Craft
Tibetan Rugs
Tibetan rugs are an ancient craft, practiced by the nomad/farmer communities in Central and Southern Tibet. They used the wool of highland shee...
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Religion and Culture
As Losar Approaches
As the end of the year of the Monkey approaches to give way to that of the Dog, I think about Losar’s attributes: Though it may be cold outside...
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Clothing
Cham Dance
Every year around December, when the cold has settled in and the new year is close, the monastery in Garnying, a few kilometers from Ritoma, ho...
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Animals and Surroundings
Winter Sport in Ritoma
Tibet is a country of lakes, and in winter they shimmer in the midst of the yellow grassland. Animals cautiously walk over them, licking the ic...
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Clothing
Norlha's Yetis
At Norlha, we have our own version of the yeti. For most Tibetans, yetis are shy ape like creatures who can be very fierce if encountered in th...
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Clothing
Celebrating the Tibetan Hat on National Hat Day
Today is National Hat Day, and we, at Norlha have reason to celebrate. Though Norlha’s hat history is short we look to a rich future, knowing t...
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Home
Afternoon in a Nomad Tent
Nomads lived in large yak hair tents moving camp 3 to 4 times in a grazing season, following their animals to new pastures. A generation or two...
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Ritoma
THE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF LABRANG MONASTERY
Labrang Tashikhyil was founded in 1709 by the First Jamyang Shepa, Jamyang Shepei Dorje, under the sponsorship of a Qoshot Mongol prince. Many ...
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Animals and Surroundings
CHADOR KHORCHEN
Past Ritoma Monastery, hidden from view on a hill is a small temple devoted to the meditational deity Chanadorje. It was built in the late 18th...
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Religion and Culture
Ritoma's Four Sacred Peaks
Across the valley from our house stands the highest peak in Ritoma, the Amney Tongra. Shaped in the hump of a crouching animal, it is the abode of ...
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Animals and Surroundings
Flower Garlands
Late Spring on the pasture is marked by the appearance of red and white clumps of Stellera Chamaejasme, or Ramarichok in Tibetan and attractive...
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Animals and Surroundings
Sheep and Sheep
Sheep are the largest contingent of domesticated animal on the Tibetan plateau. It is said there are about 20,000 in the small village of Ritom...
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