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Resources and Information on the Indigenous Peoples of Tibet
The Qinghai-Tibet plateau, home to approximately six million indigenous Tibetans, was historically divided into three provinces: U-tsang, Kham, and Amdo. Today, after the invasion by China, U-stang has been designated the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). Encompassing the central part of the plateau, in which the Tibetan capital of Lhasa is located, the province is also called Xizang (XAR) by the Chinese. Both Kham and Amdo are considered separate jurisdictional units encompassed within four contemporary Chinese provinces: Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan.
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According to archaeologists, indigenous Tibetans have been living in their homeland for at least 3,000 years. Folklore traces many cultural origins back to the same time, if not further. Historically composed of numerous tribal groups known as the Ch'iang, the indigenous Tibetans slowly expanded, primarily along the broad Tsangpo River Valley - particularly the Yarlung Valley branch known as the "Valley of the Kings."
Today, most people reside in the southern valleys of the Tsangpo and Indus rivers, where the higher rainfall and lower elevations concentrate agriculture and urban centers. Lhasa and Shigatse are the two largest cities. The Changtang plateau, a high arid desert plain that occupies the northern half of Tibet is home to about a half million indigenous semi-nomadic herders.
When the Chinese arrived in Tibet in 1950, the young Dali Lama and his government tried to work out a comprimise with Mao that would have preserved autonomy for Tibet within the framework of the People's Republic of China. Initially, China agreed to keep Buddhism and the monastic ruling order together. Eventually, however, China reversed this decision - forcing the Dali Lama into exile in India.
Today, there is growing desire around the world for China to remove itself from Tibet and to give back the country to its indigenous peoples. Resources and organizations working towards this include:
Official Website of the Tibetan Government in Exile
Tibet Online: Resources for Films, Books, and Other Information
Chinese View on Tibet
Office of Tibet
241 E. 32nd Street
New York, NY 10016
Department of Information and International Relations
Gangchen Kyishong
Dharamsala 176215, H.P.
India
Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies
Sarnath
Varanasi, U.P.
India 221 007
Library of Tibetan Works and Archives
Central Tibetan Secretariat
Gangchen Kyishong
Dharamsala 176215, H.P.
India
International Campaign for Tibet
1825 K Street, NW, Suite 520
Washington, DC 20006
Further Reading
Tsering Shakya. (2000). The Dragon in the Land of Snows: A History of Modern Tibet Since 1947. New York, NY: Penguin.
Samten G. Karmay; and Jeff Watt, eds. (2008). Bon: The Magic Word: The Indigenous Religion of Tibet. New York, NY: Philip Wilson.
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