Künpen Tamsar

Spring-Summer 2010 KÜNPEN TAMSAR

Trace Foundation’s Quarterly Newsletter KÜNPEN TAMSAR

Trace Foundation’s Quarterly Newsletter

Paola Vanzo, Editor-in-Chief Peter Wiegand, Editor, Writer & Layout Wendy D’Amico, Editor & Writer Irma Orlandi, Writer Khamtsoji Translator Tenpa Translator Thupten Gonpo Translator Wangxiu Cuo Translator Kristina Dy-Liacco, Proofreader Jeremy Burke, Proofreader Tenzin Gelek, Proofreader Kunsang Gya, Proofreader

Stephanie Johnston, Layout and Design

Thank you to our contributors Michael Eigen, Sienna Craig, and Kabir Heimsath

Trace Foundation Board Andrea E. Soros Eric Colombel

Executive Director Enrico Dell’Angelo

Trace Foundation 132 Perry St. Suite 2B New York, NY 10014

Unless otherwise noted all contents and photos ©Trace Foundation, 2010. Neither may be reproduced in any way without permission from Trace Foundation. For more information contact [email protected]. Künpen Tamsar is published quarterly by Trace Foundation, in Tibetan, Chinese, and English. An electronic version of this newsletter may be found at www.trace.org/tamsar.html Note on Transcription System Used: All Trace Foundation publications use The Himalayan Library (THL) Simplified Phonetic Transcription of Standard Tibetan for Tibetan terms that appear in our English-language articles. More information on this transliteration system can be found under the “Reference” tab at www.thlib.org In cases where Chinese and Tibetan names exist, the Tibetan is used with the Pinyin in parentheses— e.g., Lhoka (Shan- nan). For the sake of simplicity, where Tibetan names are only transliterations of Chinese names, the Tibetan has been dropped (e.g., Sichuan, not Sitrön). Where Chinese names are transliterations of Tibetan names, the Pinyin has been dropped (e.g., Nakchu, not Naqu). In some cases Pinyin or non-THL Tibetan is used for Tibetan names where Tibetan names were unavailable or, in the case of personal names, when an individual has become well-known under another spelling. from the executive director

Here at Trace Foundation, we talk a great deal about community. Whether it’s our work in the field, or our events and initiatives in New York, or even the attitude we attempt to foster amongst our staff, community lies at the heart of all our efforts. I am reminded of this as we launch Künpen Tamsar, our new quarterly newsletter. Künpen Tamsar might best be translated from Tibetan as “news from Trace”—künpen ( ), meaning beneficial to all, being the Tibetan ʹན་ཕན། name for Trace Foundation, tam ( ), meaning news or reports, and sar གཏམ། ( ), meaning new. This does not mean, however, that in the following pagesགསར། you will find a simple report of our achievements in the past six months. What you will find are the sto- 1 ries of the incredible places where and people with whom we work. From an audience member at an event held in New York, to the convener of a conference supported by Trace Foundation, to one of our research fellows, you will also hear the voices of several members of our community. This newsletter is, and will remain, a work in progress, and it is a work that we invite you to join us on. Whether it is a photo, a comment on how we’re doing, or a full article, with Künpen Tamsar we hope to create a space where the myriad voices of our community can be heard, where ideas can be shared, and where we can all learn something new. We look forward to hearing from you,

Enrico Dell’Angelo

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 this quarter at-a-glance

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 features

6 On the Road with Pema Tseden The director of The Search, the first film made entirely with a Tibetan cast and crew, shares his thoughts on Tibetan culture and making movies on the roof of the world.

10 Chanting Down the Gods In a demonstration of Tibet’s ritual music at Latse Library, Michael Eigen finds a unique offering.

13 Searching for Common Ground At the latest event in Trace Foundation’s first Lecture Series, Minority Language in Today’s Global Society, some speakers seek a basis for a standard Tibetan language, while others warn of the dangers along the way.

18 Cultivating Traditions between the Local and the Global With its first congress in a Himalayan city, the 7th Congress of the International Association for the Study of Traditional Asian Medicines (IASTAM) breaks new ground and, for convener Sienna Craig, brings out the true meaning of lineage. 3 22 Reviving Tibetan Medicine Two students from Trace Foundation’s Traditional Tibetan Medicine Project bring high-quality healthcare to one of the most isolated parts of the eastern Tibet Autonomous Region.

28 An Education A middle-school teacher from Qinghai flies halfway around the world to learn how to be a better teacher for her students.

39 Working Culture For one intern, working at Trace Foundation offers a unique opportunity to learn more about his own culture.

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 this quarter at-a-glance

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 columns

16 Postcards from the Field The Urban Space of Lhasa Trace Foundation Research Fellows check in from around the globe to share their latest findings

32 Profile Jigme Gyaltsen A quarterly conversation with an individual working towards the social and cultural development of Tibetan communities

34 Pakéling Pakéling So you know your ka kha ga ngas, now each quarter you can learn a new Tibetan phrase, along with its meaning and etymology

35 Around Town Gods, Redrawn The latest events, exhibitions, and more from our friends around the corner, and across the plateau

36 Library Corner The Bhutanese Collection The collection at Latse Library is growing all the time, read about what’s new in the Library 5 37 Web Bytes The latest tools, resources, and more available on www.trace.org

38 in the pipeline The Maraini Collection Find out about the latest projects in development and everything else we can’t wait to share

announcements

31 Enhancement Internship Program

41 Trace supported publications available backcover: yülshül Earthquake Update uPcoming deadlines

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 on the road with pema tseden

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 The low brown hills stretch on the 1930s, it would be nearly eighty for miles under a clear blue sky. In years before the first Tibetan-made the distance an SUV struggles along film, Tseden’s first featureThe a dirt road, snaking through clus- Silent Mani Stones (2005), would ters of low mud brick huts, next to be released. Although this can be a winding muddy river. This is the considered a significant point of 7 opening of The Search, the second progress for the region, Tseden feels feature length film by Tibetan film- this can hardly be considered a posi- maker Pema Tseden, and the first tive landmark as “it took 100 years feature film to be shot entirely with for a film that really reflects Tibetan a Tibetan cast and crew. Through life to appear.” the next two hours Tseden leads That an authentic representation of his viewers on a journey through Tibetan culture should be Tseden’s a region of China rarely seen by goal is, perhaps, no surprise. One of outsiders. three children born to nomadic par- Born and raised in Trika (Guide) ents on the high pastures of Qinghai County in Qinghai Province, Tseden Province, Pema Tseden was the only reveals his homeland—and more one to have completed his educa- importantly, its contemporary social tion. “From a young age,” he says, life—in a uniquely authentic way. His “I studied Tibetan culture. Everything latest production, The Search, dem- from my elementary to university onstrates Tseden’s disenchantment education has been about Tibetan with the exoticization of Tibet in film. culture.” In 2005, as China celebrated one Though Tseden had enjoyed films hundred years of film history, Tibet’s since childhood, particularly the had only begun to surface. Though slapstick comedies of Charlie Chaplin the diaries of British missions to that had been so popular in the Tibet record the existence of a few Barkhor, it never occurred to him projectors and film cameras in Tibet, that he might one day become a and the wild popularity of Charlie filmmaker himself. Initially, like many Chaplin in the Barkhor as early as other young Tibetans, a literature

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 and language student, Tseden’s path idea that it would change his life. it would be good to see someone to becoming a filmmaker has been During his second year as a gradu- who has lived and experienced anything but direct, leading him ate student in Lanzhou, Tseden first that culture himself make a movie through teaching, writing and aca- learned of the Beijing Film Academy, representing that real experience. demic research. the prestigious institution that has Everyone shared that view.” Lacking turned out some of China’s most the financial means however, Tseden After graduating from Tsolho (Hainan) successful filmmakers including Chen had little hope of attending the Nationalities’ Normal College in Kaige, Jia Zhangke, Zhang Yimou, academy. Chabcha, Tseden taught for four and Tian Zhuangzhuang, who would years in his hometown. He later “In 2000 I heard about Trace provide key production support for went on to Lanzhou to Northwest Foundation through some of my The Search. Nationalities University (NNU) to friends who worked there,” he says. obtain further training, before return- “My friends and I had all seen many “At that time not many people knew ing home to work for five more movies on Tibetan culture. However, about Trace Foundation’s grants years. When an opportunity emerged most of these movies don’t portray and scholarships.” In 2002, Tseden to return to NNU for two years as Tibetan culture, the way of life and applied for a scholarship through a graduate student Tseden had no value systems properly. We felt that Trace Foundation with the intention

 We felt that it would be good to see someone who has lived and experienced that culture himself make a movie representing that real experience. 

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 of studying filmmaking. Excited by from Lost Horizon and The Serf to cold of Amdo winters can take their Tseden’s qualifications as a student the modern day. For these reasons, toll not only on the actors and crew, and a teacher and by the prospect Tseden says he has “intentionally but also on equipment and film, of supporting the first Tibetan film- avoided succumbing to [foreign] which can’t be allowed to freeze, maker to attend the Beijing Film images...and emphasizes on reflect- one reason Tseden uses a digital Academy, Trace Foundation approved ing the basic conditions of people in camera. Filmmakers in Tibet can the application. Tibet as well as their basic emotional also face difficulties raising funds life.” But, in a culture facing such for authentic Tibetan films, due to a In his first two years at the acad- rapid changes this task is anything relatively small Tibetan audience and emy Pema Tseden produced two but basic. difficulties accessing them through short movies, The Grassland and The distribution channels. Silent Mani Stones, which was later For Tseden, film is the ideal medium expanded to a full-length feature of for capturing the changes that are Additionally there is a severe lack the same name. These first shorts taking place in Tibetan culture, not of trained actors. This lack, how- were internationally recognized and just for outsiders, but for Tibetans as ever, has produced a significant side awarded. well. “For me,” he asserts, “I want to effect. “In my movies,” Tseden says, create a new system of culture. Films “life in a monastery, and life in a In 2006 Tseden returned to the are a medium of the new modern village are portrayed according to my Beijing Film Academy to focus on culture. But this is a new form of art childhood experiences. Even though directing. Shortly thereafter he com- in Tibet. So, be it exhibiting Tibetan they’re a fictional reflection of my menced work on The Search (2009), culture, contemporary Tibetan life- experiences, the emotional depth in his most acclaimed work to date. styles or traditional Tibetan wisdom, them, the life of a monk in a monas- This film-within-a-film narrates a the art of filmmaking should become tery, or a villager’s preparation and Tibetan director’s quest to find actors the basic system of presenting the celebration of the Tibetan New Year, to star in a movie based on the tra- contemporary culture.” they’re almost all real.” ditional Tibetan opera Prince Drimé Künden, about a young prince who While contemporary culture is his These challenges, and the rich 9 sacrifices everything—even his eyes— focus, he is not above borrowing rewards of his efforts, have only to help others. On his journey the a metaphor from the traditional encouraged Tseden to strive harder director comes face-to-face not only Tibetan arts. “For my second movie, in his exploration of contemporary with the rapid changes occurring The Search, I have applied the same Tibetan society. Between traditional across the Tibetan plateau but also logic of painting and storytelling and contemporary arts, Tseden with immutable aspects of Tibetan employed in a traditional thangka… creates a unique portrait of an ever- culture, what Tseden calls “the [where] many stories, like the lives changing Tibet. He will not resign as fundamental principle of Buddhism of the Buddha, can be expressed in a the filmmaker who launched Tibetan in Tibet.” single painting.” Accordingly, the film cinema, but will continue to pursue is full of extended wide shots and his role as his Tibet’s premier cin- Like all his works, The Search focuses the environment the characters are ematic voice. on “contemporary Tibet.” Tseden in is often more important than their stresses this point as he believes facial expressions. This unique style the global audience is too often reveals both human conditions and unfamiliar with Tibet as an evolving relationships in the new Tibet while culture. “Tibet has always been my leaving the precise meaning of any theme,” he says. “The perception of shot open to interpretation. To see the full interview, visit: Tibet in the eyes of people who don’t www.trace.org/PemaTseden.html know Tibet well has not changed” Filmmaking in Tibetan areas of China from the politicized and romanticized is not, however, without its chal- films made in the West and in China: lenges. The rugged terrain and biting

Pema Tseden at our event, Behind the Camera: Tibetan Filmmakers Discuss Their Art.

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 chanting down the gods by Michael Eigen

How lucky I feel to have learned about rhythmic or tonal series. When I the musical event given by Phursang heard this I thought not only of the Kelak Lama and Michael Monhart series of sounds in a bird’s repeti- at Trace Foundation’s Latse Library, tive song, but of John Dewey’s and Saturday, June 12. The color, purity, Alfred North Whitehead’s description and devotion of the music turned a of aesthetic and feeling time—the demonstration into an offering. experiential sequence one goes through in viewing a work of art or The performance began with long going through a particular feeling bronze trumpets (dungchen), but state, an experiential arc rather than to say “trumpet” can be mislead- clock time. ing. These were not the short horns a Westerner is used to seeing, but For the final demonstration, very long ceremonial instruments Phursang Lama chanted and played that touched or nearly touched cymbals and Michael played a drum. the floor when placed to lips in a The chant was deep voiced and the seated position. The sound was very cymbals were touched in a way that deep, reminiscent of deep chant- ended in something of a quiver, a ing. What seemed repetitive had light, barely perceptible flutter which subtle variations in rhythm and tone, gave me shivers. a semi-percussive use of a wind The question-answer and interview instrument.  The sounds were at once stabilizing, mysterious, opening. They seemed to come from beyond the self and, paradoxically, their gravelly sounds dispelled the fog.  The second instrument played was time was revealing. When asked what the gyaling, a reed instrument some- he felt when he played, Phursang thing like an oboe, which was also Lama said he was trying to make called a flute. It was higher pitched, sounds pleasing to the buddhas and insistent, more yang, foreground, in bodhisattvas. He pointed to his ear, your face, a wake up call. At first I suggesting aural pleasure, fine attun- thought it would be grating but it ement. He pictured deities, angels, was deeply pleasing, sharp, stimulat- buddhas and bodhisattvas and the ing. I thought of a child’s voice and pleasure this music might give them. the high pitched sound of birds. The When asked about the bardo—the Phursang Kelak Lama and Michael Mon- gyaling resonated in my chest, the period in Tibetan Buddhist thought hart playing the gyaling. dungchen someplace deeper in my between death and rebirth— he body or deeper than my body. spoke of the music as preparation, accumulating merits, but also allaying We learned that a note in Tibetan fear, so that in bardo one would not ritual music is like a phrase, a be afraid and could hear the Buddhas Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 and Bodhisattvas’ singing. glissandos or a player varying tones sound (the gyaling) fused with very slightly as feeling dictates. Electronic low sounds (dungchen) in off-tonal Phursang Lama spoke of the cer- music opens realms between the modes. I couldn’t help wondering if emonial and celebratory use of the single notes. Sometimes a player Tibetan ritual music channeled this, music, played when important peo- or composer hits an off tone that is tuned into it, or whether the coinci- ple visited the monastery, as well as particularly suggestive, tantalizing, dence is part of deep processes of usual ritual use. One person asked juicy, eerie, mysterious, delicate. The which we have intimations. if new ritual music was being writ- Tibetan music we heard seemed to ten and Phursang Lama said no: he My favorite parts of the Latse con- emphasize between moments, off played traditional music. Throughout cert were the trumpets, cymbals and tones which open fields of experi- the afternoon, he read from musical chants. The trumpets, especially, ence otherwise closed. I was struck scores. A slight disagreement arose touched me in unknown places by what seemed like home base as to whether one of the instruments hungry for touch. The sounds were at tones becoming staging grounds had roots in India or China. Phursang once stabilizing, mysterious, opening. for quivering variations, vibrations, Lama thought China and a man They seemed to come from beyond tremolos that open dormant body from the audience suggested India. the self and, paradoxically, their states. At times, I felt my body was Phursang Lama raised his hands gravelly sounds dispelled the fog. being retuned, kind of a spiritual to his head and kept them there The cymbals, which usually clang and acupuncture. quietly. make loud sounds, were used as a On a radio show I happened to tune delicate instrument, almost silken, Most western music is based on into a few weeks ago, I heard what creating ripples, nuanced currents, diachronic or chromatic tones. You a scientist claimed was a computer which made my spine and inside skin move whole or half steps between representation of the background tingle. Tibetan chanting I’ve heard well defined single notes. There are sound of the universe. A high pitched before, always enchanting and much ways of trying to get around this, via 11

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 list of talks at Latse more. Trumpets played first, chants last, but fused deep inside. It’s january always good to hear the real thing. Aspects of Culture in 11th Century Tsongkha. Tseten Dorjé (Editor, Tsernyek journal) Phursang Kelak entered a monastery in Tibet when he was thirteen. february Apparently it was not uncommon Life of a Sakya Khön daughter: Jetsün Kushok Chimey to do that for education. By his late Luding. Elisabeth Benard (University of Puget Sound) teens his musical studies began, march and continued ever since, five or six Behind the Camera: Tibetan Filmmakers Discuss Their Art. decades later. He left Tibet with other Pema Tseden (The Silent Mani Stones, The Search) and senior lamas in 1959 and settled Rigdan Gyatso (The Girl Lhari). in Kathmandu, where he is currently ritual music director of Karma april Raj Mahavihar, a Kagyu monastery Drangchar: the Life and Times of a Leading Tibetan Literary located at Swayambhu. Magazine. Dawa Lodrö (Drangchar Editor-in-Chief) He and Michael Monhart met at the may University of Washington, where Tibet’s First Modern Artist. Donald S. Lopez (University of Phursang Kelak Lama taught Tibetan Michigan) ritual music for two years and where Michael received a Masters june of Arts in Ethnomusicology, spe- Trumpet Blasts, Cymbals & Chants: The Ritual Music of Ti- cializing in ritual musics of Tibet betan Buddhism. Phursang Kelak Lama (Karma Raj Mahavi- and Japan. Michael then worked in har, Nepal) with Michael Monhart (Columbia University) the multimedia education depart- july ment at Microsoft for 12 years and is presently a Master of Arts stu- Breaking the Line: Examining New Ideas for Written dent in Tibetan Studies at Columbia Tibetan. With Tenzin Dickyi, Lama Pema Wangdak and Dhondup Tashi. University. Meeting Phursang Kelak Lama and Michael Monhart was a perfect end for this wonderful afternoon. Although we had a language barrier, Phursang Lama touched my hand and my core with his gentle, warm, strong face. It was a pleasure to exchange a few words with Michael about the music. He is an accom- plished saxophonist and creative musician in his own right, a dedicated translator of Buddhist work, deeply immersed in Tibetan studies. I don’t see how the buddhas, bodhisattvas and deities could fail to be pleased by what Phursang Lama and Michael offered us.

Michael Eigen, PhD, is a practicing psychologist and the author of Flames from the Unconscious: Trauma, Madness and Faith, Feeling Matters and The Psychoanalytic Mystic. Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 searching for common ground On Friday and Saturday, March 26th – 27th, Trace Foundation convened the fourth event in our first Lecture Series, Minority Language in Today’s Global Society. The two day event examined different perspectives on the standardization of written and spoken languages. The series, hosted in New York City, brings together speakers from diverse national and disciplinary backgrounds to share experiences and examine themes such as language endangerment, mother tongue education, language planning, language vitality assessment, and more. The proceedings will be published after the series conclusion in 2010.

Geshe Nornang, a speaker at Perspectives Tibetan language is closely tied Tibet, Kham, and Amdo. In the eighth on Language Standardization advocated to the extraordinary culture and his- century however, a single language 13 in favor of a return to classical Tibetan tory of the Tibetan civilization. It is a united by a common religion and pronunciation. language with a rich literary heritage writing system stretched across and has a unique position in the this area, from Eastern Pakistan, history of world literatures due to its to Western Sichuan and Gansu central role in the development and Provinces. While the written language transmission of Buddhism and Bön. has remained relatively stable due to its close ties to Tibetan Buddhism, Today, Tibetan is comprised of six today, more than twelve centuries major dialect groups, spread across since the creation of a standard the Tibetan plateau. The three largest writing system, speakers who belong dialect groups are those of Central to the different dialect groups frequently find it difficult to communicate amongst themselves. Tibet’s linguistic pluralism is a direct reflection of the region’s vastness and rugged topography. Tibetan’s linguistic diversity has greatly contributed to the unique customs and traditions of the various regions of the Tibetan plateau, but when these differences obstruct the basic need for communication, Tibetans are faced with both internal and external challenges.

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 For much of human history, the emerged within Tibetan intellectual arise especially between Tibetan and situation currently faced by Tibetan circles, but significant differences non-Tibetan linguists, whose meth- language has been the rule, rather exist as to what should be the basis ods differ from their common goal than the exception for languages in for a standard Tibetan language. of facilitating intra and inter-regional general. In just the past few centuries communication amongst the inhabit- To evaluate this emerging discussion the rise of state education systems ants of the Tibetan plateau. as well as the risks and benefits of and the tremendous growth in busi- standardizing languages in gen- Tibetan speakers presented conserva- ness, transportation, and media eral, we brought together David tive, innovative, and representative networks have given way to standard Bradley, Jamga, Miklós Kontra, Dawa approaches to the standardization languages, simplifying commercial and Lodrö, Geshe Nornang, and Jaffer of Tibetan language. Geshe Nornang, cultural transactions across vast areas. Sheyholislami. In presentations over for example, a retired lecturer at The pattern is being repeated on the course of the two day confer- the Asian Language and Literature the Tibetan plateau with the rapid ence, they shared their research and department from the University of growth of infrastructure and the experience working with different Washington, proposes a return to rise of advanced communications communities. traditional Tibetan pronunciation as technologies in the last few decades. an effective way to reintroduce a While many Tibetans today look posi- Today, speakers of various Tibetan common regional language, without tively on standardization, the way dialects are coming increasingly into risking linguistic injustices. By promot- in which Tibetan language should be contact with one another. Driven by ing cultural seniority as opposed to standardized—as well as the possible these ever more frequent interac- cultural superiority, he believes that repercussions of that process— tions, a strong desire to formulate re-embracing the Tibetan pronuncia- causes debate. Questions of identity, a standard Tibetan language has tion preserved in the written language communication, and cultural unity could eventually reduce the differences between the language’s written and spoken forms. Although there can often be what David Bradley refers to as “tension” between the two forms of language, Tibet’s thirteen- hundred year old standard writing system could serve as a common base of history and tradition, in the Dawa Lodrö, editor-in-chief of the Tibetan face of the region’s cultural diversity literary magazine Drangchar, argued in and its population’s wide geographic favor of the creation of a standard Tibetan informed by current scholarship. distribution. While Geshe Nornang’s proposal addresses one part of the standardization process, it does not address the ever-growing need for new Jaffer Sheyholislami shared the trials of standard terms in Tibetan language. language standardization amongst the Secretary General of the National Kurds in the Middle-East. Tibetan Language Terminology Standardization Work Committee in Beijing, Jamga, explains how new ideas call for the creation of new terms, and proposes standardizing Tibetan pronunciation and terminolo- gies, as opposed to the language as a whole. The thirteen-hundred

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 year-old written language lacks are not. This can lead to linguistic negate regional heritage through terminology related to the modern disparity and, eventually regional means of the supposed cultural sciences, technology, and contem- exclusion, as has been the case for superiority which often attends the porary society. Without standard Hungarian, Kurdish, and other Tibeto- standard language. terms fostering education, research, Burman languages. This social fallout from the standard- and even simple discussion of these Professor David Bradley, of La Trobe ization process can have powerful fundamentals of modern life proves University in Australia, emphasized effects on the community, particu- difficult to impossible. the particular role that religion has larly on speakers of non-standard Hoping to achieve both the standard- played in stabilizing the written language varieties. Language, accord- ized terminology and pronunciation variety of Tibetan, and the tension ing to Jaffer Sheyholislami, is not advocated by both Jamga and Geshe that can arise between modern spo- only a central element in personal Nornang, Dawa Lodrö, editor-in-chief ken varieties and an archaic literary and cultural identity, but also both of Drangchar Magazine, advocated for variety of such importance. For such a collective and individual right. a scholarly effort to produce a stan- languages, he asserted, script reform Viewed from such a perspective the dard language. Combining research can be particularly contentious, and challenges of standardization take on undertaken by Tibetan linguists with the risk for standardization efforts in a new dimension. a panel of scholars representing the general is its ability to create greater Cultural exclusion, internal division, varieties of spoken Tibetan, Dawa internal division. and linguistic discrimination seem Lodrö believes that an intellectual Applied Linguist Miklós Kontra from to be embedded in the very process consensus could provide a founda- the University of Szeged in Hungary, of language standardization, yet a tion for standardization efforts. more fully explored the social common language holds the promise While most Tibetan-speakers present implications of standardized lan- of simplified and increased exchange advocated for the formulation of a guages. He described how linguicism, within and across Tibetan regions. As standard language, the non-Tibetan discrimination against other linguistic the conversation on the standardiza- linguists argued that although stan- varieties, can emerge, and in some tion of Tibetan language continues 15 dardization is often looked to as a cases produce “linguistic hierarchiza- to evolve the risks and benefits means to revitalize a culture, the tion,” a ranked system of languages must be weighed in turn and always path to standardization is fraught based on their cultural importance the people for whom Tibetan is with challenges and risks. Adopting or status. Linguistic purism, a strict not merely a language, but a key a single language—regardless of its determination of correct and incor- element of their individual identity provenience—implies that that variety rect ways of speaking based on a must be considered. is the correct one, and all other ones normative standard, can further

Upcoming Lecture Series Interdependent Diversities: The Relationship between Language, Culture, and Ecology Friday, September 24 (6 - 8 pm) Saturday, September 25 (10 am - 5 pm) Each language is a unique key to a community’s world view and culture and plays a central role in transmitting historically-developed knowledge about specific, biologically-diverse environments. There is an increasing awareness and recognition of linguistic, cultural, and biodiversity as inter-related and mutually supporting aspects of the diversity of life. As such, the crises affecting these aspects—from biological extinction to disappearing languages—appear to converge and even drive each other on. Understanding the integrated nature of these crises is essential to working towards solutions. As part of the UN-declared International Year of Biodiversity, on Friday and Saturday, September 24th and 25th, 2010, Trace Foundation will convene the fifth lecture in its lecture series Minority Languages in Today’s Global Society. In this event, we will examine the relationship between linguistic, cultural, and biological diversity from the perspectives of traditional land use, livelihoods, and medical knowledge. For more information vist www.trace.org/events.html

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 postcards from the field the urban space of lhasa by KAbir Heimsath

I am interested in the role of city important in these towns, but each of mastiff puppies while slurping their space in the modernisation of Tibetan in its own way serves as a node Muslim noodles. The fancy street- areas of China. My research concen- of modernity within a predomi- lights in Kyigudo don’t actually work trates on the built environment as it nately rural area. The urban form in the evening but this doesn’t stop relates to the lifestyles and cultural exerts similar pressures towards nomads from stumbling around the affinities of city residents. Although professionalisation, commodifica- main square under protection of the my project concentrates on Lhasa, tion and standardisation regardless massive new Gesar statue. Somehow it was essential for me to view and of location. However, local habits, it seems like those from Nangchen make comparisons with other urban lifestyles, and priorities seem to walk differently than those from centres in Tibetan areas of China to assert themselves despite attempts Zatok, but it is hard to explain how. get a better sense of the way in which at regularisation, development or In Gyeltang, a.k.a Zhongdian, now urban development affects cultural control. Appearances are always called “Shangri-la,” young women space. The Trace Foundation Research deceptive, but small things betray from Shenzhen dress up in Naxi dress Fellowship allowed me to travel to larger patterns. and say that they are “Tibetan” while Xining, Kyigudo (Yushu), Kunming selling jewellery made in Nepal. The The concrete high-rises that look so and Gyeltang (Shangri-la), as well as old buildings were built last year and cold and grey from the Xining railway return to Lhasa to check on a variety the new buildings are already falling station hold bustling noodle restau- of planned (and unplanned) develop- apart. Lhasa, of course, is “lha’i-sa”— rants in which Tibetans from all over ment zones. the place of gods—and we come from Amdo converge to discuss the new all over the world searching for this Differences in scale are clearly Hollywood blockbuster and the price

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 Losar in Barkhor Square, Lhasa Photo © Kabir Mansingh Heimsath

Applications for the 2011-2012 Trace Foundation Research Fellowship are now being accepted. The deadline for applications is November 1st, 2010.

The research fellowship is a program for professionals, scholars, and artists with the goal of supporting the ad- vancement of knowledge in the fields of social sciences, humanities, and the sciences. The program supports work 17 contributing to understanding the complexities of the ongoing modernization process in the Tibetan areas of China and aims to eventually contribute to the identification of sustainable and culturally relevant development models.

Fellowships are up to 12 months in duration for research celestial sphere only to find Tibetans conducted within China or abroad, or a combination of sending their prayers with plastic bal- both. loons off to some other realm. The tempo of change in these This year we are giving priority to individuals working on towns is disorienting. It is not only the following topics: “Chinese” and “Tibetan” differences, but a range of habits, lifestyles, and • Challenges of traditional animal husbandry and customs from different Tibetan areas agricultural economies on the Tibetan Plateau; and different social classes combine • Tibetan language issues; with a variety of national and global • Environmental protection; • Local histories; influences to make these supposedly • Minority education. isolated areas centers of cultural hybridity and change. For more details including a list of topics research by previous fellows, and application criteria and procedures please visit Kabir Mansingh Heimsath was awarded a Trace Research Fellowship in 2009 to com- http://www.trace.org/grsupport/grsupport_fellowships.html plete partial fieldwork for his DPhil thesis on “The Urban Space of Lhasa” in social anthropology at the University of Oxford.

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 cultivating traditions between the local and the global

Reflections on the 7th Congress of the International Association for the Study of Traditional Asian Medicines (IASTAM), Thimphu, Bhutan, September 7-11, 2009. by Sienna R. Craig (Dartmouth College)

Founded in 1979 by the medical All of this changed last year, when anthropologist Charles Leslie and the 7th IASTAM congress was held in the historian Arthur Llewellyn (A.L.) Thimphu, Bhutan. Not only was this Basham, the International Association the largest international conference for the Study of Traditional Asian to ever be held in the Himalayan Medicine (IASTAM) represents a Kingdom, but it was also the first unique vision of bringing academics IASTAM event that thoroughly and practitioners of Asian medical embraced and represented schol- traditions into dialogue with each ars and practitioners of Sowarikpa, other. The organization’s mission is to the “science of healing” practiced promote the study and cross-cultural and studied in its diverse forms understanding of Asian medicines across the sweep of High Asia and from a variety of disciplinary perspec- beyond, and known in the host- tives, and to do so in a way that not ing Land of the Dragon (Drukyul) only honors but also embraces the as “Buddhist Medicine.” More than sometimes-difficult task of reckoning 200 people attended this congress, the world of reflection and critique which was held in the Royal Institute with that of engagement and prac- of Management (RIM) on the west- tice. IASTAM’s previous congresses ern outskirts of Bhutan’s capital, have been held in places as diverse Thimphu, and hosted by the Institute as Canberra (1979), Bombay (1990), for Traditional Medicine Services, and Austin (2006), but until last year, Ministry of Health, Government of never had a Congress been held in Bhutan. The event was covered by all a Himalayan country. Likewise, while major Bhutanese newspapers, and one can find the occasional paper or was also featured on regional televi- reference to Tibetan medicine among sion and radio. the listings of abstracts from previ- The congress brought together not ous international congresses, neither only scholars and practitioners of An offering of chang at the Opening scholarly nor practitioner perspec- Tibetan, Himalayan, East Asian and Ceremony of the 7th Congress of IASTAM tives on Tibetan medicine and related (courtesy of IASTAM) © Meinrad Hofer. South Asian healing systems, but also themes of Tibetan and Himalayan social entrepreneurs, civil servants, civilizations have been prominent in and representatives of global busi- the history of the organization. nesses engaged in the commercial Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 sale of Asia-derived medicinal methodological approaches in the dialogue between medicine in Amdo products. Students of Asian medical schedule, from history, anthropol- and Korea, situated as they are on traditions—including those from the ogy, philology, law and religion to opposite margins of Chinese culture local Bhutanese Traditional Medical literature, art history, gender studies, and civilization, and a panel on College—were present and engaged and Asian medical and biomedical women and gender in medicine and in the conference. This international practices. healing across Asia, which included gathering was also an opportunity for important contributions by Tibetan Particularly salient from a Tibetan other Bhutanese students (e.g. those women practitioners and topics Studies perspective were several from the Languages and Cultures related to Tibetan women’s health. panels that were conducted entirely Program of the Royal University) to Denise Glover and I organized a large in Tibetan language, and that were see world-class scholarly and profes- panel on the themes of conservation, devoted to issues of practice as well sional presentations. This mélange cultivation, and commercialization as textual studies, including a large of perspectives owed a lot to the of Himalayan and Tibetan medicinal panel devoted to Bön medicine and theme of this congress: Cultivating plants, which drew from practitioners a panel on the relationship between Traditions and the Challenges of and producers of Tibetan medicines ritual healing and textual practices Globalization. During our five days as well as anthropological, legal, and in Tibetan contexts. Tibetan studies together in Thimpu, many unique and social entrepreneurial perspectives. perspectives were also prominent innovative conversations were had in more thematic panels on top- As someone who has been collabo- between scholars, scientists, policy- ics such as longevity practices, rating with practitioners of Tibetan makers and practitioners. Compared medical pluralism, and public health, medicine for more than a decade in with previous congresses, there was while some scholars ventured into different national contexts (primarily a growth in the range of topics and comparative discussions such as a Nepal and Tibetan areas of China),

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 this meeting felt particularly impor- care options and paths to wellness Attendees at IASTAM came from a range tant, given the pace at which Tibetan are sought. Those who teach and of medical traditions from across Asia medicine is changing at present. practice Tibetan medicine must at and around the world. © Meinrad Hofer Today, Tibetan medicine represents once be attentive to new models of multiple, and sometimes conflicting, learning and state-mandated licens- agendas. Tibetan medicines must at ing and certification requirements as once be proven efficacious and safe well as biomedical understandings of according to international biomedical health and disease, while striving to standards as well as appeal to non- retain, and sometimes even inno- Tibetan consumers. Sowarikpa must vate, traditional practices and modes retain a sense of cultural authenticity

 Sowarikpa must retain a sense of cultural authenticity and, at times, a direct connection to Tibetan Buddhism, yet also reflect innovation within the scientific tradition from which it emerges, and from biomedicine.  and, at times, a direct connection to of knowledge transmission. For these Tibetan Buddhism, yet also reflect and other reasons, the chance for innovation within the scientific such a well respected yet diverse tradition from which it emerges, and group of Sowaroikpa practitioners to from biomedicine. Tibetan medicines gather, learn from each other, and must be capable of treating illnesses discuss their work, was invaluable. A man in traditional Bhutanese dress in Tibetan communities, often in It is important to note that many reads the program of events at IASTAM’s places where health care is limited of these excellent panels, on which first congress in a Himalayan city in the and basic biomedical treatment is people from China, Nepal, India, and Association’s 30-year history. © Meinrad Hofer also unavailable. Yet these medicines Bhutan participated, would have are increasingly finding a market been impossible without gener- within non-Tibetan contexts in many ous support from Trace Foundation, countries where alternative health among other sponsors.

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 The days in Thimphu passed quickly turned to slick mud, impelling us to of this event I heard from friends the and memorably. I can still remem- hold hands, to help each other down next day, it was an unprecedented, ber the feeling of flying into the the mountain. and moving experience. The follow- airport in Paro: the verdant, mon- ing morning, I encountered a senior What I found most striking, though, soon soaked hills, the vertiginous Tibetan doctor at the book display. was participants’ sincere desire to turn toward a strip of runway at the This individual had spent the first half communicate, to bridge gaps of base of Himalayan mountain ranges. of his career in Lhasa, but was now culture or experience, and to come I also remember the cacophony of a prominent practitioner in India. His to know more about the diversity of languages on the plane and in the voice cracked as he told me about healing practices throughout Asia, conference setting. Both within the the previous evening, and his delight and, when it comes to Sowarikpa, formal contexts of panels and dis- in discovering that one of the young on both sides of the Himalayas. One cussion, and as participants milled Tibetan doctors from China whom I’d evening, most of the Tibetan amchi about in the lovely courtyard of RIM, helped to invite was the son of a dear and menpa (practitioners of Tibetan feasting on ema datse and sweet tea, friend of his, from his Lhasa days. medicines) in attendance gathered important connections were made “This,” he said in central Tibetan, “is together for dinner and shared stories and invaluable information was lineage.” I couldn’t agree more. late into the evening. By the account exchanged, here in Tibetan, there in Chinese, Nepali, Hindi, English, and The next IASTAM congress is slated for Fall 2013 in Seoul, Korea. lovely combinations of all of these. One of the highlights of the trip for Sienna R. Craig is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Dartmouth College as well as the me was an excursion a group of co-founder of Drokpa (www.drokpa.org). She is the author of Horses Like Lightning: A Story us took the day before the sched- of Passage Through the Himalayas (Wisdom Publications, 2008), Clear Sky, Red Earth: A uled panels began. We hiked up Himalayan Story (Mera Publications, 2004), and the co-editor (with Vincanne Adams and Medicine Between Science and Religion: Explorations on Tibetan Grounds to Taktsang, the famous “Tiger’s Mona Schrempf) of (Berghahn Books, 2010 forthcoming). Nest” monastery perched on the 21 craggy cliffs above Paro, where Guru Rinpoche was famed to have flown on the back of a tigress in the 8th The conference website can be accessed for reports, century. Among the group of pil- images and abstracts: http://www.iastam.org/conferences_ grims that afternoon was a doctor VII.htm. More information on IASTAM activities can be found at: http://www.iastam.org/home.htm. I’ve known for years who hails from Mustang, Nepal, the vice director of the largest Tibetan medical consor- tium in China, and various other scholars and friends. As we climbed up to the monastery, I delighted in overhearing conversations about the medicinal plants we were seeing, the lushness of Bhutan’s forests, comparative stories of medical practice, and practical discussions about future collaborations. By the time we reached the temple, high altitude sun had given way to omi- nous clouds. Soon, the rains came. We huddled together in the various temples (lhakhang), paying respects and delivering kathak from far-flung locales under the raucous sound of the downpour. By the time we began our descent, the red earth trail had Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 reviving tibetan medicine

In 2009, a study by the European known to Tibetan’s as Gyelmo Commission’s Joint Research Centre Ngulchu, or The Queen’s Sweat, and, and the World Bank revealed that aside from a few months in spring less than 10% of the earth’s land- the township is completely inac- mass is more than a two-day trip cessible. Due to the great distance from a city with a population of from the county school, only a few 50,000 or more. With the dramatic residents have achieved more than growth not only of the earth’s a sixth-grade education. In both population, but also of infrastructure Rongpo and Trido the relative isola- and technology in the last century tion has contributed to economic and a half, even the wildest places stagnation, and most resident’s left on earth are often in someone’s income falls short of the World backyard. Bank’s $1.25 a day poverty line. Of the most remote places remaining It is here, however, in this most on the planet, none surpasses the remote corner of the world that the Tibetan Plateau, the northern reaches seeds are being sown for the revival of which, according to the study, of one of the world’s great traditions, could take as long as a month to tra- Tibetan medicine. 23 verse. Part of this area lies in Nakchu The history of medicine on the Prefecture, in the northwest of the Tibetan plateau stretches back mil- Tibet Autonomous Region, and Sok lennia, but the origins of what is County, in the far east of the prefec- today practiced as Tibetan medicine ture, while far more accessible than were first synthesized during the the northernmost counties, remains Imperial period (7th – 9th centuries, one of the most isolated places on c.e.). Early in the seventh century, earth. Songtsen Gampo led the Yarlung Rongpo Town, in the northeast of the kingdom in southern Tibet to victory county is no exception. Lying at an over its neighbors, consolidating elevation of more than 3,700 meters power over much of the Tibetan (or about 2.3 miles, roughly ten Plateau. He then turned to the times the height of the Empire State conquest of neighboring peoples, Building), the town lies just off the a pursuit that would occupy his main route from Lhasa to Chamdo, successors until the collapse of but from there the road quickly gets the Yarlung dynasty in the ninth harder. The nearest of the town’s century. As the empire expanded, scattered villages is a two-day horse Tibetan expeditionary forces encoun- ride away. tered sophisticated and previously unknown cultural influences in Even more remote is Trido Township, neighboring territories, including in the southeast of the county. No areas of what are now India, China roads lead to Trido, which lies in and Pakistan. As reports of these a wide bend of the Salween River, encounters reached Lhasa, Songtsen

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 Gampo took an interest in ideas and Tibetan medicine, as well as instruc- manifestation of the sentient mind, technologies that could help him in tions on diagnosis and treatment, are Tibetan medicine relates illness to the administration of his empire. contained within a four part treatise the actions of the mind, and in par- known as the Four Tantras, or Gyüzhi ticular to the three poisons of greed, During this period medical schol- in Tibetan. Viewed by some within hatred and delusion. Practitioners of ars from India, China, and Persia the Buddhist tradition as a direct Tibetan medicine diagnose patients were first invited to the court of revelation by the Medicine Buddha, on the basis of an interview, urinaly- Songtsen Gampo. Over the course authorship of the Four Tantras is sis and an analysis of the twelve of the following decades Tibetan debated amongst scholars, though pulses. Focusing on the interrelation students trained under foreign medi- most agree that the current version between mind and body, treatments cal scholars, and medical treatises was composed in the twelfth century vary widely from proscriptions on were translated into Tibetan. During by Yuthok Yönten Gönpo the Younger. behavior, to moxibustion and herbal the reign of Trisong Detsen, his medicines. Tibetan herbal medicines grandson’s great-grandson, the first The Four Tantras lay out the philo- can be composed of as few as four medical conference in Tibetan history sophical foundations of Tibetan to as many as one-hundred-fifty was held at Samye, the first Buddhist medicine. Stemming from Buddhist herbs, minerals and animal parts, monastery built in Tibet. ideology, which views the body along and are usually given in the form of with the rest of the physical as a The philosophical foundations of a small, round, clay-covered pill.

 Hailing from Rongpo Town and Trido Township respectively, Trinlé and Künzang sought to bring medical care to areas where it no longer existed. 

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 For centuries knowledge of Tibetan In 1980, the social and economic medicine was passed primarily reforms meant to correct the from student to teacher through excesses of the Cultural Revolution lineages in a system parallel to the finally reached Tibet. Almost imme- transmission of Buddhism in Tibet. diately Tibetan medicine was singled In the 16th century, however, the out for the significant contribu- regent of the fifth Dalai Lama, Desi tion it could make to the state of Sangye Gyatso, established a Tibetan healthcare in Tibet while preserv- medicine college at Chakpori which, ing an important aspect of Tibetan for the next four-hundred years culture. Reforms, however, brought educated the doctors not only of the both benefits and new challenges to elite of Tibet, but also of the royal healthcare in Tibet. Collectivization courts of other Himalayan kingdoms, had reorganized the lives of rural including Bhutan. Tibetans around the commune. Communes provided healthcare The medical college at Chakpori was services, funded by the central finally succeeded in 1916 by the government. With the transition new Mentsikhang, founded by the to an increasingly market oriented personal doctor to the 13th Dalai economy in the 1990s, the costs Lama, Khyenrab Norbu. Where the of healthcare fell increasingly to graduates of the medical college at the provinces and prefectures, and Chakpori were primarily monks who, the patients themselves. Western for the most part, remained within medicine, however, is largely beyond their monasteries, offering medi- the relatively meager means of cal treatment to other monks, the rural Tibetans and, with the Tibetan Mentsikhang had a distinctly secular 25 medicine system still just beginning focus that would later allow it to its recovery, many Tibetans forego become an institutional center for medical treatment, seeking medical Tibetan medicine. During the early attention only after their condition years of the 1960s the leaders of the has become critical. Mentsikhang focused on modern- izing and secularizing the practice Despite increasing government sup- of Tibetan medicine, creating spe- port for Tibetan medicine, by 2000 cializations within the art, training the Tibet Autonomous Region had a doctors in a classroom setting with mere 500 beds in Tibetan-medicine Each graduate of Trace Foundation’s a standard curriculum, stock-piling hospitals and 1,100 formally trained Traditional Tibetan Medicine Project re- medicines and requiring doctors to Tibetan-medicine doctors, serving a ceived a starter set of medical supplies. wear the white lab coats worn by population well over two million. In Field practica helped Tibetan medicine Western doctors. rural Nakchu Prefecture, there were students recognize medicinal herbs in the only 113 Tibetan-medicine doctors Beginning in the mid-1960s however, wild. who had achieved the minimum Tibetan medicine increasingly fell certification (azhongzhuan degree, A clinic in Sok, built during the course out of official favor. During this time equivalent to a U.S. associate’s of Trace Foundation’s Traditional Tibetan both the teaching and the practice Medicine Project. degree) required to practice medi- of Tibetan medicine were forbidden cine. More than half of the medical across the majority of Tibetan areas, personnel in the prefecture had bringing to an end many of the received only short-term train- lineages of Tibetan-medicine training. Rongpo Town in Sok County had never ing, ranging from two weeks to six had a resident Tibetan medicine doc- By the early 1970s Tibetan medicine months. tor before Trinlé, a student from Trace was on the verge of completely Foundation’s Traditional Tibetan Medicine disappearing. Recognizing the dire state of health- Project, built a new clinic with a grant care in Tibetan communities, Trace from Trace.

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 stood out in particular. Hailing from Rongpo Town and Trido Township respectively, Trinlé and Künzang sought to bring medical care to areas where it no longer existed. Rongpo Town had never had a permanent doctor before and of Trido’s two Tibetan medicine doctors, one had passed away and the other, too old to continue practicing, had moved to Lhasa. With no local clinic to rely on, residents were forced to make the ninety-mile journey to the county seat, a journey of several hours over winding roads by car, or of several days on horseback. Sick Foundation began working to support patients often found the journey Instruments used in the practice of the tradition of Tibetan medicine impossible to make, and often the Tibetan medicine. in 1999 with a variety of initiatives most critically ill died along the way. across the Tibetan Plateau. In the Trinlé and Künzang joined the first Tibet Autonomous Region, Trace of Trace Foundation’s county-level sponsored a variety of initiatives, health worker trainings in 1999. but the Foundation’s efforts focused After completing the program, the on strengthening Tibetan medicine two received additional support and providing high-quality training from Trace to pursue the four-year for health workers who can in turn dazhuan degree at Lhasa Medical provide affordable, accessible health College. Although Trace was able care to rural communities. Focusing to secure positions for fully half of on clinic management, identifica- the students we supported at Lhasa tion and sustainable collection of Medical College, in 2004, after their medicinal herbs, documentation graduation, Trinlé and Künzang of practices, and basic healthcare elected to return home to the coun- worker training. The project ulti- tryside with only their education and  With no local clinic to rely on, residents were forced to make the ninety-mile journey to the county seat, a journey of several hours over winding roads by car, or of several days on horseback.  mately helped 72 students graduate a starting set of Tibetan medical sup- with zhongzhuan degrees and plies provided by Trace Foundation: another 52 to earn their dazhuan a selection of the most commonly (equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s used Tibetan herbal medicines, a degree). Nearly 80 additional stu- bag, and a set of instruments to dents received more than two years begin producing new medicines. of training in Tibetan medicine. Among the trainees, two students Trinlé returned to Rongpo where he

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 began practicing medicine out of a Tibetan medicines, the clinic would the potential for much-needed small room. Taking advantage of the provide free services to the poor self-sufficiency, Künzang applied training he had received in medicinal while investing in its own future for a grant in 2008 for machinery to herb recognition, Trinlé was able to development. Eager to see his vision produce Tibetan medicine. The medi- broker a deal to exchange herbs for realized, Trinlé turned once more to cines produced by the machinery not pills with the Sok County Tibetan Trace Foundation. In 2009, construc- only provide a source of income for Medicine Hospital, a strong sup- tion on the new clinic began with the clinic, which is now supporting porter of the Foundation’s efforts to support from Trace. two more students at Lhasa Medical improve healthcare. Despite ini- College, they ensure that even when In Trido, Künzang had also met with tial success, Trinlé still had bigger the township is cut off from the out- success. Through the support of the dreams. side world, basic healthcare is still local government and community, available. In 2005, while overseeing the con- Künzang was able to open a nine- struction of a new primary school, room clinic in Trido and recruit four Through the continuing efforts of Trace staff met up with Trinlé once doctors to work together with him. Trinlé and Künzang, and others like again. It was then that he described By collecting herbs from the sur- them, the millennia old traditions of his plans for a new clinic. This clinic rounding grasslands and buying Tibetan medicine are offering new would serve not only the residents additional plants from local residents hope for the future for rural resi- of his village, but also the residents in 2008 the clinic was able to pro- dents across the Tibetan plateau. of the surrounding villages. Relying duce sixty Tibetan medicines for the on the collection and manufacture of treatment of various illnesses. Seeing

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 an education

Sitting quietly at the end of made her mother promise that the long conference table in Trace Kelsang would go to school until she Foundation’s headquarters in New decided to drop out—at that time York, Kelsang Kyi nervously plays still the most common end to young with a few sheets of paper, shuf- Tibetans’ education. fling and bending them. When she Kelsang did not drop out. In July of finally speaks, her voice is clear and 1991 she became the first member surprisingly deep, with only a faint of her family to graduate from senior shadow of an accent. “It has been a middle school, which is roughly equiv- long process of learning and strug- alent to American high school. She gling to live in a new culture,” she continued her education in Repgong says, and indeed, it has. at the Malho Teachers’ College. After Kelsang Kyi was born in a small vil- graduating with her zhongzhuan (the lage in Chentsa County in the Malho minimum degree required for teach- (Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous er’s in the PRC) in English and Tibetan Prefecture, on the eastern edge she returned to her former primary of the Tibetan Plateau. Unlike the school to teach Tibetan, Chinese, regions to the immediate south and English, History and Geography. west, which are dominated by high From the beginning Kelsang was mountains and primarily populated eager to improve her teaching skills, by nomads, Chentsa County forms and soon began a three-year cor- part of a small patch of arable land respondence course to improve her centered on the provincial capital

 The most challenging part though is teaching your students how to become good people... 

Xining. Many of its residents are English. “At home,” she says “there employed in agriculture and Kelsang was little opportunity to practice is no different. “I’m a farmer’s English, so I mostly practiced by daughter,” she says, with a laugh reading, or recording my own voice that betrays an awareness of the and playing it back.” Still unsatis- cliché in English. fied with her language skills, she returned to school, enrolling at the “Growing up, women my age had Qinghai Teachers’ College in Xining On the eastern edges of the Tibetan Pla- few opportunities to get an educa- in 2001 to complete her benke teau the rugged landscape gives way to tion,” she says. “Girls had to stay (equivalent to a bachelor’s degree) rolling hills where farmers grow wheat, home to help with the work of the potatoes, and rapeseed. in English. Shortly thereafter she family. All my siblings are unedu- returned home to take up a new cated.” Kelsang’s father, however, position at the Chentsa County

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 Nationalities Middle School, where how to teach.” It was during this first Beijing,” she explained. Everything she soon became a head teacher. meeting that Kelsang also learned felt new and unfamiliar to her and about the international scholarships she dearly missed her family and the Chentsa County Nationalities Middle provided by Trace Foundation, which tight-knit community of her home- School is a boarding school com- would eventually bring her to the US. town. “I kept thinking: I can’t do it; I prised primarily of the children of want to go home. I cried a lot.” But, nomads and farmers whose homes Kelsang applied for the scholar- she stayed, and in September of that are far from the school. As a head ship in 2006 to pursue a Masters year, began her studies at SIT with a teacher, Kelsang was responsible of Arts in teaching English at the focus on language acquisition, teach- for her students day and night, and School for International Training ing methodology, and culture. taught as many as eighty thirteen- to (SIT) in Brattleboro, Vermont but the fifteen-year-olds in a single small admissions office was skeptical that Although she admits to being shy classroom, rotating seats each month Kelsang would be able to compete at first, Kelsang eventually began to give each student an opportunity in the program with native English regularly visiting each of her profes- to be near the front of the class. speakers. Ultimately, however, they sors after class to discuss with them decided to grant her the opportunity the situations she faced at home In 2004 Kelsang traveled to Xining and in January 2008 she arrived in and possible solutions. Kelsang was for a workshop, sponsored by Trace the US to begin seven months of inspired by these talks with her Foundation, on student-centered intensive English-language training at professors. “I found I was learning teaching methodology for Tibetan the International Language Institute in two ways: in one way through English-language teachers. “It was of Massachusetts. the actual content and in another by a rare opportunity, particularly sitting back and watching how my for English teachers,” she says. At first, the adjustment was difficult professors were teaching.” “I learned about more ‘hands-on’ for her. “Before coming to America, teaching methodology, and became I’d never been outside of Qinghai—I’d Kelsang also had the opportunity impassioned to learn more about never even been to a big city like to take part in teaching practica,

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 Kelsang Kyi was raised on a small farm like this one in neighboring Bayen County.

including one at the Brattleboro Kelsang progressed rapidly. Though Union High school where she was she’d never used a computer before, amazed by the incredible number of the program required that she books and computers available for submit weekly typed assignments: a the students to use. “At my school,” challenge she soon mastered, find- she told us, “we have a library, but ing along the way that her writing we don’t use it much as it has nearly improved dramatically. In 2010, when completely collapsed.” Crumbling Kelsang graduated, the admissions infrastructure is not the only chal- counselor who had expressed con- lenge she faces at home. “Being a cern over her ability to compete with teacher is a challenge, particularly in her fellow students came forward the countryside. We have very few to tell her that she had risen to the teaching tools. The most challenging challenge, and counted amongst the part though is teaching your students best students in her class. how to become good people…stu- Thinking of the teachers who will fol- dents need an education that will not low in her footsteps, Kelsang advises only teach them skills, but one that “When living in another culture, it’s will help them learn how to learn and hard, but all human beings are the how to be a part of a community.” same. Don’t get intimidated or be Perhaps because of her interest in afraid of making mistakes. Whatever’s cultivating whole and well-rounded in your mind, just open your mouth students, she took an early interest and say it. You have to get out of in course design. She was inspired by your room, and go out and experience Kelsang Kyi at Trace Foundation’s Latse the emphasis her instructors placed things; learning happens there too.” on culture and the importance of Library before her return to Chentsa “There must be more opportunities relating new knowledge to the experi- for rural teachers to receive training. ence and context of students. “A The teachers in these areas really textbook,” she says, “is just a tool. need this opportunity to create even Many girls in Tibetan areas have no op- It’s not everything.” Far more impor- portunity to attend school due to the a small change in the community,” tant, she believes is the relationship family’s need for help with farm work. she says, reflecting on her time in the between a teacher and her students US. “The more I see, the more I learn and the teacher’s ability to make the just how important education is.” lesson relevant to a student’s life.

On July 1st, Kelsang flew home to Qinghai to see her husband and son for the first time in two-and-a-half years. In the fall she will take up her former position leading English language classes at Chentsa County Nationalities Middle School.

www.trace.org/KelsangKyi.html

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 announcement enhancement internship program

Trace Foundation has recently launched the Enhancement Internship Program, a new opportunity for outstanding individuals from Tibetan areas of China to advance their academic pursuits and careers. The program, which includes a one year enrollment in English classes as well the opportunity to put that knowledge into practice, aims at helping promising individuals to obtain experience living and studying English in the Unites States. The internship is based in New York with a commitment of one year. In order for us to ensure the success of this new program, we need the active support and involvement of the communities around us. Once we have identified our promising individuals, we think that the best way for them to really immerse themselves in a new culture and learn the language is to be placed with a local host family in New York for part or the entirety of their stay. We want to match the interns with safe, supportive and culturally sensitive local host families, who will provide them with the opportunity to practice their English, as it will be the only language spoken 31 at home. This experience will also provide the Intern the chance to experience American culture first-hand, as they will be eating the local food, attending local activities and having full exposure to an American family’s day-to-day life. The Intern will also get a chance to gain practical experience in a nonprofit setting that will improve their careers and broaden their overall perspective. This is a great opportunity for the Interns, but it is also a wonderful opportunity for host families. If you are involved with or interested in learning more about Tibetan culture, this is a terrific chance to enhance your family’s life by sharing it with a Tibetan intern. It will give you the chance to teach an intern about American culture and values, while at the same time learning about their background, culture and beliefs. While gaining an understanding of a foreign culture, you will also experience a unique opportunity to view your own culture with new eyes. This kind of exchange is meaningful for all participants and will create bonds that last a lifetime. Information on how to apply for the internship can be found at www. trace.org/about_getting_internship.html#enhancement or by writing to [email protected] If you are interested in hosting an intern, please contact us at [email protected]. Please do share this with friends who may be interested.

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 profile jigme gyaltsen

Jigme Gyaltsen, a senior monk and educator at Ragya Mon- astery in Qinghai Province, is a longtime partner of Trace Foundation. Together, we have organized projects promot- ing education and development for over a decade. In 2000, we launched The Tibetan Yak Cheese Project, designed to produce a European-style cheese from the excess milk of the herds of local Tibetan nomads. In addition to providing a source of income for the nomads, the profits made from the sales supports two schools founded by Jigme Gyaltsen himself, The Jigme Gyaltsen Nationalities Vocational School (1994) and The Prairie Talent Girls’ School (2005). In May of 2010 we sat down with Jigme Gyaltsen for a short conversation following Local Knowledge & Sustainable Devel- opment in the Himalayas, a two day conference at Trace Foundation .

“I started the Jigme Gyalsen social development through educa- Nationalities Vocational School in tion is thoroughgoing, and in 2005, 1994 out of a wish to contribute to unable to offer instruction to girls the promotion of Tibetan culture and on the grounds of the monastery, he education,” he says. explaining his opened a second school—The Prairie unique role as a monk headmaster Talent Girls’ School—specifically for of a secular school. “In general,” girls. “Girls’ education,” he asserts he continues, “as a monk I should “is mothers’ education and mothers’ focus on monastic studies, uphold education is the initial education of relevant rules and regulations. If I all human kind.” could practice meditation that would Jigme Gyaltsen’s efforts to promote be wonderful, but if not, as a monk, open education can further be I try to undertake things that are seen in the makeup of his student beneficial to others.” body. Despite The Jigme Gyaltsen’s Of the many social issues Tibet cur- Vocational School’s monastic set- Jigme Gyaltsen, long-time partner of Trace rently faces, Jigme Gyaltsen decided ting, it welcomes lay students and Foundation, on a hill above Ragya Mon- to focus on education due to his they form a substantial portion of astery in Golok Prefecture belief that “for a nationality, a region, the student body. For both lay and or a country the foundation of its monastic students an education at development rests on education.” The Jigme Gyaltsen Vocational School His commitment to economic and or The Prairie Talent Girls’ School is

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 a unique opportunity to learn both environment. these individuals have been able about traditional Tibetan culture, as to gain access to larger and more Many challenges, however, remain well as what Jigme Gyaltsen calls distant markets, providing greater to the development of what is still “the cultural knowledge of this new stability and long-term sustainability. largely a small-scale society facing century.” Using the centuries-old today’s global markets. “In today’s Ultimately, Jigme Gyaltsen believes techniques of Buddhist debate to Tibet, most families manage their that these small groups of nomads, teach contemporary subjects, the tra- own businesses,” explains Jigme rooted as they are in the land ditional is never far from the modern Gyaltsen. “In the case of farmers, and the local community, hold the at these schools. each one cultivates his own land, greatest potential for the future This fusion of the old and the new, and sells his own barley. Therefore, development of Tibetan areas. “At the local and the global, which each family has to have a busi- times, there may be sporadic devel- is crystallized in The Tibetan Yak nessman, and that’s very hard to opment, but being sustainable and Cheese Project, underlies all of Jigme accomplish.” With this in mind, beneficial at all times is very impor- Gyaltsen’s efforts as he seeks to in 2009, he started The Snowland tant. From our Tibetan perspective,” create “a model that unites tradition Animal Husbandry Development he explains, “to our thinking, or in with modern culture and promotes Association to promote the efforts our religious beliefs: we believe in them simultaneously.” By embrac- of small cooperatives of herders. many previous lives and many future ing the region’s cultural and physical These cooperatives actively work to lives—until we achieve enlight- assets, Jigme Gyaltsen seeks to help promote and enhance local products, enment—and we plan everything Tibetan communities grow in a way as a means to protect and revitalize according to that mindset.” natural to their culture society and local culture. By banding together,

To read more about Local Knowledge & Sustainable Development in the Himalayas download the 33 report, “Happiness is the Only Meaningful Measure of Development,” at www.trace.org/downloads/REPORT_R005b.pdf

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 pakéling by Jeremy Burke

Pakéling is the name of Trace Foundation’s Tibetan language class at Latse Library. The class, held every Saturday morning, provides an introduction to Tibetan writing, grammar, vocabulary and culture. Classes are free and open to the public, for more information visit our website or write to [email protected].

This recurring column of the same name will feature a new Tibetan word or phrase every quarter with an explanation of its meaning, and calligraphy by master musician and calligrapher Phuntsok Dhumkhang. For the first issue of Künpen Tamsar, Trace Foundation’s Controller Jeremy Burke shares his experience learning Tibetan at Pakéling.

In February of this year, Trace attended the course were from vari- vibrant conversations of my cowork- Foundation’s Latse Library launched ous backgrounds and nationalities ers. When I heard that the library its first language class,Pakéling: (Tibetan, American, Korean, French, would be offering a language class Fundamentals of Tibetan Language German, Italian, Sri Lankan), but all to the public, I was one of the first and Culture. This elementary level had a shared desire and interest people to sign up. class was intended for adult students to deepen their understanding of The class was mainly conducted in to learn conversational and written Tibetan culture through the study of Tibetan in order to immerse students Tibetan. It also offered those already its language. in the language and allow us to familiar with Tibetan the opportunity I had only limited exposure to the become attuned to the sounds of the to refresh or improve their skills. Tibetan language before taking the spoken language. I found the first The class was taught by Tenzin class, mainly through my colleagues classes overwhelming given my unfa- Norbu, an instructor at the at Trace Foundation. In four years of miliarity with Tibetan. Many words Weatherhead East Asian Institute at working at Trace Foundation, I have sound similar and mispronouncing Columbia University who teaches been able to pick up some basic words can easily lead to misunder- all different levels of students at phrases here and there, but was standing and embarrassment. the university. The students who not able to follow the spirited and

[‘phɑkeɪlɪŋ] Pakéling can be loosely translated as “Tibetan Lan- guageཕ་鮐ད་ளིང། Corner.” “Paké” literally means “father language,” referred to in English as a “mother tongue” or “native language.” One of the uses of the term ling is to refer to a special place for a certain activity. From as early as Tibetan Imperial times, one can find terms such asdragyurling , a place where individuals do translation work, or samtenling, an area dedicated to meditation. Pakéling, therefore, is meant to be a special corner devoted to the study and appreciation of the Tibetan language.

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 The written language provided further by the Director of Latse Library, Pema skills, the library plans to offer difficulty for me. The script is writ- Bhum, which commenced in late additional classes in the fall. As one ten from left to right like Latin-based spring. of my classmates, Seunghun Lee, languages, however the vowels are an Assistant Professor of Linguistics The intermediate class was designed written above or below the conso- and TESOL at Central Connecticut around an old Tibetan folktale “The nant, similar to other Sanskrit-based State University says, “Attending the Farmer and the Nomad,” and each languages. There is also no spacing Pakéling classes at Trace Foundation week we would read the story and between words, so it took me some is a great way to get an introduction use it as the basis for learning gram- time to be able to identify individual to the Tibetan language. Teachers mar rules, sentence construction, words. make sure that everyone in the class and new vocabulary. The class also understands the materials and allow By the end of the class, I was able included lessons in Tibetan calligraphy students to build their Tibetan com- to read and understand the Tibetan by Phuntsok Dhumkhang, a highly- petency.” alphabet and some basic vocabulary, regarded calligrapher and musician and was also able to speak a limited who has taught both subjects for amount of conversational Tibetan. many years. Having this foundation, I then enrolled If you are interested in learning more Jeremy Burke has been the controller at in the intermediate-level class taught or enhancing your Tibetan language Trace Foundation since 2006.

around town In the dim light, a hollow- Artists Guild in Lhasa, the exhibition eyed skull stares out from a showcases each artist’s unique re- gods, redrawn field of dull gold. The skull, an sponse to contemporary society, the 35 important symbol in Tantric competitive international art world, Buddhism, is perhaps to be expected and Tibet’s rich artistic heritage. in the galleries of New York City’s Items in the collection range from Rubin Museum of Art, an institution Dedron’s uniquely stylized repre- dedicated to the display and preser- sentations of the Tibetan domestic vation of Himalayan art. A closer look sphere to the occasionally shocking however reveals that this is anything works of Kesang Lamdark, but at but usual. The three foot high skull the bottom of each work lies a deep is composed of thousands of smaller meditation on what it means to be skulls in a rainbow of colors, before Tibetan in today’s world. which stand two bodhisattvas, their normally serene expression obscured The exhibition catalogue, sponsored by gas masks. This is Tradition Trans- in part by Trace Foundation, con- formed: Tibetan Artists Respond, tains an interview with the Founda- the latest exhibition at The Rubin tion’s Director of Communications Museum of Art. and Operations Paola Vanzo on the early days of the Tibetan art scene Tradition Transformed explores the in Lhasa, and additional works and thriving world of contemporary artists not featured in the exhibit. It Tibetan art. Featuring nine artists is available for purchase at the Rubin from around the globe, including Museum. two members of the Gendün Chöpel Tradition Transformed runs through October 18th at the Rubin Museum of Art, at the corner of 17th Street and 7th Avenue in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. For hours visit www.rmanyc.org.

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 library corner the bhutanese collection

In the past two years, Trace announcement Foundation’s Latse Library has acquired more than 500 items from Bhutan. These acquisitions expand Trace Foundation the library’s collection profile from regularly organizes three languages—Tibetan, Chinese and lectures, conferences, English—to four with the addition of Dzongkha. The national language of concerts and Bhutan, Dzongkha is mutually unin- exhibitions—all free telligible with all but a few Tibetan and open to the dialects in the far south of the Tibet Autonomous Region. It is, however, public—to raise written with the Tibetan script and awareness, throughout its modern literary form, like that of Central Tibetan, is heavily influenced the world, of Tibetan by classical Tibetan. culture. Currently, the Dzongkha Collection at the library is dominated by children’s Now, we need books. There is a wealth of children’s storybooks in Dzongkha published in your help: Bhutan, as well as materials to develop take five minutes Dzongkha skills for younger students. Other new materials from Bhutan to complete a short include grammar and language books, survey and help us history, and traditional culture. Among improve our events the growing collection of English- language materials from Bhutan are for the future. photo essay books, publications on the recent enthronement of the new king, To take the survey visit: Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk, and resources on the environment, natural http://bit.ly/9KWNVz sciences, modern literature, and general interest titles. The library has also acquired a number of audio-visual materials including films, documen- taries, and music videos, and has initiated four periodical subscriptions, including Bhutan’s first magazine for women, Yeewong, and an arts and film magazine, Druk Trowa. The library plans to continue collect- The Bhutanese Collection includes refer- ing comprehensively from Bhutan. All ence materials, audio-visual materials, materials are available to visitors, so histories, and an extensive collection of children’s books. stop by the library and explore this exciting new array of materials from the land of the thunder dragon.

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 Library Catalog (http://www.latse.org, under “Databases” tab): Complete catalog of the holdings of Trace Foundation’s Latse Library. Bya-ra Database (http://www.latse. org/byara/index.html): Bya-ra is a bibliographic catalog of over 10,000 research articles in the Tibetan language published in the People’s web bytes Republic of China. Trace Foundation’s Latse Library Newsletter (http://www.latse.org/ online resources newsletter/index.html): Past and current issues of Latse Newsletter in We are pleased to offer a variety of digital format. unique online resources. Our resources Unicode Tibetan Font Converter section, launched in May 2010, has (UTFC) (http://utfc.trace.org): 37 recently been expanded to include our Converts Tibetan text files between different encoding and transcription new Trilingual Place Names List, contain- methods, including Unicode. ing Tibetan, Chinese and English names Trilingual Lexicon (http:www.trace. for all prefecture and counties within org/resources/resources_tools_lexi- con.html): A reference index of Tibetan areas of China. More will become commonly used development available in the next year so be sure to terminology in English, Tibetan, and check back regularly. We hope you will Chinese. find all our tools and reference materials Tibetan Font Compatibility Table (http://www.trace.org/resources/ useful and informative and we welcome resources_tools_font_compatibility. your feedback and suggestions. Write to html): A reference tool for how com- us at [email protected]. monly used Tibetan Unicode fonts display in different operating systems and programs. Trilingual Place Names List (http:// knowledgebase.trace.org/index.php/ Main_Page): Reference resource con- sisting of a list of names in English, Tibetan and Chinese of places located in Tibetan areas of China.

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 “Photography is a double edged was heavily influenced by the work weapon, a dangerous thing to prac- of the master Hokusai in particular. tice in these parts,” observed Fosco In 1943, after refusing to declare Maraini in 1948, along the route from loyalty to the fascist government of Gangtok, in the then independent Italy, Maraini was interned for two kingdom of Sikkim, to Lhasa. This years with his family in a Japanese was the thirty-six-year-old Italian concentration camp. After the war, photographer’s second trip to Tibet, Maraini returned to Italy, from where the first having taken place in 1937, he continued to travel and photo- with the Italian Tibetologist, Giuseppe graph widely. His own account of his Tucci. Between these two trips two journeys to Tibet was published Maraini took more than 3,500 photo- in 1951 as Secret Tibet. graphs. Many of them are the only Upon his death in 2004, Maraini’s existing records of buildings and art collection of photographs was that were destroyed in later decades. passed to the Gabinetto Vieusseux. Trace Foundation is partnering with The Gabinetto, located in Maraini’s the Italian library and cultural institu- hometown of Florence, was founded tion, Gabinetto Scientifico Letterario in 1819 by Giovan Pietro Vieusseux, G. P. Vieusseux to ensure that this a merchant from Geneva. Originally unique glimpse of Tibet’s past is a reading room for European periodi- publicly available. cals, the Gabinetto grew to become an important cultural institution in Italy, helping to connect Italian in the pipeline culture with wider trends in Europe and drawing intellectuals and authors from across Europe and the the maraini collection Americas. In collaboration with Gabinetto The son of an Italian sculptor and Vieusseux, Trace Foundation is work- an English writer, Maraini traveled ing to digitize the full collection of extensively in Central and East Asia. Maraini’s photographs. When it is He made two trips to Tibet, covering launched in 2011, the Fosco Maraini roughly the same route, in 1937 and Collection will comprise more than 1948, taking thousands of images, 7,000 extensively annotated pho- using explosive magnesium powder tographs by Maraini of Tibet and for light and processing the film in neighboring areas in Central Asia and Tibetan homes along the way. will provide a unique visual record of Maraini moved to Japan in 1938, after Tibet’s history. graduating with a degree in anthropology, to study the Ainu people of Hokkaido. While there he learned of the Japanese art of ukiyo-e (wood- block prints) and his photography

The collection will be freely available at www.trace.org and on the website of the Gabinetto Vieusseux www.vieusseux.fi.it.

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 working culture by Tenzin Gelek 39

“Internship” was a fairly new that not only helps develop one’s concept to me when I first came professional career but also provides to the US to pursue my masters in the opportunity to learn about one’s Global Marketing Communication own roots and culture, and in the and Advertising at Emerson College, process, transform one’s attitude Boston. So, when Trace Foundation towards everything. My internship offered me the opportunity to at Trace is very significant for that intern, I was naturally very excited reason. and nervous at the same time. Trace Foundation is a small I didn’t know much about Trace organization with a big vision Foundation and was introduced to carried out through the different yet it by an American friend. However, closely linked teams: Operations, when I initially started reading Communications, Research, IT, about Trace on their website, I was Finance, Programs and Latse Library. truly impressed by the Foundation’s The Foundation currently has eight accomplishments and its visions for interns and two volunteers in the future. Before coming to Trace, I these different departments at its had interned with a highly successful Coming from around the globe, Trace headquarters in New York. This group Hollywood production house. But Foundation’s volunteers and interns of young interns holds an eclectic make the work of the foundation pos- as much as I appreciated working mix of perspectives from Asia, sible. there, I will always regard the Trace Europe and the US. I believe that internship as a unique experience. this characteristic resonates with the It is very rare to find an internship Foundation’s core value of being a

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 dynamic international organization, what I’ll learn that day.” VOLUNTEERS & INTERNSHIPS bringing together diverse world There are many reasons for students experiences towards a common goal. Interns with Trace Foundation will to intern at Trace Foundation. become part of our multi-cultural, It is very important for an internship However, Tenzin Tsepak, an MA multi-national team based here to be a win-win relationship between student at Indiana University has an in New York City and gain experi- the intern and the sponsoring interesting one. An intern with Trace ence and insight into working in organization. Interns can bring Foundation’s Latse library, he states the non-profit sector. As interns fresh outlook and energy to an that he is here primarily because of work towards the goals of the organization while the organization Pema Bhum, the library’s director Foundation, they will have the op- provides them with guidance and and a well-known Tibetan literary portunity to put their unique set of skills and knowledge to work in opportunities to engage real-life figure. “I am inspired by his vision,” the real world. Internships within challenges. It is for precisely this he says, “and want to learn more the Foundation are available in a reason that Thupten Gonpo, one of about Tibetan language and literature wide variety of fields, including my fellow interns who works with through him.” Tsepak is currently library sciences, research, commu- the Research Department, chose working on collating a digital nications and IT. Trace Foundation over another database for the Latse Oral History internship opportunity. Thupten is Project. Past interns with Trace Foundation from Sichuan Province and is fluent Another intern who adds to the have: in Tibetan, Mandarin and English. He diversity of the working populace • Generated ideas and is pursuing his MS at the Bard Center written articles for at Trace is Irma Orlandi, an for Environmental Policy in New York newsletters, reports, and Italian student for whom Tibet is and is currently assisting research websites completely new. A recent intern into the environment in Tibetan • Assisted in the design of with the Communications team, regions of China. Thupgon, as he is printed materials and our she is currently working on the known at the office, describes the website Foundation’s newsletter and hopes to internship as “a fantastic opportunity • Helped with the bring a wealth of fresh perspectives to utilize my language skills while organization of a variety and ideas to the table. of academic and cultural also learning about the environment events and related policies in China that I I just mentioned some of my fellow • Assisted with the was not exposed to while studying in interns, but there are others doing development of multi- America.” equally valuable and commendable work. While each intern at Trace is lingual research resources What I have found in my more unique, through the interactions I • Worked with multimedia than ten months of interning at production and editing have had with each one of them, Trace Foundation is that no two • Assisted in the I find a common denominator that days are the same and there is cataloguing and is the essence of interning at Trace always an element of excitement digitalization of library Foundation; it is that perfect blend associated with the projects that materials of fun and professionalism, which interns are allowed to undertake. is exemplified in different ways Trace Foundation accepts appli- That is an incredible opportunity for —from the insightful discussions cants for internships and volun- anyone starting out to expand their during lunch-breaks to the variety teer work year-round. academic as well as professional of the responsibilities each intern is careers. I think Thupgon sums up If you are interested in apply- assigned. ing for either an internship or a this triumphant feeling best when volunteer opportunity, please send he says, “Even though I am from your CV and a letter of interest to Tibet, I am amazed at how much Trace Foundation, ATTN: Volunteers more there is to learn about the & Interns, 132 Perry Street, Suite intellectual ability and resources 2B, New York, NY 10014 or jobs@ of Tibetan people from different trace.org. regions. Coming to work everyday, I am curious and excited to find out

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 announcement publications available

For more than fifteen years Trace Foundation has supported the publication of new and classic Tibetan texts. Today, we’re offering libraries and cultural institutions around the world the opportunity to expand their collections with these important works in the hope of increasing scholarship on the Tibetan world.

In the cultural sector, Trace Foundation has been involved in a variety of initiatives including cultural heritage preservation, support of local traditions, documentation of folk culture and local history, as well as the promotion of contemporary Tibetan arts. Over the years, we have fostered major initiatives aimed at preserving and distributing rare and ancient texts and have supported the publication of an impres- sive number of books on various subjects in Tibetan language. To date, more than a million copies of these publications have been distributed in China and made available to a large audience free of charge.

While we are distributing these publications free of charge, we would require interested parties to cover shipping and handling charges. The 41 books will be distributed on a first-come first-served basis. Interested parties can contact us at [email protected]. If you would like to join a mailing list to be informed of any future publications, please let us know.

You can find details of all publications we have supported on our website at: http://www.trace.org/resources/resources_references_publications.html

The following three titles are just a selection of the many currently available:

1. bcom ldan rigs pa’i ral gri’i gsung ’bum (10 vols.) - The Collected Works of a Famous Kadampa Master Jomden Rikpé Reldri (1227- 1305), connected with Nartang Monastery 2. mi bskyod mkhas grub rgya mtsho’i gsung ’bum phyogs bsgrigs (1 vol.) - Selected Works of Mikyö Khedrup Gyatso, predominantly on Tibetan medicine and Buddhist meditation practice 3. rgyal rong dmangs khrod gtam tshogs - The Folk Sayings of Gyel- rong, composed and edited by Tsenlha Ngakwang

Künpen Tamsar Spring-Summer 2010 yülshül earthquake update

Trace Foundation has been actively supporting the ongoing relief effort in Yülshül. To date we have distributed $50,000 worth of relief goods and tents to the affected area. Trace Foundation has also assisted in channeling donations. To support this effort please contact us at [email protected]. For more information on Trace Foundation’s efforts please visit http://www.trace.org/news/ news_yulshulquake.html talk to us deadlines We’re always eager to hear what you have to say. The Deadline for External Grant Applications is Octo- Write us at [email protected], call +1 (212) 367- ber 15th, 2010. 7380, come by our headquarters at 132 Perry St., Suite 2B, New York, NY 10014 or visit us at any of The Deadline for Research the sites below: Fellowship Applications is November 1st, 2010. www.trace.org For more information and to www.facebook.com/tracefoundation download the 2010 application forms, visit our website www.twitter.com/tracefoundation at www.trace.org. Please note that older ap- www.youtube.com/tracefoundation plication forms cannot be www.livestream.com/tracefoundation accepted. www.issuu.com/tracefoundation

KÜNPEN TAMSAR

Trace Foundation’s Quarterly Newsletter