Ethnic Tibetans

Laughing Tibetan girl in traditional costume

The ethnic Tibetan communities in India's five Himalayan states live at over 8,000 feet above sea level and are some of the most deprived in the country. Little has changed for them for centuries, insulated as they are amidst the high mountain ranges. They are unique areas where there is an unbroken tradition of Tibetan culture. This culture plays a vital role in giving people a sense of meaning in their lives, and binds together these isolated rural communities.

“Our culture is slowly fading away,” says a local Tibetan Lama, Thamed Lodve, who is already involved with teaching the local language to children.

“Our children go to Hindi speaking schools and watch Indian and Western TV. So they are gravitating towards those cultures. Certainly it is good for us to be open to influences from the outside, but at the moment there is a real danger that our traditional culture will get lost. If that happens, I believe the people will lose their sense of identity.

”He goes on to say, “Our traditional songs and writings are very precious; there is a wisdom in them which comes from our forefathers and which is carried from generation to generation. If we lose that, it will be gone forever.”

There is reason for concern. These communities tend to be perceived as culturally inferior by mainstream India, and prejudices and stereotypes abound about them. Mountain areas are considered to be less productive than others and so are accorded lower priority at national level. Government policies applied do not take account of the different cultures & ecosystems in the Himalayas, and so failure to achieve their objectives here.

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