly being swept away by sandstorms. In the past, the storms would never start this early, is global warming the only reason behind this? The Lhasa river valley used to be surrounded by a group of mountains called the “eight lotus petals” but today as it has been completely destroyed by mining machines, as soon as the wind starts to blow, sand and dust spreads everywhere. Also, on top of Lhasa valley, in the past it used to be the homeland of Tsangpo Songtsen Gompo but today even the local Medro Gongkar county government simply sold its own land to one of China Gold Group’s mining companies. The officials lined their own pockets but contaminated water has polluted farmland and even killed livestock or given the farmers strange diseases.  

Lhasa in February, with the arrival of Losar, scenes on TV show officials asking the poor about their hardships; they are poor Tibetans from the city of Lhasa or from the remote countryside and pastureland. The officials with their subordinates show off the many hundred Yuan notes, which, with exaggerated gestures, they give to those Tibetans who bend and stick out their tongues (as a sign of respect) or hold out their hands. Also, those Tibetans speaking Lhasa, Shigatse, Nagchu or Chamdo dialects shed tears of gratitude; some even choke with tears, over and over again expressing their eternal gratitude. Yet, if people have to feel this overly thankful for such a little bit of money, doesn’t that mean that their poverty is in fact so widespread and alarming? 

Lhasa in February, with the arrival of Losar, red lanterns of all sizes are hanging everywhere. This is by no means a Tibetan custom; it is revealing a different kind of message: the assimilation of local culture by an outside culture. For example, writing red antithetical couplets in Tibetan is really only a strange imitation of an antithetical couplet written in Chinese. They thought that this was just a transformation of old social traditions, but it really is neither fish nor fowl. We should know that all the loss is reflected in the details; every detail meant a little bit of loss and in the end, the loss is complete. It was the local government who initiated that five-starred red flags are now hanging everywhere in the city’s main roads and small alleyways. Cadres went from house to house, from door to door, from shop to shop requesting everyone to hang up a flag. Plus, they especially emphasised that this year people should hang up a particularly big flag. A red flag is also fluttering on the roof of the Potala Palace, pompously declaring  national sovereignty. 

Lhasa in February, with the arrival of Losar, we can also observe some special colours: one is green, representing soldiers with weapons in their hands, running wild in the streets of Tibet. When one runs into them directly, one has to quickly give way, or else one might with sudden force be pushed aside. There are also some soldiers, who boldly stand on Tibetan people’s rooftops, looking down from above, valiantly pressuring the Tibetans walking below gasping for breath. The other colour is blue, representing the police also carrying weapons in their hands, not just a few of them are Tibetans. I witnessed myself that a young Tibetan who was paying homage to Buddha was pushed away and when he answered back defiantly, Tibetan police clutched his throat. Another colour is always changing. I am not sure how many times these plainclothes policemen have changed their outfits, I even heard that some of them pretend to be Buddhist monks wearing robes wandering around the temples. Or they pretend to be tourists wearing rosaries on their wrists. 

Lhasa in February, with the arrival of Losar, I also have to mention these few people: my fellow Tibetan townspeople who I love and respect. They prostrate all their way from various different hometowns to the sacred place - Lhasa - and with the Jokhang and the Potala Palace at their centre, they still continue to prostrate. Of course, the majority of them are farmers, herdsmen and Buddhist monks and nuns, who embody the characteristics of the grassland of the snowy mountains, and who smell of yak butter. When I was walking around the Barkhor I encountered a Buddhist monk whose forehead was full of scabs. He was singing songs in praise of Guru Rinpoche at full volume while slowly prostrating. What will the passing soldiers with their guns in their hands think about Tibetan beliefs? 

Lhasa in February, with the arrival of Losar, there are more and more young people who continue to go down the path which belongs to them. They have come back from Chinese universities to their hometowns, wearing Tibetan clothes, speaking their mother tongue, feeling that they are on an “I am Tibetan” mission. And in a cherishing manner they go and learn about the roots of this piece of land, also, when they climb the high mountains to make offering by burning incense, scatter wind-horses, or recite traditional scriptures, they make promises for the future. They are full of self-confidence; they are in their prime, this is exactly the hope which has existed and been multiplied for generations and generations. 

Lhasa, February 24, 2010

"New Generation" - Hip Hop Music Video from Amdo

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated a new hip hop music video from Amdo. The group who call themselves Yudrug in Tibetan, Green Dragon in English and Qinglong in Chinese, are from Machu in Amdo and they released their new track on their blog on February 5, 2010, as a gift to fans for Tibetan New Year. The video was subsequently quickly re-posted on other Tibetan blogs.

Although they call themselves "green dragon" in English, Yudrug is actually a name of a type of horse. This horse is very popular in Machu and considered a jewel, a source of wealth, as clearly stated in one of their previous songs.

Interestingly, no individual credits are given for the song, it is presented completely as a group effort. Even where the name of the lyricist should be, there is just the description “strong-willed”. The beginning of the video, below the song title, tells us that the song is "…for the hard-headed people out there".

The group however do appear to be very professional, as can be seen in their meticulously edited video and good sound quality. In the past, they have given due credit to the song composers, even crediting well-known Nepal based exile Tibetan singer Tsering Gyurmey for a cover of his song "Dream" that they recorded.

This bold new style of musical expression heard in "New Generation" has been quite controversial in Tibetan cyberspace with Tibetan bloggers praising Yudrug for their outspoken lyrics but some also criticising Yudrug for adopting a style that is seen as “too western”. Whatever your musical taste may be, the song is undeniably powerful and energetic with a rousing chorus:

The new generation has a resource called youth
The new generation has a pride called confidence
The new generation has an appearance called playfulness
The new generation has a temptation called freedom

In an earlier blogpost, High Peaks Pure Earth commented on the upsurge in online activity about asserting Tibetan identity.  “New Generation” by Yudrug demonstrates that this pride in Tibetan identity has translated to music as well. Furthermore, this pride is imbued with elements of cool and confidence. In fact, this “coolness” that Yudrug have was the initial inspiration behind a Tibetan blogger’s blogpost of August 2009 titled “Be Cool, Be Tibetan”, where he stated:

The Yudruk phenomenon shows not only that Tibetans can be cool, but that it is cool to be Tibetan. This is a radical shift. But not only does it show a kind of Tibetanness that is on the cutting edge of cool. It also makes it clear that a Tibetan image can be created and exist entirely outside of the Chinese imagination. This is a kind of Tibetanness that was made by and for Tibetans.

High Peaks Pure Earth would like to thank our own "Green Dragons" firstly for drawing our attention to this video and also for their help with this difficult translation. Thank you.

"New Generation" by Yudrug (Green Dragon) from HPeaks on Vimeo.

Below is the mp3 track along with the lyrics to “New Generation” in full:

New Generation by Yudrug (Green Dragon) by hpeaks

"New Generation" by Green Dragon
…for the hard-headed people out there
Lyrics: "Strong Willed"
Composition: Green Dragon
Vocals: Green Dragon and Blue Moon

The noise of vehicles has woken us
Among the crowded tall buildings
Our dreams and belongings have all been packed

See the polluted sky and know
We can't afford to wait for tomorrow's sunrise
Now wake up...

It's already time to walk on the road
It's time to walk, time to think
Our bare shoulders wet with sweat
Our long hair tangled by the wind
Our faith and lives are adorned by freedom
Our collective path is determined by individual choice
As much sweat as you shed
That much result shall you reap

So said our great forefathers
But our forefathers are long gone
We don't have to keep quiet

The owner of karma has left me like a toy
With strength and talent I need to somehow respond
Even the old lady neighbour says I'm spoiled
With power and ability I'll prove them all!

The new generation has a resource called youth
The new generation has a pride called confidence
The new generation has an appearance called playfulness
The new generation has a temptation called freedom

The new generation has a resource called youth
The new generation has a pride called confidence
The new generation has an appearance called playfulness
The new generation has a temptation called freedom

At one time I thought that love was everything
Then love turned me into nothing
A girl I loved so much
Has given me a very beautiful gift
Now I haven't lost her
The dream of love has not been lost

Deceit and cunning!
In a society where people are deceived by money, fame and power
Will I ever find a meaningful love?
Will i ever find a definite pledge?
Who among us will?

We are caught up in our thoughts of pain and of mere fashion
We wrote our own darkness and we're scared of living
We embody the pride of youth and search for future aspirations with full willpower

Search!
Search!

We are the new generation of today

As I achieved what I wanted to achieve
My dreams don't waiver in the night
As I said what I wanted to say
I didn't turn into a mute
I did it for me only!

As I achieved what I wanted to achieve
My dreams don't waiver in the night
As I said what I wanted to say
I didn't turn into a mute
I did it only to represent myself!

Get used to me!
I am the decadent breath of your uncontrollability

Get used to me!
I am under your limitless uncontrollable watch

Get used to me!
I am the manifestation of today and the substance of tomorrow

I am very light, in your imagination
I am very small, in your vegetable patch

Does your advanced theory wish to blow up my head?
Does your forced bullet wish to shoot through my heart?

I am just an old and damaged vehicle
The horse of time departed early morning
The small flame under your saddle
The blood and bodies frozen in the ice are bound to fade

We are the sharp wisdom that your speeches and lectures haven't reached
We are the smooth darkness that your flame and power hasn't absorbed
We are the response with playfulness that makes your heart ache
We are the infection and fright to your livelihood!

The new generation has a resource called youth
The new generation has a pride called confidence
The new generation has an appearance called playfulness
The new generation has a temptation called freedom

The new generation has a resource called youth
The new generation has a pride called confidence
The new generation has an appearance called playfulness
The new generation has a temptation called freedom

Our story has not ended here
It's just the beginning
We never fall asleep but are awake forever

Get used to dreaming
Get used to unlawful damage and uprisings
Get used to this way of living
Get used to moving forward

To our beloved and proud new generation

Translation: High Peaks Pure Earth

“I am Tibetan!” By Woeser

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated a blogpost by Woeser that was originally written for Radio Free Asia on February 9, 2010 and posted on her blog on February 14, 2010, which was also the first day of Losar (Tibetan New Year).

In a blogpost of February 4, 2010, High Peaks Pure Earth commented on the rise in Tibetan online activity asserting Tibetan identity. This blogpost was subsequently translated into Chinese and posted on Woeser's blog on February 6, 2010. Using this blogpost as a starting point, Woeser's article below expands on her own ideas about Tibetan identity.

For High Peaks Pure Earth readers who have not seen the "I Am Tibetan" video clip Woeser refers to, watch the video with English subtitles here: http://www.vimeo.com/9203330

At this moment, the Tibetan calendar year 2137 (Year of the Iron Tiger) is beginning. It is also the Spring Festival according to the moon calendar. I wish all my friends who visit my blog, Losar la Tashi Delek (good luck for the new year)! 

(The picture was downloaded from a Tibetan website, I only changed “2010 Year of the Iron Tiger” to “2137 Year of the Iron Tiger”). 

“I am Tibetan!” 

By Woeser

The English language Tibet blog High Peaks Pure Earth sharply noted in a post titled “I am Tibetan” that “there has been an upsurge in online activity by Tibetan netizens about being Tibetan and Tibetan identity.” Tibetan video clips, poems and pictures complemented the post as examples and evidence.

When we browse through Chinese video clip websites, which can be accessed without having to “climb the (fire)wall” or when we browse through YouTube, which can only be accessed by having to “climb the (fire)wall”, we get to see one particular video showing Tibetans conveying an aura of the snowy mountains, who use their local Amdo dialect to proudly, freely and firmly express “I am Tibetan”. This makes us without a doubt feel deeply moved and inspired.

This really is “the strongest, and the most creative video from Tibet”. The actually quite simple sentence “I am Tibetan” in fact widely opens up every person’s innermost being and reveals every person’s true character. It is just like the strong message and effect of advertisements, on the one hand, the video draws attention to the people’s differences, and on the other hand, it is like a single spark, which ignites the entire Tibetan homeland and the land of those living far away.

Another video uses standard and elegant sounding Lhasa dialect to emphasise: “‘ka kha ga nga’ (Tibetan alphabet) is my heart and my soul”, repeatedly urging “everybody to come and speak pure Tibetan”. It warns and awakes the Tibetans to realise that our native tongue  “has actually been infected by harmful viruses from different languages.” The situation has already turned into a state of desperation; with a feeling of sorrow without self-injury and a feeling of anxiety without protest, this video clip stirs all Tibetans; “to guarantee the further existence of our nationality, let’s all speak Tibetan, let’s all speak pure Tibetan.”

I really like this video; I particularly appreciate the kind-heartedness, the elegance, and the tolerance, which Tibetan civilisation encompasses. There are no sad cries of sheer anguish, no angry voices or hard words, no seeking revenge for an angry look, which one can observe in other cultures that have been damaged by totalitarianism. For instance, in the Chinese national anthem it says, “let our flesh and blood become our new Great Wall!” Similar examples can easily be found. “Everybody come and speak pure Tibetan”, what makes us feel gratified is that in some places of Amdo and Kham during winter and summer holidays, extra teaching activities in Tibetan language are organised for pupils. Some people with breadth of vision who attach great importance upon the teaching of the mother tongue invited a Tibetan teacher, and the local people responded very positively so that the children had ample opportunity to become very familiar with their mother tongue from an early age.

There might be some people who think that the upsurge in comments regarding Tibetan identity seems a little bit extreme; yet, this is in fact the only way to seek survival. Because in reality, such as in Tibetan primary schools, they always play songs in Mandarin instructing “how to properly name relatives”; yet, Tibet actually has its own children's songs. Tibet also has its own names for relatives; hence, the assimilation has an imperceptible but profound influence upon Tibetan children. For example, at the entrances of many primary schools in Lhasa, one comes across the following slogan: “I am a child of China, I like to speak Mandarin”. The Chinese government clearly disrespects the regional autonomy for nationalities, which it has in fact drawn up itself. Another example could be the past half-century’s “patriotic education”, entirely carried out by various means of force and which “brainwashed” several generations of Tibetans. The goal is to make Tibetans give up their original identity. However, as the Economic Nobel prize winner Amartya Sen wrote in his book 'Identity and Violence: the Illusion of Destiny': “the organised implementation of classified identities is often the prelude to persecution and killings”.

A Chinese mainstream academic bluntly summarised in an article titled 'Discussion of the Aim of the Fusion of China’s Ethnic Groups', “the development of China’s diverse ethnic groups has in fact one precise aim, which is to establish the Han Chinese identity as an overall Chinese national identity and this identity is not encompassing each of the 56 ethnic groups in the modern sense, it is merely consisting of one main ethnic group. In a nutshell, it might as well be called “hua zu” of Chinese descent identity…” Whereas “when the fusion of various ethnic groups reach a certain phase, it is simply a matter of technological problem to change IDs.” However, Tibet, which is also supposed to be “fused” does not at all approve of this imposed identity, hence, it has raised its increasingly resonant voice: “I am Tibetan!”  Let me add one more sentence. Apart from declaring, “I am Tibetan”, Tibetans must also know: Today, what else do we have? What have we lost today? This is essential.

February 9, 2010, Beijing

The Tradition of ‘Gu-thug’ Before Losar

As Losar (Tibetan New Year) is quickly approaching this year on February 14, and Tibetans in Tibet and all over the world are proudly asserting their Tibetan identity, what better way to start the year 2137 with a traditional bowl of hot steaming Gu-thug on Friday evening? 

High Peaks Pure Earth would not want anyone to partake in this tradition without knowing the ins and outs! High Peaks Pure Earth is therefore very grateful to Tsering Dhondup for allowing us to post his translation of "The Tradition of ‘Gu-thug’ before Losar" taken from "The Collected Works of Chabpel Tseten Phuntsog" ('chab spel tshe brtan phun tshog gi gsung rtsom phyogs sgrigs') and first published by China Tibet Educational Publishing House ('krung goi bod kyi she rig dpar skrun khang) in 1993. This article has also previously appeared in a newsletter published by Tibet Foundation, based in London.

Many Tibetans will be spending Gu-thug night far from home. Below, High Peaks Pure Earth has posted a 2008 video made by Tibetans studying in universities in Beijing. The video shows them preparing Gu-thug together and playing games. The video has three songs as its soundtrack, two Tibetan songs and one Chinese song. The first Tibetan song is by exile Tibetan pop star Phurbu T Namgyal called "Phayul Mayul", meaning "Fatherland, Motherland" and the second Tibetan song is by the most prominent Tibetan singers in Tibet, Yadong, Kunga, Tsewang and Gangshuk called, "Sems Kyis Log Phebs", meaning "Mentally Return". Both songs urge Tibetans to unite and assert their identity strongly.

The Tradition of ‘Gu-thug’ Before Losar

On the eve of the pen-ultimate day of the outgoing year, i.e. the 29th day of the twelfth month according to the Tibetan calendar, most Tibetans in and outside Tibet uphold an ancient folk tradition by having a family get-together for a special dinner called ‘Gu-thug’. Many people wrongly think that 'Gu-thog' derives its name from the nine different ingredients added to the broth when in fact it's a reference to the 'thugpa' taken on the 29th day.

This ritual symbolises the banishment of all evil and malevolent spirits that may be lurking in the house-hold. It appears to be a form of ancient folk rather than religious tradition of exorcising evil spirits because no monks and 'tantric' practitioners, whether Bon and Buddhist, are invited to participate in the ritual ceremony. The ritual involves neither prayers nor making offerings to deities for blessings or favours. The secular origins are evident from the fact that all members of the family, male and female, old and young, unite to share the ‘Gu-thug’ and then ritually drive out all evil spirits without help from holy men.

Given the regional variations that have occurred during the course of thousands of years, the following description of ‘Gu-thug’ ritual is primarily based on the tradition peculiar to the ‘Tsang’ region of Central Tibet, according to Chabpel Tseten Phuntsog on whose accounts this article is based.

The 29th day of the last month may be seen as a ‘spring cleaning’ when the family busy themselves in dusting, cleaning and tidying all the rooms. The layers of dust, soot, grime and all filth accreted during the year are got rid of, as much as possible. As the day wears off, it’s time to start preparations for cooking the ‘Gu-thug’.

Unlike the usual broth of meat in which small chunks of kneaded dough is cooked, care is taken to add special dough balls of varying shape and design, (see Table A) each supposed to symbolise the character trait of the person who draws it in his or her bowl of porridge. Twelve other dough balls of identical shape and size are made in which are inserted objects symbolising different human characteristics (see Table B). These special balls are dry-baked slightly on a fire so that they would hold their shape once they are mixed in the boiling stew of meat and chunks of dough. In addition, it's become common to add nine different ingredients such as cheese, radish, peas, ‘droma’ (wild sweet potato), salt, pepper, meat, dough balls, etc.

Another group of the family members may busy themselves preparing the dough effigy of a human figure to serve as the scapegoat for ritual banishment. The effigy is always placed in a broken piece of pottery or any other worthless utensil or expendable container. All around the effigy are placed all sorts of things such as dregs of tea-leaves, ‘bang ma’ (leftover grain after barley beer is made), bits and pieces of rubbish collected during the day’s cleaning, etc.

Then the members of the family gather and begin the ritual cleaning of oneself by rolling and wiping from head to toe with pieces of kneaded dough held in each hand.

Whilst rolling, rubbing and wiping oneself, one is supposed to face the dough effigy and say aloud things like, "Hey, you Scapegoat! Take away with you all sorts of pain, hurt, physical ailment, mental afflictions; all the four hundred and twenty four kinds of diseases and all of the eighty thousand kinds of impediments induced by  malevolent spirits that strike during the course of ‘360’ days or twelve months of the year and any other such disagreeable things that remain. Take them all with you across the great limitless ocean!” No taking chances here!

Finally, after about sunset, members of the family take their seats according to age and seniority in readiness for the ‘Gu-thug’ broth to find out who draws what kind of character predicting special dough balls. Traditionally, two empty bowls are placed in front of the family elder. Then the lady of the house starts serving the ‘Gu-thug’ with her eyes covered with a white sash to ensure impartiality whilst serving the prophetic dough balls.

Members of the family begin to help themselves to the ‘Gu-thug’ with mixed feelings. The special dough balls are fished out to discover what symbolic dough ball one has drawn. The discovery of positive predictions attract envious comments and congratulations but those who draw the negative predictions could feel very embarrassed as everyone seems to rejoice in having a laugh at one's cost. This is an occasion for great commotion and laughter depending on the person concerned and the draw made. The favourable dough balls drawn are collected in one bowl and the negative balls in the other bowl. At the end, each adds a bit of their left-over ‘Gu-thug’ around the Scapegoat effigy. The bowl containing the negatives draws are also poured around the Scapegoat. The bowl with the positive symbols are taken upstairs or on the roof-top.

Then follows the actual ritual of exorcising the evil spirits from the household. Two younger male members of the family carry a flaming torch fashioned with cloth, straw or bramble, and go from room to room shouting menacingly “Come out! Come out, you evil spirits and demons!” A female member of the family then carry out the broken pottery or container with the Scapegoat mired in a pile of leftover food and refuse. The men with the flaming torch follow her in mock chase of the evil spirits. Others clap their hands in ritual to signify good riddance. Then the door is tightly shut behind.

A significant point to note for those escorting out the banished Scapegoat is not to cast any backward glances towards their home while going out and not to look back towards the castaway Scapegoat while returning lest the evil spirits follow them home. The Scapegoat is placed at the nearest cross-road and the flaming torches are also left there. Often, as people from different families in the neighbourhood gather at the cross-road for the same purpose, they all linger on to sing and perform circle dances as a celebration of the successful banishment of the evil spirits.

Guthug Night in Lhasa 2007 from HPeaks on Vimeo

In the family home, they have to keep handy a tinder and bunch of dry bramble, a pail of water, ladles and bucketful of ‘tsampa’. As the Scapegoat escorts return and knock on the door to be let in, a voice from inside challenges them, “Our door needs a description before we can let you in.” And in response, the returning escorts sing, “Open up, the wooden-frame above the door is made of yellow gold. Open up, the thresh-hold below is made of turquoise. Open up, the four frames are made of purplish ‘mchong’ stone. Open up, the 'melong' frame is of red sandalwood. Open up, the door bolt is made of white conch shell.”

Finally, those inside hurriedly kindle the bunch of dry bramble and open the door.  As the escorts hurriedly walk in and leap over the crackling bundle of bramble, others from the sides douse them with water and sprinkle ‘tsampa’ over them as ritual cleansing and prevention of any evil spirit that might attempt to sneak in with them.

Then follow a happy period of drinking ‘chaang’and merry making with songs in praise of those who had drawn positive character traits and teasing of those who had drawn negative character traits, who are often parodied according to what kind of person they are supposed to be. The partying and merry making lasts until the wee hours, to mark good riddance to all things negative and to usher in the New Year that is hoped to bring health, happiness and success to all the members of the family.

Table A - Dough balls of varying shapes and their symbolism

Shape and design of dough ball	Name and symbolism
Spherical sun	‘Nyima’ – glory and fame
Barbed wire with sharp points	‘Zema Rago’ – wicked, hurts everyone
A crescent	‘Dawa’ – glory and fame
Like a cashew nut with the pointed end bent	‘Ma Nue Tse Kyog’ – incompetent sloth
Like a drop of pearl	‘Lama Konchog’ – honest and altruistic
Like a grain of rice or barley with pointed ends	‘Yar Nyung Mar Nyung’ – malicious, slanderer, instigator
Like a volume of scriptures	‘Dam Choe Puti’ – educated and cultured
Like a cashew nut with the pointed end tapering straight	‘Tog La Tse Nyung’ – greedy and gluttonous
A flat cuboid	‘Den Chung Dru Zhi’ – a life of ease and luxury
Like a 'Damaru' hand drum	‘Damaru’ – unreliable, two-faced person
A fat darkened spherical ball	‘Dug Droe Gormo’ – Gluttonous sloth
A smaller ball joined atop another larger ball	‘Lan Chag Gyabkhur’- illegitimate child-birth or illicit affair

Table B – dough balls of identical size and the symbolism of their contents

Content	Symbolism
Round white marble stone	Kind hearted, noble spirit
Ball of white wool	Forbearing, patient, good-natured
Thread rolled inwards	Introspective, withdrawn, introvert
Thread rolled outwards	Extrovert, creative, open-hearted
Piece of china	Loves food but hates work
Piece of charcoal	Scheming, calculating, vicious
Piece of chilli	Abrasive and hot headed
Piece of paper	Tendency to petty theft and pilfering
A ball of green pea	Cunning, scheming, deceptive
A piece of onion	Bag of farts
A piece of rock salt	Bum laden with salt-bag, lazy, sloth
‘Khul bu’ short soft undercoat of animals	Short tempered, ill-natured

I Am Tibetan

High Peaks Pure Earth has noticed an upsurge in online activity by Tibetan netizens about being Tibetan and Tibetan identity.

This video "I Am Tibetan" was first posted on a Chinese video-hosting website on December 19, 2009 and has been circulating widely. It came later to be posted on YouTube by a Tibetan called Jigdo and is now being disseminated by Tibetans all over the world through social networking sites such as Facebook. To those who don't know Tibetan, the video seemingly looks like a random talking heads video. Once you understand what the people are saying, it is one of the most powerful and creative videos we have seen from Tibet. The camera focuses on random Tibetans, each statement begins with “I am Tibetan” and the next speaker goes on to describe the reason. The video has already inspired Tibetans in Dharamsala to replicate the concept.

High Peaks Pure Earth has translated the YouTube video and added English subtitles:

I Am Tibetan (w English subtitles) from HPeaks on Vimeo

The dramatic music in the background creates a strong sense of mood and urgency. The emphatic statement “I am Tibetan” is a powerful assertion of how the people identify themselves. In the statements there is no sense at all of being“a minority”. As readers know, over the last two decades the Chinese government has been carrying out patriotic education campaigns, the objective being for Tibetans to identity themselves as a subject of China and identify himself or herself as a Chinese national. 

In an earlier blogpost High Peaks Pure Earth posted pictures of a banner hanging outside school gates in Lhasa, one of which proclaimed, “I am child of China, I like to speak Mandarin”.

This second video "Let’s (all) Speak in Pure Tibetan" 

has also been on a Chinese video-sharing website for sometime now. The video narrates a verse that is spoken in Lhasa dialect and urges everyone to speak pure Tibetan.  In the translation, it is evident to what the video is saying and we shall leave the analysis to our readers.

There is a strong assertion of  Tibetan-ness emerging in Tibetan and Chinese language cyberspace. It is is as though the Tibetan nation is being recreated in cyberspace it is here that the Tibetans are finding a voice.  This poem is a good example of this:

Let’s (all) Speak in Pure Tibetan

I’ve a means of survival passed on by my Ancestors.
I’ve a path to the future hewn by my Ancestors,
I’ve a Testament entrusted by my Ancestors,
I’ve a hope to fulfil as expected by my people,
(My) language is Tibetan. It’s my abiding tool.

The Tibetan alphabet is the heart and soul of my existence.
Let’s all speak this Tibetan language (of ours) for the continued survival of our nation(ality).
Let’s (all) speak in pure Tibetan.
Even though you may know a variety of languages, when we Tibetans talk amongst ourselves, let’s (all) speak in Tibetan.

When we converse in Tibetan, let’s speak in pure Tibetan.
Even though our native-tongue is self-reliant and rich as the precious jewels,
It’s widely infected with the scourge of hybrids from different tongues.
O my beloved brethren from  the three provinces of Tibet of the Land of Snows!
The rise and fall of our nation ultimately hinges on this root issue.
(My) language is Tibetan. It’s my abiding tool. (My) language is Tibetan. It’s my abiding tool.

The Tibetan alphabet is the heart and soul of my existence.
For the sake of continued survival, let’s all speak this Tibetan language of ours. 
Let’s (all) speak in pure Tibetan. 
If  you are a (proud) descendant of the Land of Snowy Ranges who love and care about your nation, 
Then, let’s not use any hybrid language when conversing in our day to day life, O people of the Land of Snows!

On Tibetan blogs, High Peaks Pure Earth has followed this poem "I Am Tibetan" that spread to numerous blogs throughout 2008 and 2009. The same poem can be found here, here and here, just these examples show that the poem was being posted as early as March 27, 2008 and as recently as August 16, 2009.

Here is the English translation exactly as the blogger's are pasting it, including all typos (!)

my derma is bronze-colored
but
I am Tibetan
I like deep red color
my frame have engrave ancestors's instruction
my blood shed the sounds of horse's hoof
my eyes fill of fragrance highland barley wine
my body blooming glamorous Gesar flower

I am Tibetan
The name matches the reality of Tibetan
The liberal And courageous of Tibetan

Remember
Don't ask me what is your surname
I'm not Mr Li, not Mister Wang
If you insist ask me
then
I will tell you my surname is King Gesar

I am strong nation blessed by Tibtan Gods
my lift (left) arm is goshawk
my right arm is yak
my life is under the Buddha niche of lamp brilliant forever

Finally, Tibetan identity is also being proudly displayed in the form of profile pictures on Tibetan social networking sites, here are a selection that High Peaks Pure Earth has seen: