Cultural life centered around the kitenta, the royal compound. Most of these sourherners (Lhoba means southerners in Tibetan language) do not traditionally self-identify as a single entity and speak different languages but considered the same Lhoba minority by Chinese and Tibetans. Hari Bahadur KC, then Head Teacher at Dibya Joyti High School Chhoser in Upper Mustang, an eyewitness of the Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in 1984, described the situation in which a Lama led a ritual and walked in front of a ritual procession holding a golden Buddha idol, sprinkling the holy water, and chanting sacred mantaras for the peace and security of the people, plants, and livestock during the disastrous GLOF. Annual Lhoba Ethnic Custom Festival of Nanyigou Township is the best way to experience Lhoba culture. Ghar Gompa, the oldest one in the region, is a living example of this fusion. The Loba settlement is built as a clustered, mud-walled historical town. This is done to avoid confusion regarding the current reality of a people group, to fix grammar and spelling and to avoid potentially offensive wording. They arrange all the business and support to strengthen the economy of the palace. - Evangelicals have a significant presence. In lieu of their services, King has provided highly fertile land to dhongbas, as Funjok Gurung (39) told us that dhongbas are entitled to become village chiefs. Occasional Papers in Sociology and Anthropology 9: 141175. : 2000 AD BLo(Mustang) Ko Saskritik Sampada (In Nepali Cultural Heritage of Mustang). Ostrom, Elinor. Known as Donggeng Gurumu (meaning something like congratulate the safety of the current year and look forward to a bumper harvest in the coming year), the festival witnesses Lhoba people butchering cattle and pigs to be given as presents to the maternal relatives. Nevertheless, the institutions are working hard to continue their existence by frequently modifying their rules and norms. The village head political system of Lower Mustang is described by Vinding (1994), in which two village heads, a treasurer, and six village workers are elected each year by the villagers, which is different from the formal politico-administrative governance unit of the state. They speak the following languages: Luba-Katanga, Luba-Kasai, Luba-Maniema, and Swahili. millet-stirred rice dumplings and chili peppers. In these caves, relics from a Bon past were found alongside Buddhist artefacts. This is happening despite the availability of all sorts of facilities at Gomba. In the past, Loba had a practice of bhogmo which means a half-share of the production to be given to Gomba as the rent for cultivating the land. Theory of culture change: The methodology of multilinear evolution. - Few evangelicals, but significant number who identify as Christians. countryside. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Loba Yaro, Joseph Awetori, Joseph Teye, and Simon Bawakyillenuo. I was the first to announce that I would much rather go back to Pokhara and fly to Jomsom to commence the Upper Mustang trek from there than continue on this treacherous high-altitude trail all the way to Lo Manthang. today. The singing music of Daxian opera belongs. They perform many rituals at the palace and Gomba (monastery) for the well-being of humans, animals, and plants. This legacy is an important form of ancient primitive religious beliefs In Lo-manthang, in particular, and in Upper Mustang in general, households are classified into three types; 1) Dhongba, 2) Ghyanchen and 3) Samasume. Similarly, the seasonal weather pattern has become unpredictable as some winters are warmer than the springs as winter snowfall is shifted to early spring. caps. However, a new problem in the ghenba system has emerged since some Loba households are not interested in taking responsibility of ghenba and chhime. Associate Professor of Anthropology at the Central Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal, Associate Professor of Geography and Environment at Pokhara University, Pokhara, Nepal, You can also search for this author in 1996. Ancestors of the Loba Nationality" declared by Milin County of Tibet Non-government Organizations (NGO) have contributed to changing peoples coping mechanisms toward livelihood stress. Chhetri, Ram Bahadur 1999. Even today, hunting dogs play a significant part in Lhoba life and it is common for a family to own dozens of dogs which are taken into homes as family. People are not even interested in photok because agriculture production demands more inputs than outputs, and lacking household labor increases the cost of production further. Ask God to send Christian tourists and hikers to Nepal who will share the love of Jesus with the Loba. This is being rejected by younger Loba people as modernization sets in. Another issue is that some people have given up crop cultivation, but started fodder and tree farming, demanding a lot of irrigation during high water demand. This type of household also has a compatible practice of fraternal polyandry. On our way back, we visit it and the shrine of Muktinath. The denizens of Lo Manthang are true custodians of a vanishing culture and way of life. Please try again or contact inquiry@tibettravel.org. Khattri, Man Bahadur. In the past, they were obliged to perform all sorts of work, cooking, cleaning, collecting dung or fuel wood, and fetching water for the monastery and the palace. The midhi is a post that acts like a judge who advises the ghemba and the King when a dispute occurs. When we were finally dropped off at Jomsom, our bodies felt like sacks of dislocated bones. Mustang was close to the Tibetan salt mine of Naithapaila and Lo-Kingdom had a customary monopoly on the salt trade. ), Anthropology of Climate Change: From Encounters to Actions (pp. Today there are about 4000 Lhoba people in China but many Lhoba people also live in northeast India, Bhutan and Myanmar. People can They also mediate and hear the local disputes relating to the civil law of the village. They roast both animal and plant based food. The dominant sect is Ngorpa, a sub-sect of Syakyapa. In . https://doi.org/10.1186/s41257-023-00084-1, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41257-023-00084-1. On our early morning walk through this street, we spotted Dhaulagiri Boarding School and an attached hostel where girls were getting ready for school. https://doi.org/10.1086/soutjanth.27.1.3629185. However, the house structures found at Mustang could pose a question as to whether the society has been derived from feudalism. However, nowadays, people see other socio-economic opportunities instead of just being a Lama. Many farmers have stopped farming activities in Lo-manthang, as a consequence, widespread abandonment of the cultivated land is observed. Living in one of the most mountainous region and being one of the most isolated human group in the world also do not help. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples (pp. The sakaluka ritual is the function of worshiping local spirits (nagas, serpents) where a lady plows the land at the beginning to mark crop cultivation time (Khattri 2021; Khattri & Pandey 2021). Taylor Weidman/LightRocket/Getty Images On a cold evening in 2012, anthropologist Jiban Mani Poudel sat sharing tea and snacks with mountain herders huddled around a cattle pen in Nepal's Nhson Valley. It will not be long before roads open up this region and allow it to be swallowed up by mainstream life. They were not allowed to leave their area without permission and were not allowed to marry Tibetans. Some Lobas use caves as houses and monasteries. Lo is home to three beautiful gompas with exquisite murals, Choede, Jhampa and Thubchen, all in various states of disrepair. When their descendants, the Bo and Garbo brothers, crossed the The first author is the primary researcher. The indigenous institutions are place-based, and their evolution is concerned with reducing vulnerability and enhancing the resilience capacity of place-based communities to cope with and adapt to local natural and socio-cultural environmental dynamics. Both men and women do not wear shoe ware. The sun, which just the other day was seductively golden over the Annapurna, was blindingly silver and hot, as if out to burn everything in sight. The Reme ghyapkin is a system of sharing and managing resources, costs of community work, and benefits of community utilities on a rotational basis. It must have been 40Celsius. 5278. The major changes observed during this period and their implications in the life of Loba Community of Upper Mustang are briefly discussed below: The analysis of meteorological data shows the rise of temperature and decrease in rainfall in the Upper Mustang (Khattri 2021; Khattri & Pandey 2021). Otherwise, that household must pay NPR 40,000 as a fine. A cell culture media or growth media is a solid, liquid, or semisolid media that is made up of various contents and nutrients to stimulate the growth, propagation, maintenance, and storage of . Life and livelihoods in the Forbidden Kingdom, the Trans-Himalaya. This region has also been recognized as a meeting place for Buddhist scholars of different sects, both by native and foreign origin, even from distant places such as Magadha (India), Simhala (Sri Lanka), Balyul (Kathmandu), Khache (Kashmir), and Bod (Tibet) (Dhungel 2002). In fact, their homes are never built toward the South because of the fierceness of these winds. Amchi Ghyatso Bista estimates that only one-tenth of cultivated land is under cultivation now. Yet, the restored sections are not a patch on the originals. ing Tibetan culture, making it one of the last pockets of tradition-al Tibetan life left in the world. The three mausoleums outside Guanzhou refer to the Fuling Tombs of Nuerhachi, the Taizong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and the Zhaoling Tombs of the Taizong. Dhongba households are ancestral property holders, which is transferred from generation to generation, mainly to the eldest son. The formal Kingship ended by the Nepali state in 2008. Tulachan, Pushpa V. 2003. When he does, the next son must become a Buddhist monk. Our travel agent, Suman, who is in his forties and an avid trekker of yesteryear, sits in distant Kathmandu. I like to eat a kind of Lama/monks work to improve the spiritual life and general health of the Loba community. Pedro Lemebel, the Chilean writer, artist, activist, and provocateur, died last Friday morning of laryngeal cancer. Legend has it that the wall was built over the intestines of a demon felled by Guru Padmasambhava. Dinesh was a bit fuzzy about how long the trek to the next camp was. The Loba are very religious people. For them, climate change is connected to several things that include but are not limited to the nexus of nature, culture, science, politics, and belief (Barnes & Dove 2015), which helps to highlight contextual knowledge of cultural realities. They believe that eternity exists in the light, which is achieved after offering it to God. Both men various color patterns. These studies have been carried out from historical, religious and economic perspectives. According to the Amchi Ghyacho, there are three kinds of human life situations in which a Lama needs to perform rituals: Nakchi rituals are performed for sick people; Sinchi rituals are performed for dead persons; Karcha rituals are performed during the marriage and the birth of a child in a family. people also used carved wooden knots to record things. The girl child is usually entitled to become Aani, and they assist in maintaining the Gombas and the Temples. University of Southern California. Many young Lamas are giving up their monastic life and starting married family life and the number is growing every year in Lo-manthang. We had decided to leave Muktinath for the return journey. The ranchunchube/dhawa is represented by the monastic Lama. There are 30 totems and gods in the religion like the mountain, the tree, dog, pig, leopard, bear, pig, moon, sun and ox. The forms of performance are solo, duet and chorus. In fact, there are no regular bus services to Jomsom; one has to go hunting for the odd tour operator willing to risk his bus on the route. The Loba is also those mysterious, breath-taking aspects of nature: 'you are the hills'. The Newars: An ethno-sociological study of a Himalayan community. Lama Chhiring Tashi said that promoting family planning and wider advocacy of/for human rights are responsible for decreasing the number of Lama in Chhode Gomba in Lo-manthang. They build their homes out of stone, making the roofs out of thinly chiseled stone squares. Grocery shop in Lo Manthang (2018) by Angelo ChiacchioEphemera documentary Newly paved routes. Figure1 presents the major local institutions and interconnectedness that collectively sustain the livelihood of the Loba people. area of Nanyi). The sun was already up. Other geography / data: GMI. Yale University Press. Indigenous irrigation management system is as old as the agriculture system that began in Lo-manthang. different. Festival culture is one of the most obvious Mio Yuanhoon, Quan Chen, the son of Saul fruit of the tribal chieftain of the Qing Dynasty, the founding fathers . 2011. 2005. One of the works of the Lama is to assist people in erecting lungta in different locations of the settlements, agricultural fields, and sacred sites, including the cemetery. Everything in Lo has to come from the plains. Nepal is multi ethnic, multi lingual and multi cultural country. Chhetri, Ram Bahadur. The fieldwork in Lo-manthang, Upper Mustang started in 2012, but regular interviews and observations were conducted in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2023 respectively. The roles of ghenba system are crucial for supporting agricultural activities, including canal maintenance, water distribution and crop protection from livestock encroachment, and providing justice to the victim. Kham Sang is responsible and honest with more than six years of guide experience in Tibet.She has strong interpersonal skills and can communicate effectively with tourists. The barter animal hides, musk, bear paws and other items with Tibetans in exchange for tools and clothing. Unfortunately, not much is known about the history and origin of Lhoba people. We stopped for a bite at the Yak Donalds restaurant. Lamas perform all sorts of rites and rituals from birth to death. It operates at different levels, from individuals to households, clusters, and in broader areas such as region. 2006. The most important livelihood of Lobas relied on salt (rock salt) and grain trade, which connected them to the central hills of Nepal and India. University of Illinois Press. Other data may have varying ages. Historical studies documented that the Lo Kingdom was incorporated into modern Nepal in 1789, maintaining a distinct cultural identity. They shave their hair, wear red clothes and reside in the monastery, which is red-colored. The Loba culture has historical, cultural, linguistic, and ethnic relations with Western Tibetans (Dhungel 2002; Frer-Haimendorf 1975). World Bank. To cope with this sort of crisis, the ghenba System enforced a new rule that every household must play the role of chhime and ghenba on their turn. 7, 4 (2023). The technology used to build irrigation canals is gravity flow supported by walls of stones, wood, and soil. They have also explored new livelihood opportunities, which are the outcomes of education and the changed legal system of the Government of Nepal. Cultural kingship is still functional in every aspect of cultural life in the Loba community. Dhongba households do have certain community obligations such as maintaining Gomba (monastery) (support rituals with food, labor, materials, and fuels), organizing community festivals like Yartung, Tenchi Chiram (Tiji) rituals, and supporting the royal palace as required. We moved on, to Tsaile across the river where we would have our lunch and halt for the night. New situations such as changes in political, economic, and environmental contexts, have led the Loba people to some troubles in continuing the ghenba system. They have historical contributions to promote the Nepali economy and sovereignty of the country. The Loba are believed to practice the oldest strain of Tibetan Buddhism in existence, but it's losing its pull. The path to Kagbeni is along the riverbed, mostly dry, with an occasional crystal stream meandering over the grey pebbles. Lhoba population consists of many tribes; Bogar, Ningbo, Adi and Tajin peoples to name some. Mustangi Kings were also loyal to the Nepali people. Figure3 presents how the traditional local institutions have adapted to dynamic context and maintain the relationship between the people and the local environment. They fish the Congo River and its main tributaries intensively. However, as people are no longer interested in educating their children as monks, most of the cultivable lands are abandoned. Pandey, Rishikesh. 2017. Mule trains were bringing in provisions needed to cater to tourists and household goods all the way from Pokhara, as they might have brought in tea, salt, silks and precious gems in the past. Women wear short shirts with round collar and narrow sleeves, skirts with "Southerners" and is the Tibetan appellation for them. Since the area does not allow grain cultivation, until very recently, most Lhoba people depended on hunting. Water Resources Research 29 (7): 19071912. They focused on the role of local institutions in enhancing adaptive capacity to maintain the livelihood system (food, fuel, shelter, health, education, communication system, sovereignty over resources, and their management) in resource-scare ecological regions. He arranged a four-wheel-drive vehicle for us to cover the rest of the journey to Lo Manthang. Each year, they come from the Kuthak family. 1980. Gongbu area (Milin County, Linzhi County, Gongbu Jiangda County). Until 2008 AD, Lo-manthang was the capital town of the Lo Kingdom and Jigme Dorje Palbar Bista was the last King who had official recognition of raja (titular King) from the Government of Nepal. The Loba Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative. Education and trade also take turns seasonally. These tasks used to be performed in the form of reme ghapkin, the turn system, particularly while working for the Gomba and the palace (Table 2). Agrawal (2008) emphasized understanding such institutions from their roles in shaping adaptation and improving the capacities of the most vulnerable social groups in any social and environmental upheavals. Shrestha, Arun B., and Raju Aryal. https://doi.org/10.3126/dsaj.v11i0.18822. volume7, Articlenumber:4 (2023) Gombas are still playing their customary role even in a recently changing context where the modern education system has already entered the Loba community, and there is no obligation these days that the second child of the family becomes the Lama or Anis. The trans-Himalayan region of Nepal has a unique natural landscape and is also called a hidden paradise on Earth. Occasionally, a daring four-wheel-drive vehicle might brave the odds to drive to Lo Manthang, the capital. The Lo King and his officials sponsored to arrange religious councils between 14721475, where over nine hundred monks attended the meetings (Dhungel 2002). Local institutions and adaptive capacity to climate change/variability in the northern savannah of Ghana. The individual students are also sponsored, mostly by foreign donors. Polyandrous brothers share a wife by turn, as managed by the wife. The Loba tribespeople living in the village of Dhe in Nepal are increasingly abandoning their homes as climate change transforms the landscape. Rappaport, Roy. However, as Loba people prioritize cash income away from agriculture, the practice of half-share crop production system hardly exists. Zhuji Lane, located in Zhuji Village, Zhuji Town, Nanxiong City, Guangdong Province, covers an area of about 3 square kilometers. Legend of the Ancestors of the Loba Their leadership is selected from each household of the Phalwa (Gurung) community on the basis of turn system. Until 1992, this area was closed to the outside world. The region and culture In Upper Mustang the Tibetan culture, religion and traditions are believed to be at their purest, harking back to a Tibet before the Chinese occupation in 1951.
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