The Tibetan Family Essay - 4383 Words

The Tibetan Family Family life is the core element that defines the population of a country. It gives Identity to a group people by the way they carry out their day to day operations and the customs and ideals that are unique to that group of people. Family life can be difficult to define as it comprises so many elements; such as housing, education, gender roles, family size, health, education, and religion. These are all critical inputs that ultimately determine the situation in a family and how that group of people goes about their lives. There are no ‘typical’ Tibetan families; some are rich, some are poor, some are nomadic others are urban, some families live in Tibet but there are also a great number living in exile in other†¦show more content†¦Tibet is considered a very stratified society. A class dichotomy existed between the wealthy noble families and the more numerous serf class, and seemed contrary to the Buddhist ideals of equality among human beings that they seem to cherish so much. The wealthy lived in relative splendor in Tibet, their homes were thick-walled (not to be underestimated in the climate) and they had little to do in terms of household chores as they would have stewards do this for them. The woman in particular would have little to do except prepare for parties, gamble with dice or play mahjong[1]. The peasant or serf class lived in far less decadence and there was a clear and observable separation between the serfs and the nobles. For example one westerner remarked on a visit to Tibet that the poor were looked down upon as though they ‘could have been different races[2].’ There was also very little social interaction and few cases of intermarriage between classes. Some people suggest that slaves were utilized in Tibet by the upper echelon of society but they would only be able to be supported by a few wealthy nobles and so are unlikely to have existed in any abundance. It was thought that when the parents were too poor to support a child then it was sold to a wealthy man who would either bring up the child and keep it or sell it as a slave[3]. Existing within theseShow MoreRelatedThe Women of Tibet1208 Words   |  5 PagesHowever, since the Chinese have occupied Tibet, the status of Tibetan women in the country has changed. Women’s basic human rights are violated everyday under the Chinese, such as the reproduction rights and education rights. They face violence and coercion and have to face their lives in an entirely new way. The women in Tibet before the Chinese takeover enjoyed a very high social status. They had a very active role to play in the family and in the society as a whole. Women were warriors, leadersRead MoreThe True Beauty Of Religion1617 Words   |  7 Pagesaround the world. Many religions believe that providing the newborn with a proper name in the eyes of God is a necessity for the baby to grow into a good and productive member of that religious community. By analyzing the Chabad Jewish movement and Tibetan Buddhism, the importance of the baby-naming rite within different religious communities will become evident. Judaism is one of the three original Abrahamic faiths, joined by Christianity and Islam. Following the teachings of the Old Testament orRead MoreEssay on Famine in Tibet1149 Words   |  5 Pages1960-62, as a result of the Chinese invasion of 1950. The food shortage occurred because Chinese colonizers settled massively, increasing the population, and because of the changes imposed on Tibetan traditional agriculture by Mao’s â€Å"Great Leap Forward.† Death Roll Accurate estimations and data about Tibetan victims of the Chinese genocide are hard to find, given that China provides biased information. However, associations like â€Å"Friends of Tibet† estimate that out of the 1.2 million deaths, 343Read MoreTibetans Self-Immolation as a Protest Against Chinese Forces 1329 Words   |  5 PagesOver 125 Tibetans have performed acts of self-immolation in the last two years as a protest against Chinese forces in Tibet. Some protesters were as young as 15. The status of Tibet has been a long disputed issue. It was it’s own independently ruled country until it was conquered by the Mongolians of the Yuan dynasty. Once the Yuan fell, the new Qing rulers recognized Tibet as its own state, since it had been in Mongolian control and not Chinese control (Tibet and China: Two Distinct Views). HoweverRead MoreEssay on The Dalai Lama1394 Words   |  6 PagesThats the answer youd receive if you were ever fortunate enough to ask Tenzin Gyatso what he considered himself to be. Quite a humble response from someone who is often referred to as his holiness, the wishful filing gem, or simply the presence by Tibetans. You see, that simple Buddhist monk is the 14th Dalai Lama. Now you may not be too familiar with exactly what that means, and no it does not in any way have to do with the llamas that spit. In short, the Dalai Lamas are the manifestations of theRead MoreHow Expropriation of Farmland Happened in Tipets Amdo Province? 876 Words   |  4 PagesAmdo Province. According to Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), China appropriates Tibetan farmlands in the name of hydropower projects. What is expropriation? The process of expropriation occurs when a public agency (for example, the provincial government and its agencies, regional districts, municipalities, school boards and utilities) takes private property for a purpose deemed to be in the public interest. In this case, the farmland in Tibetan provinc e of Amdo be chosen forRead MoreThe People of Tibet941 Words   |  4 PagesIn the southwest region of Asia lies Tibet, home of Tibetan pastoralists and agriculturalists. Anthropologist Robert B. Ekvall studied these people over a long period of time during his life: 1926-1927, 1929-1935, and 1939-1941. In addition, in the years 1961-1964, Ekvall had the opportunity to conduct research with a small group of Tibetans. Although Tibet is a relatively large area with many different people, nomadic pastoralists were the main focus of Ekvall’s ethnography. Tibet, the southwestRead MoreThe Relationship Between Language and Ethnic Identity : a Focus on Tibetan1639 Words   |  7 Pagesbetween Language and Ethnic Identity in China: A focus on the Tibetan Language To begin with, according to the background history of the Tibetan language, it is not mere a language like modern English with a wide extend of speakers who can comprehend each other easily depending on familiar vocabulary, grammar. As an old linguistic proverb states: â€Å"a dialect is a language without an army and a language is a dialect with an army, and Tibetan can be considered as a set of languages instead of dialects†Read MoreEssay on Tibet1552 Words   |  7 Pagesand customs, government, environment and rights were taken away and destroyed by this tragic invasion.2 The majority of Tibetans were either killed or exiled, but the ones exiled have been very strong throughout all of this and stayed true to their beliefs and themselves. After enduring the exile to India, Tibetan Buddhists still managed to live their lives in the traditional Tibetan fashion. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The origin of Buddhism dates back to around 563 BCE , with a man by the name ofRead MoreEssay on The Dalai Lama884 Words   |  4 Pagescommunist Chinese grasp. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The Dalai Lama means ocean of wisdom and is the manifestation of the Buddha of compassion. But he is often referred to as Yeshin Norbu, by the Tibetans, meaning the wish-fulfilling gem, or simply, Kundun, meaning the presence. He was born to a peasant family on July 6, 1935. And by the age of two he was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. As soon as he turned six he started his education and by the age of 24 he had taken preliminary