Activity Report 2010 by Trace Foundation

upports the continuity and development of Tibetan culture,

language and places, improving lives and strengthening communities on the Tibetan Plateau.

Trace Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in New York City. It has no political or religious affiliations.

Andrea E. Soros Founder and President Eric Colombel Vice-President Enrico Dell’Angelo Executive Director Trace Foundation’s Activity Report is published annually by Trace Foundation, 132 Perry St., Suite 2B, New York, NY 10014 USA Tel.: +1-212-367-7380 Fax: +1-212-367-7383 www.trace.org Paola Vanzo Editor-in-Chief Peter Wiegand Writer and Editor Jamie Dea, Irma Orlandi Writers Gianluca Bagnasco Layout and Design Contents and Photos ©Trace Foundation, 2011. Neither may be reproduced in any way without permission from Trace Foundation. For more information contact pressroom@trace.org. 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 transcription system can be found at www.thlib.org In cases where Chinese and Tibetan names exist, the Tibetan is used with the Pinyin in parentheses-- e.g., Lhoka (Shannan). 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 is used for Tibetan names where Tibetan names were unavailable.

Contents features

Waking the Gods

Cultivation Traditions Between the Local & the Global

An Education

The Latse Festival of Dungnak Tsowa

Attending the International Association for Tibetan Studies

in the library

The Geshe Nornang Collection

events

The Future of Tibetan Identity & Tradition

Digital Voices, Old & New

Escape from Nothing

PakĂŠling

Learning Culture is Childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Play

publication distribution

in memoriam

financial highlights

Message from our President As Trace Foundation nears its nineteenth year, the few, core ideas on which the organization was founded are stronger than ever. First is the appreciation and celebration of Tibetan culture. You see this reflected not only in our mission statement, but in all the work we do, from support for a Tibetan-language kindergarten, to the preservation of classical texts and folk songs, to the training of young Tibetan ecologists who will study grassland degradation. Second is the focus on making a practical, long-term difference in peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives. For me, this is a cornerstone of our identity as an organization, and of effective development work. Last, but not least, is the commitment to cooperation as a means for solving problems, sharing solutions and building a better world. The importance of mutual respect, listening, finding common ground and practical ways to work together is more evident now than ever, yet around the world dialogue is too often being replaced by conflict. On the Tibetan Plateau, the breakdown of dialogue has led to an increasingly restrictive environment for the implementation of our work. In 2010, we have continued to adapt to these challenges. We expanded our scholarship program to meet the needs of a growing number of students seeking a higher education, and reworked our approach to external grants to ensure that more of the worthiest projects can be undertaken. This year, we also completed our first lecture series, Minority Language in Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Global Society. The six-conference series, held at our headquarters in New York, brought together scholars from around the world to compare strategies for language maintenance, develop common understanding, and forge partnerships across languages, backgrounds, and continents. As we struggle globally with how, whether and why we will be tied together, I am proud of the efforts that Trace Foundation has made at both the international and local levels. In this uncertain climate, The Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to culture, people and cooperation remains as strong as ever. There is much to be done. Andrea E. Soros

From the Executive Director Early in the morning of April 14, an earthquake with a registered magnitude of 6.9 struck Yülshül Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in southwest Qinghai Province. This was the second major earthquake, including the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, to hit a Tibetan-populated area in as many years. Centered just 30 km from the prefecture seat of Kyikudo, the quake caused significant damage – destroying 85% of buildings, including the twelfth-century Thrangu Monastery – and claimed more than 2,500 lives. Trace Foundation immediately pledged assistance to the victims of the quake. As the injured began to fill hospitals across the region, including the provincial capital in Xining, Trace Foundation staff arrived to assist with translation and provide necessities to those accompanying injured relatives and friends. We began accepting direct public donations for the first time in our history, and committed to ensuring that 100% of all funds donated would be used to assist the affected communities. Using these funds and additional money set aside for emergency relief, the Foundation funded the distribution of emergency kits containing food, blankets, and personal hygiene materials for 800 victims in the area. Following an on the ground needs assessment, the Foundation followed up this initial relief effort by supporting the purchase of additional supplies, including 175 tents and a two-month supply of traditional Tibetan medicines. Trace Foundation remains committed to the ongoing reconstruction efforts. As we worked to provide relief goods for Yülshül and to assist the injured and hospitalized in Xining, Foundation staff continued their regular work towards the Foundation’s mission. In the past year we awarded support to 43 grantees undertaking projects on the Tibetan Plateau. Continuing the commitments that we’ve held since our establishment, the Foundation’s largest area of support in 2010 was in education. Supported projects focused on improving the quality of instruction through teacher and administrator training, and providing crucial equipment to under-funded schools, including clothing, bedding, athletic equipment, and teaching materials.

To increase access to education across the region, the Foundation provided scholarships to 1,240 Tibetans seeking a higher education. Tibetan-language publication continued to be a large area of support for the Foundation in 2010. The Foundation provided for the publication of a total of 13,000 copies of six new publications, including an academic journal, a textbook on the environment and conservation for primary school students, and a history of Nyingmapa monasteries in Yülshül. The Foundation provided additional funding for the creation of 60 bibliographic outlines of rare Tibetan Buddhist texts by the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center (TBRC) and the creation of two documentaries by Tibetan filmmakers in western China. At our headquarters in New York, we continued our effort to deepen and expand dialogue on the contemporary state of Tibetan communities. Our library acquired nearly 2,000 new items, in addition to a significant donation of books and personal papers. In the library’s reading room, the Foundation hosted 15 events in 2010, including the last three events of our first lecture series, Minority Language in Today’s Global Society. These events explored issues critical to the understanding of Tibetan history, culture, language, and the economic and social development of Tibetan communities. In 2010, The Foundation made significant progress towards the restoration of our reputation, following a false accusation of involvement in the civil unrest in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) in 2008. The Foundation successfully brought legal action against F. William Engdahl, who was convicted of libel in the decision by the Hamburg Regional Court. The author has retracted his allegations as untrue, and posted a written retraction to his website. The conclusion of this case is a significant step towards the clearing of our name and our returning fully to work in the communities we have served for nearly 20 years. Through our diverse interventions, in 2010, Trace Foundation made an overall investment of more than $7.5 million in the future of Tibetan communities. Enrico Dell’Angelo

FEATURES

Waking the Gods

In the dark, all that can be seen are the whites of their eyes.

Gradually they emerge from the blackness, an entire retinue of fanged demons, holding weapons of war, clothed in the skins of wild animals, and crowned with human heads. In the flickering light of the gĂśnkhang in Galingteng, these wrathful protectors appear to dance along the black walls, still inspiring fear and reverence centuries after they were painted. Galingteng lies just outside Derge Town, in Kardze Prefecture in the historic region of Kham. The small village is bisected by a river that winds it way out of the snowcapped mountains that are its source. The majority of the villageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inhabitants are nomadic herders whose winter homes lie along one side of the river, while the other side is home to a large monastic complex, known as Galing GĂśn. Unlike other Tibetan areas where buildings are commonly made of whitewashed stone, the homes here are made of wood and clay and painted a deep ochre.

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Painted on many are red and white stripes on a grey

to restore the murals in the gönkhang at Galingteng.

background, marking the inhabitants as adherents of the

Trace supplied funding to send three restorers, Giulia Cervi,

Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism.

Sara Scioscia, and Emanuele Marconi to the site to analyze the

Galing Gön lies at the heart of the community to which

extent of the damage and begin work on the restoration.

it has given its name. The first monastery in the area is

The gönkhang is a large rectangular room with a single

said to have been built in the ninth century by Lhalung Pelgyi

window high in the wall opposite the door.

Dorje, after he fled central Tibet to escape retribution for the

The walls are roughly divided into two registers.

assassination of Langdarma, the last Tibetan emperor.

The upper register is filled with garlands of human eyes and

It was, however, not Pelgyi Dorje but Ga Anyen Dampa, the

entrails, while the majority of the wall is given over to the

famous student of Sakya Pandita, who would give the

depiction of wrathful deitites. The murals are executed after

monastery its name. Though some hold that the name derives

the style of nakthangs, an ancient style of thangka painting

from when, returning from mainland China in the thirteenth

in which the black bodies of wrathful deities are picked out

century, Anyen Dampa unsaddled (galen,

) his horse

from a black background by a gold line. Examples of this style

here, the majority say that the name derives instead from his

of painting dating from the ninth century were found at the

surname Ga. It was Anyen Dampa who built the gönkhang

Dunhuang caves, but the style gained greater popularity only

in Galingteng and commissioned the murals of the eight

in the seventeenth–nineteenth centuries.

principal protectors of the Sakya school that cover its walls.

Above each of the major deities are depicted, with a fine red

Gönkhangs are a common feature of temples across Tibet.

line, the masters of the lineages that have transmitted the

These temples are devoted to the wrathful protectors of

teachings tied to the worship of these deities.

dharma, and the destroyers of obstacles encountered on the

The wall containing the entranceway is painted with murals of

path to spiritual enlightenment. Chief among them is

several different incarnations of Mahakala, as well as a large

Mahakala (Nakpo Chenpo,

), the Great Black One,

rendering of Bektse, a dharma protector (

) depicted in

more commonly known as Gönpo, the Protector.

the style of a Central Asian warrior.

The temples devoted to these protectors are commonly

Moving clockwise through the room, the next wall bears two

decorated with weapons, animal skins, and murals of wrathful

more representations of Mahakala, including Brahmarupa

deities painted on a deep black background.

Mahakala. This incarnation of Mahakala as a dark-skinned

The gönkhang at Galingteng was once a part of a much

brahmin with bared fangs, the wild hair and beard of an

larger monastic complex. During the Cultural Revolution much

ascetic, and a kangling (human femur trumpet) in hand, arose

of the complex was destroyed. The gönkhang, however, was

due to the impropriety in Sakya school of showing an image

converted into a granary and remained largely intact, though

of the four-faced (Caturmukha) Mahakala to the uninitiated.

the years of neglect and the advanced age of the building

Further down on the same wall are the Citipati – a pair of

eventually took their toll, particularly on the murals.

dancing skeletons – and Makzor Gyelmo, Queen of the Army

In 2007, ASIA-onlus applied to Trace Foundation for support

Repelling Weapons.

FEATURES

This protector deity was first popularized by the Sakyapas,

the Sakyapa textual tradition preserves the meaning of the

though her worship later spread to the Geluk school, where

original Sanskrit panjara: cage, most commonly taken as the

she became a special protector of the Dalai Lamas.

cage of the body. This god of cemeteries, clad in a tiger skin

The central deity on the wall opposite the door is missing,

and a diadem of skulls, represents, in a Buddhist context, the

represented instead by a halo of flame. Although rare,

power to overcome the body within which one is trapped by

depictions of this type usually represent omnipresent

ignorance. He is surrounded by a retinue of wrathful deities

enlightened activity able to manifest simultaneously wherever

including Relchigma, Pelden Lhamo, and Chakne Dorje.

needed for the benefit of sentient beings.

When the restorers arrived, large cracks and surface abrasions

The animals amongst the flames, however, point clearly to

covered the painted walls.

Panjarnatha Mahakala, the main figure on the last wall.

At some point in the past, the building had slid on its

The aureole is further surrounded by diverse wrathful deities.

foundation, warping the doorway and baseboards, and

Unlike the paintings on the other walls, which date uniformly

detaching large segments of the painted surface, particularly

from the eighteenth century, this wall reflects styles that were

near the corners. The murals had been further obscured by

common in eastern Tibet in the latter half of the nineteenth

regular applications of yak butter and centuries of smoke

century. The mural then covers an area that had most likely

from incense and butter lamps – the only light source, aside

been previously used, and which had possibly undergone

from the single small window, in the temple.

particular deterioration.

Making use of a large gas generator to light the space, the

The entirety of the last wall is devoted to Panjarnatha

restorers began an analysis of the state of the temple, and the

Mahakala (Gurgönpo), the special protector of the Sakya

methods and materials used in its original construction.

school. Commonly said to be the protector of the tent (གུར།),

The gönkhang at Galingteng was constructed using

FEATURES

traditional methods. The walls are made of clay and vegetable

painted on top. The paints used on the primary figures derive

fibers, applied layer-by-layer and compressed to make a solid

largely from crushed precious stones, including malachite,

wall over 40 in (100 cm) thick.

azurite, orpiment and cinnabar. The outline of the principle

To prepare the wall for painting, a thin layer of kaolinite, the

figures was achieved through a thin layer of gold leaf applied

principal component of porcelain, was applied to the walls

over orpiment.

then burnished with river rocks to create a smooth surface to

In the course of just over two months the three restorers were

which paints can be applied.

able to complete their work in the temple. Turning off the

The restorers began their work by repairing the painting

gas generator that had lit their progress through the summer

surface. Using a mixture of local clay and a synthetic resin,

for the last time, and lighting a single yak butter candle, the

the restorers filled the major cracks and gaps in the wall.

restorers finally stepped back from the walls they had labored

Bits of paint that had flaked off from the original work were

over, and took in a sight unseen for three centuries.

reapplied using the same resin. Once the painting surface had been restored, work commenced on cleaning all four

This story was based on reports made by Sara Bianchin, Giulia Cervi, Monica

walls. Using brushes, water, and polar solvents, the restorers

Favaro, Fillipo Lunardo, and Sara Scioscia in The Mahakala Temple of

were able to remove the smoke and dirt deposits that

Galingteng: The Resoration of its Murals, published by ASIA-onlus.

had accumulated on the walls. In several places, previous restorations, using a coarsely applied plaster of local clay, covered the faces of the principle deities. These plasters were removed manually with a scalpel, allowing the restorers to work from the original. Given the important religious function of the paintings, work focused on a full mimetic restoration, returning the images as closely as possible to their original state. Determined to make as great a use of traditional materials and methods as possible, the restorers took samples of the paints from the wall and sent them to the Institue of Surfaces and Inorganic Chemistry at the National Research Council in Padua, Italy. The painting style, derived from the Indo-Nepali tradition, relies on the use of tempera paints made from ground organic and mineral pigments bound in an animal-based (frequently yak) glue. In the case of the gรถnkhang, every wall had been coated in a layer of carbon black before the figures were

For more information on this project please visit www.asia-ngo.com

FEATURES

Cultivating Traditions between the Local and the Global Sienna R. Craig (Dartmouth College)

Reflections on the 7th Congress

Founded in 1979 by the medical anthropologist Charles

of the International Association for the Study of Traditional Asian Medicines (IASTAM),

Leslie and the historian Arthur Llewellyn (A.L.) Basham, the

Thimphu, Bhutan, September 7-11, 2009.

promote the study and cross-cultural understanding of Asian

International Association for the Study of Traditional Asian Medicine (IASTAM) represents a unique vision of bringing academics and practitioners of Asian medical traditions into dialogue with each other. The organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission is to medicines from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, and to do so in a way that not only honors but also embraces the sometimes difficult task of reckoning the world of reflection and critique with that of engagement and practice. IASTAMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s previous congresses have been held in places as diverse as Canberra (1979), Bombay (1990), and Austin (2006), but until last year, never had a Congress been held in a Himalayan country.

FEATURES

Likewise, while one can find the occasional paper or reference

attended this congress, which was held in the Royal Institute

to Tibetan medicine among the listings of abstracts from

of Management (RIM) on the western outskirts of Bhutan’s

previous international congresses, neither scholarly nor

capital, Thimphu, and hosted by the Institute for Traditional

practitioner perspectives on Tibetan medicine and related

Medicine Services, Ministry of Health, Government of Bhutan.

themes of Tibetan and Himalayan civilizations have been

The event was covered by all major Bhutanese newspapers,

prominent in the history of the organization.

and was also featured on regional television and radio.

All of this changed last year, when the 7th IASTAM congress

The congress brought together not only scholars

was held in Thimphu, Bhutan. Not only was this the

and practitioners of Tibetan, Himalayan, East Asian

largest international conference to ever be held in the

and South Asian healing systems, but also social

Himalayan Kingdom, but it was also the first IASTAM event

entrepreneurs, civil servants, and representatives of

that thoroughly embraced and represented scholars and

global businesses engaged in the commercial sale of

practitioners of Sowarikpa, the “science of healing” practiced

Asia-derived medicinal products. Students of Asian medical

and studied in its diverse forms across the sweep of High Asia

traditions—including those from the local Bhutanese

and beyond, and known in the hosting Land of the Dragon

Traditional Medical College—were present and engaged in

(Drukyul) as “Buddhist Medicine.” More than 200 people

the conference.

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This international gathering was also an opportunity for

anthropological, legal, and social entrepreneurial perspectives.

other Bhutanese students (e.g. those from the Languages

As someone who has been collaborating with practitioners of

and Cultures Program of the Royal University) to see world-

Tibetan medicine for more than a decade in different national

class scholarly and professional presentations. This mĂŠlange

contexts (primarily Nepal and Tibetan areas of China), this

of perspectives owed a lot to the theme of this congress:

meeting felt particularly important, given the pace at which

Cultivating Traditions and the Challenges of Globalization.

Tibetan medicine is changing at present. Today, Tibetan

During our five days together in Thimpu, many unique

medicine represents multiple, and sometimes conflicting,

and innovative conversations were had between scholars,

agendas. Tibetan medicines must at once be proven

scientists, policymakers and practitioners.

efficacious and safe according to international biomedical

Compared with previous congresses, there was a growth in

standards as well as appeal to non-Tibetan consumers.

the range of topics and methodological approaches in the

Gso ba rig pa must retain a sense of cultural authenticity and,

schedule, from history, anthropology, philology, law and

at times, a direct connection to Tibetan Buddhism, yet also

religion to literature, art history, gender studies, and Asian

reflect innovation within the scientific tradition from which it

medical and biomedical practices.

emerges, and from biomedicine. Tibetan medicines must be

Particularly salient from a Tibetan Studies perspective

capable of treating illnesses in Tibetan communities, often

were several panels that were conducted entirely in

in places where health care is limited and basic biomedical

Tibetan language, and that were devoted to issues of

treatment is also unavailable. Yet these medicines are

practice as well as textual studies, including a large panel

increasingly finding a market within non-Tibetan contexts

devoted to BĂśn medicine and a panel on the relationship

in many countries where alternative health care options and

between ritual healing and textual practices in Tibetan

paths to wellness are sought.

contexts. Tibetan studies perspectives were also prominent in

Those who teach and practice Tibetan medicine must at once

more thematic panels on topics such as longevity practices,

be attentive to new models of learning and state-mandated

medical pluralism, and public health, while some scholars

licensing and certification requirements as well as biomedical

ventured into comparative discussions such as a dialogue

understandings of health and disease, while striving to retain,

between medicine in Amdo and Korea, situated as they are

and sometimes even innovate, traditional practices and modes

on opposite margins of Chinese culture and civilization, and a

of knowledge transmission. For these and other reasons, the

panel on women and gender in medicine and healing across

chance for such a well respected yet diverse group of gso

Asia which included important contributions by Tibetan

ba rig pa practitioners to gather, learn from each other, and

women practitioners and topics related to Tibetan womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

discuss their work, was invaluable. It is important to note that

health. Denise Glover and I organized a large panel on the

many of these excellent panels, on which people from China,

themes of conservation, cultivation, and commercialization

Nepal, India, and Bhutan participated, would have been

of Himalayan and Tibetan medicinal plants, which drew from

impossible without generous support from Trace Foundation,

practitioners and producers of Tibetan medicines as well as

among other sponsors.

FEATURES

The days in Thimphu passed quickly and memorably. I can still

turned to slick mud, impelling us to hold hands, to help each

remember the feeling of flying into the airport in Paro: the

other down the mountain.

verdant, monsoon soaked hills, the vertiginous turn toward a strip of runway at the base of Himalayan mountain ranges. I also remember the cacophony of languages on the plane and in the conference setting. Both within the formal contexts of panels and discussion, and as participants milled about in the lovely courtyard of RIM, feasting on ema datse and sweet tea, important connections were made and invaluable

What I found most striking, though, was participants’ sincere desire to communicate, to bridge gaps of culture or experience, and to come to know more about the diversity of healing practices throughout Asia, and, when it comes to gso ba rig pa, on both sides of the Himalayas.

information was exchanged, here in Tibetan, there in Chinese, Nepali, Hindi, English, and lovely combinations of all of these.

One evening, most of the Tibetan amchi and menpa (practitioners of Tibetan medicines) in attendance gathered

One of the highlights of the trip for me was an excursion

together for dinner and shared stories late into the evening.

a group of us took the day before the scheduled panels

By the account of this event I heard from friends the next day,

began. We hiked up to Taktsang, the famous “Tiger’s Nest”

it was an unprecedented, and moving experience.

monastery perched on the craggy cliffs above Paro, where

The following morning, I encountered a senior Tibetan doctor

Guru Rinpoche was famed to have flown on the back of a

at the book display. This individual had spent the first half

tigress in the 8th century. Among the group of pilgrims that

of his career in Lhasa, but was now a prominent practitioner

afternoon was a doctor I’ve known for years who hails from Mustang, Nepal, the vice director of the largest Tibetan medical consortium 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 ominous 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

in India. His voice cracked as he told me about the previous evening, and his delight in discovering that one of the young Tibetan doctors from China whom I’d helped to invite was the son of a dear friend of his, from his Lhasa days. “This,” he said in central Tibetan, “is lineage.” I couldn’t agree more. The conference website can be accessed for reports, images and abstracts: www.iastam.org/conferences_VII.htm. More information on IASTAM activities can be found at: www.iastam.org/home.htm. The next IASTAM congress is slated for Fall 2013 in Seoul, Korea.

FEATURES

An Education “…students need an education that will not only teach them skills, but one that will help them learn how to learn and how to be a part of a community.”

Sitting quietly at the end of the long conference table in Trace Foundation’s headquarters in New York, Kelsang Kyi nervously plays with a few sheets of paper, shuffling and bending them. When she finally speaks, her voice is clear and surprisingly deep, with only a faint shadow of an accent. “It has been a long process of learning and struggling to live in a new culture,” she says, and indeed, it has. Kelsang Kyi was born in a small village in Chentsa County in the Malho (Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. Unlike the regions to the immediate south and west, which are dominated by high mountains and primarily populated by nomads, Chentsa County forms part of a small patch of arable land centered on the provincial capital Xining. Many of its residents are employed in agriculture and Kelsang is no different.

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“I’m a farmer’s daughter” she says, with a laugh that betrays

teacher’s in the PRC) in English and Tibetan she returned to

an awareness of the cliché in English.

her former primary school to teach Tibetan, Chinese, English,

“Growing up, women my age had few opportunities to

History and Geography. From the beginning Kelsang was

get an education” she says. “Girls had to stay home to help

eager to improve her teaching skills, and soon began a three-

with the work of the family. All my siblings are uneducated.”

year correspondence course to improve her English.

Kelsang’s father, however, made her mother promise that

“At home,” she says “there was little opportunity to practice

Kelsang would go to school until she decided to drop out—

English, so I mostly practiced by reading, or recording my own

at that time still the most common end to young Tibetans’

voice and playing it back.” Still unsatisfied with her language

education. Kelsang did not drop out. In July of 1991 she

skills, she returned to school, enrolling at the Qinghai

became the first member of her family to graduate

Teachers’ College in Xining in 2001 to complete her benke

from senior middle school, which is roughly equivalent

(equivalent to a bachelor’s degree) in English.

to American high school. She continued her education in

Shortly thereafter she returned home to take up a new

Repgong at the Malho Teachers’ College. After graduating

position at the Chentsa County Nationalities Middle School,

with her zhongzhuan (the minimum degree required for

where she soon became a head teacher.

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Chentsa County Nationalities Middle School is a boarding

a Masters of Arts in teaching English at the School for

school comprised primarily of the children of nomads and

International Training (SIT) in Brattleboro, Vermont but

farmers whose homes are far from the school.

the admissions office was skeptical that Kelsang would

As a head teacher, Kelsang was responsible for her students

be able to compete in the program with native English

day and night, and taught as many as eighty thirteen- to

speakers. Ultimately, however, they decided to grant her the

fifteen-year-olds in a single small classroom, rotating seats

opportunity and in January 2008 she arrived in the US to

each month to give each student an opportunity to be near

begin seven months of intensive English-language training at

the front of the class.

the International Language Institute of Massachusetts.

In 2004, Kelsang traveled to Xining for a workshop,

At first, the adjustment was difficult for her.

sponsored by Trace Foundation, on student-centered teaching

“Before coming to America, I’d never been outside of

methodology for Tibetan English-language teachers. “It was

Qinghai—I’d never even been to a big city like Beijing,”

a rare opportunity, particularly for English teachers,” she says.

she explained. Everything felt new and unfamiliar to her and

“I learned about more ‘hands-on’ teaching methodology, and

she dearly missed her family and the tight-knit community of

became impassioned to learn more about how to teach.”

her hometown.

It was during this first meeting that Kelsang also learned

“I kept thinking: I can’t do it; I want to go home. I cried a lot.”

about the international scholarships provided by Trace

But, she stayed, and in September of that year, began her

Foundation, which would eventually bring her to the US.

studies at SIT with a focus on language acquisition, teaching

Kelsang applied for the scholarship in 2006 to pursue

methodology, and culture.

FEATURES

Although she admits to being shy at first, Kelsang eventually

weekly typed assignments: a challenge she soon mastered,

began regularly visiting each of her professors after class

finding along the way that her writing improved dramatically.

to discuss with them the situations she faced at home and

In 2010, when Kelsang graduated, the admissions counselor

possible solutions. Kelsang was inspired by these talks with

who had expressed concern over her ability to compete

her professors.

with her fellow students came forward to tell her that she

“I found I was learning in two ways: in one way

had risen to the challenge, and counted amongst the best

through the actual content and in another by sitting

students in her class.

back and watching how my professors were teaching.”

Thinking of the teachers who will follow in her footsteps,

Kelsang also had the opportunity to take part in teaching

Kelsang advises “When living in another culture, it’s

practica, including one at the Brattleboro Union High school

hard, but all human beings are the same. Don’t get

where she was amazed by the incredible number of books

intimidated or be afraid of making mistakes. Whatever’s

and computers available for the students to use.

in your mind, just open your mouth and say it. You have

“At my school,” she told us, “we have a library, but we don’t

to get out of your room, and go out and experience

use it much as it has nearly completely collapsed.”

things; learning happens there too.”

Crumbling infrastructure is not the only challenge she faces at

“There must be more opportunities for rural teachers to

home. “Being a teacher is a challenge, particularly in the

receive training. The teachers in these areas really need this

countryside. We have very few teaching tools. The most

opportunity to create even a small change in the community.”

challenging part though is teaching your students how

she says, reflecting on her time in the US.

to become good people…students need an education that will not only teach them skills, but one that will help them learn how to learn and how to be a part of a

“The more I see, the more I learn just how important education is.”

community.” Perhaps because of her interest in cultivating whole and wellrounded students, she took an early interest in course design. She was inspired by the emphasis her instructors placed on culture and the importance of relating new knowledge to the experience and context of students. “A textbook, she says, is just a tool. It’s not everything.” Far more important, she believes is the relationship between a teacher and her students and the teacher’s ability to make the lesson relevant to a student’s life. Kelsang progressed rapidly. Though she’d never used a computer before, the program required that she submit

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.

FEATURES

The Latse Festival of Dungnak Tsowa Yumjeap

This community festival for the latse is not only a window into the expression of Dungnak Tibetans’ native culture, but also how Dungnak Tibetan people remember their history and inherit their historical cultures and traditions.

The practice of making offerings to the mountain gods is

a long cultural history. To the south of Qifeng lies Treng-la

an important social and cultural mark of Tibetan historical

County of Qinghai Province and to the north, the borders

memory and cultural identity. The focus of my doctoral

of Jiuquan and Jiayuguan. In the area, there is Bodhisattva

studies in Ethnology at Lanzhou University is the remains

Manjusri’s ancient temple Dungnak Jamyang, and the highest

of the cultural practice of offering to latse in the remote

peaks of the Treng-la Mountains.

northeastern reaches of Amdo. A latse is a site of cultural

The traditional faith of the Dungnak Tibetans is Tibetan

significance, usually along the high peaks bordering

Buddhism. In Qifeng, the beliefs and festival activities

mountain passes. Latse are constructed from a cluster of

surrounding the sacrificial offering to latse are very similar to

rocks and bundled branches forming a wide pole from

rituals in other Tibetan communities. Since the last century,

which prayer flags are strung. In 2009, I was fortunate to

the Qifeng Dungnak Tibetan’s traditional culture has become

receive a research fellowship from Trace Foundation, which

increasingly marginalized due to the increase of historical

gave me the opportunity to research the latse festivals in

influence of Han culture. The Tibetan language is only spoken

Dungnak Tsowa (Qifeng) Township in Sunan County, Gansu

among the older population; without exception it cannot be

Province. Qifeng locals are also known as Dungnak Tibetans.

spoken among the younger generation.

They are native to northeastern region of the Amdo Phreng

They seldom visit the community’s cultural center, the

la Mountains and the Western Corridor in Gansu Province.

Manjusri temple, but they continue to intensely identify with

Qifeng is a large township, rich in mineral resources and with

their ancestors and the Tibetan ethnicity.

FEATURES

The subject for this project is the latse festival on the Manjusri

Manjusri temple. However, it is quite popular to wear Tibetan

Temple Mountain. In Qifeng, there is one central latse, and

clothes during the festival. Many families prepare or unpack

thirteen sub-latse in the surrounding villages.

Tibetan clothes for the festival. Dressed in their Tibetan

The main latse is surrounded by thirteen types of minerals

clothing, both old and young are happy to participate in

and thirteen flags standing for the thirteen villages in the

these activities. During the activity, the township government

Qifeng township.

organizes an annual cultural arts festival and sports activities,

Every year on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month,

including Tibetan art shows and horse racing. The sacrificial

Dungnak Tibetan in Qifeng areas hold the latse festival.

offerings to latse and cultural arts festival are complimentary,

The elderly, women, and children from the Dungnak tribe,

and are a platform to demonstrate and revive Qinfeng

and even migrant workers, actively participate in the festival. Through this ceremony, Dungnak Tibetans are reminded of their responsibilities to the latse and the Dungnak community. This also is how Dungnak Tibetans facing rapid social and cultural changes express their ethnic dignity and cultural identity. Qifeng Dungnak Tibetanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latse festival is as grand and lively as the Dzamling Chisang - a common Buddhist holiday - held

Dungnak Tibetanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture. This is in sharp contrast with the Tibetan people from Gansu and Wudu Province, who no longer hold latse festivals. In fact, Dungnak Tibetans recognize their active participation in the festival as a demonstration of their culture, rather than as a religious festival. Yumjeap is a 2009 Trace Foundation Research Fellow. The Fellowship supports researchers both in Tibet and abroad whose efforts shed light

on the lunar date of 15th May in other Tibetan areas.

on the current state of the Tibetan plateau, its peoples and their cultures.

During the latse festival, no one can recite mountain god

The fellowship was established in 2009 to build knowledge about Tibetan

prayers except the Living Buddha and one monk in the

communities and guide future development efforts.

FEATURES

Attending the 12th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS) From August 15-21, 2010, over four hundred people

Our primary focus has been to support young scholars who

converged on the beautiful campus of the University of

would otherwise be unable to present their research in such a

British Columbia in Vancouver for the 12 Seminar of

prestigious international forum.

the International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS).

We provide not only financial support, but also assistance

This August gathering meets every three to four years and

on the ground, including with their arrival and check-in at

is the convergence of scholars and individuals involved in Tibetan Studies from all over the world and across a wide range of disciplines for a weeklong conference. Trace Foundation was both a sponsor of and active participant in the conference. The day was sweltering, registering as the hottest day in Vancouver on record. Despite the heat, scholars from all over the world gathered to participate in this open forum of ideas. Academics from around the world lounged on the beautiful lawn of the university campus, enjoying the cooling breeze that drifted in from the Vancouver Sound. This casual and gregarious atmosphere of scholars mingling under shady pine trees was the ideal setting for this important conference on developments in Tibetan Studies. Building our commitment to developing knowledge about Tibetan areas and language, Trace Foundation has been a strong supporter of IATS since 1998.

the conference, and translation throughout, ensuring their attendance is as meaningful as possible. In years past, Trace has supported scholars who have presented on topics as diverse as the spirit mediums of Repgong, classical Tibetan mathematics, and the editing of Tibetan manuscripts. In 2010, we supported ten young scholars to present their papers at IATS. They presented on topics in anthropology, history, literature, architecture and more. Through this initial exposure to the international academic community, several of these scholars found new opportunities to lecture abroad.

This year, Trace Foundation provided additional support to the conveners of IATS. A grant from the Foundation covered a third of the conferenceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget. The contribution covered much of the logistics for the conference, including the hiring of conference personnel, equipment rental, publication expenses and more.

FEATURES

In addition to general support for the conference and support

and local knowledge, Professor Sienna Craig of Dartmouth

for ten participants, Trace Foundation staff convened

College and co-founder of Drokpa discussed her efforts

one panel and participated in two others. Our research

with several different medical projects in Nepal and Tibet.

office, together with the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation,

She has helped clinics that offer traditional medical practices

convened and chaired a panel entitled “Applied Scholarship in

incorporate methods of record keeping and administration

Tibet.” In order to explore the intersection of scholarship and

that are preferred by both state and international

development work, the panel brought together professional

organizations and practitioners, thus garnering these clinics

academics who participate in applied scholarship, scholarship

additional support.

that contributes to real benefit in the communities that are

Lastly, the panel discussed the relationship of engaged

the subject and/or location of research.

scholarship to research. Professor David Germano, of

The panel addressed three main concerns: the need for

the University of Virginia and director of the Tibetan and

moral clarity in research, the distribution of knowledge,

Himalayan Library, highlighted the need to rethink the

and the relationship between engaged scholarship

common conception of how knowledge is created and

and research.

disseminated. In particular, he advocated reconsidering how

Thubten Phuntsok, of the Central Nationalities University in

knowledge is disseminated within the academy, and offered

Beijing, provided an example of ethics in his pioneering work

examples of potential alternative systems.

with his organization, Tibetan Aids Prevention Association

For scholars interested in engaged scholarship, a common

(TAPA). When the first HIV case was discovered in Kardze

issue is that it is often not compatible with a career

Prefecture in 2000, Thubten Phuntsok recognized the urgent

in academia.

need for AIDS prevention. Recognizing that if initiatives to

Applied scholarship research is often relegated to the

address this issue were not undertaken immediately, the

area of “service,” which is marginalized in relation

Tibetan Plateau could be faced with a health crisis within a

to the areas of research that are vital to career

short period of time, he founded the organization to educate

advancement in academia.

rural populations about HIV/AIDS prevention. There is a similar

Professor Germano concluded by reiterating the importance

need to provide people with access to textual materials.

of the need for those within academia to think of service as

Dr. Mark Turin from the University of Cambridge and director

equal to teaching and research.

of the World Oral Literature Project is engaged in this task.

Pema Bhum, director of Trace Foundation’s Latse Library, and

His project, Digital Himalaya, is dedicated to the dual tasks

Kristina Dy-Liacco, one of our librarians, participated in the

of preserving archival anthropological materials from the

panel “Tibetological Library and Archive Resources: State of

Himalayas and making them accessible to a broad array of

the Field and a Fielding of Needs.” Susan Meinheit of the

users. He discussed the challenges of transferring archival

Library of Congress, and Lauran Hartley, the Tibetan studies

media to various digital formats, particularly finding the right

librarian at Columbia University, convened the discussion.

balance between formats that would ensure longevity with

They examined recent developments and long-standing

formats that ensure accessibility.On the topic of collaborative

challenges related to traditional and digital library resources.

FEATURES

Also discussed was the need for library professionals and

of institutional databases and metadata systems,

other stewards of Tibetan Studies collections to engage the

in the hopes of increasing access to and use of these

broader academic community.

Tibetological resources.

The panelists agreed that fellow scholars could offer effective

As the conference came to a close, small groups of

solutions to challenges and issues regarding access and use of

participants wandered together to local restaurants and bars,

Tibetan materials and resources.

where discussions continued long into the night.

Latse staff also participated in the afternoon panel, “Databases and Special Collections,” which focused on specialized collections and online databases of six different organizations. Latse Library opened the panel with a presentation on our special and rare collections. Jeff Wallman, executive director of the Tibetan Buddhist

After meeting and discussing work and challenges with colleagues and members of the academic community, participants came away with a better understanding of the disciplinary relationships in Tibetan Studies.

Resource Center, provided an overview of their projects as well as ongoing research on optical character recognition

Moreover, there was a renewed energy—as well as a sense of

software. Panelists encouraged the audience to voice any

urgency—to return to work armed with new ideas and clearer

issues and challenges they had with access to and navigation

goals, to better serve the greater community.

In the Library Documenting the lives of Tibetans, from cobblers to former government ministers, the archive preserves a critical tool for the understanding of Tibetan history that would otherwise be lost.

LIBRARY

In 2010, Trace Foundation’s Latse Library

Work on our Oral History Archive has progressed

continued its focus on Collection Management

rapidly. The archive, which we began work on in

in terms of holdings, cataloging, preservation,

2003, now includes more than 300 interviews

and accessibility.

and over 600 hours of footage.

With the help of a trained volunteer and an

The first of these interviews will be available on

intern, we were finally able to make substantial

Trace Foundation’s website in late 2010.

progress on the systematic processing and cataloging of audio-visual materials, a unique

The library made significant progress in 2010

collection which was, nevertheless, largely

towards the preservation of our collections.

unrepresented in our library catalog.

The purchase, in 2010, of an orbital scanner has allowed us to begin to digitize our entire

The library acquired roughly 1,500 books,

collection. In just four months, library staff

and close to 100 audio-visual materials, along

digitized more than 300 books and periodicals –

with our regular subscription journals and

well over 22,000 pages.

newspapers.

We made further progress in the preservation

In 2010, the library received significant

of the Taktser Rinpoche Collection, donated to

donations from several individuals and groups,

Trace Foundation by his widow in 2009.

including a special collection of books, films, and

In 2010 we scanned over 3,750 photographs.

papers from Geshe Nornang, a former professor

Staff also sorted and processed all of the pecha

at the University of Washington.

and English language books in the Taktser

The Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center (TBRC)

Rinpoche Collection.

donated the Derge edition of the Tibetan

Other preservation work involved the digitization

canon and Jermay Reynolds, a PhD student

of over 500 audio cassettes – predominantly

from Amdo currently living in Washington, DC,

recordings from the 1980s and 90s from Tibet

further enriched our AV collection with 40 audio

– and 20 videotapes of rare footage of folk

cassettes of folk music from Amdo. Another

festivals in Amdo.

donation included 15 hours of video of a rare

We hope to make these materials available via

Mani festival in Rebkong.

our website in the near future.

LIBRARY

The Nornang Collection

In the fall of 2010, Pema Bhum, Director of Trace Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Latse Library, traveled to Bellevue, Washington, to interview Pema Kyaping and Tsetan Kyaping, two Tibetan nonagenarians who related their life stories for the libraryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

A few weeks later, six bulging boxes arrived in New York City.

Oral History Archive. Pema Bhum also visited Geshe Nornang,

Geshe Nornang was born in Lhasa in the 1920s. He became

the brother of Pema Kyaping, who had given a lecture on the

a monk as a teenager at Dakpo Shedrupling Monastery, in

rules for composing formal correspondence at Postmarked

Lhokha (Shannan) Prefecture, near the Nepali border.

Lhasa at Trace Foundation the previous year. In his home,

In 1959, he left Tibet for India. The following year, he was

Geshe Nornang invited Pema Bhum to take a look through an

invited to the United States by the Far Eastern Languages

impressive library of books and manuscripts. Geshe Nornang

and Literature Department (present day Asian Languages and

then offered to donate the bulk of his collection to Latse.

Literature) at the University of Washington.

LIBRARY

With funding from the National Defense Education Act,

including a dictionary passed on from Turrell Wylie, with

he developed Tibetan language materials at the university,

whom Geshe Nornang worked at UW, which contains the

including Modern Spoken Tibetan, one of the first text books

jottings and notes of that eminent Tibetologist in its margins.

for teaching Lhasa dialect to foreigners. Geshe Nornang then

In keeping with his love of music, his collection includes

became a lecturer in Tibetan at UW. During his time there he

numerous songbooks and sheets of musical notation.

taught many of the leading western Tibetologists of the past

In the Library, staff are beginning to process the material

thirty years, including Gene Smith, David Jackson, Melvyn

and prepare a list of all items, before formally integrating

Goldstein, and Lawrence Epstein.

the collection into the library’s holdings. Instrumental to

In addition to his teaching career, Geshe Nornang is a well-

the coordination of the donation is Dachen Kyaping, Geshe

known expert on nangma and töshé, two genres of

Nornang’s niece, who has been of immense support in the

classical Tibetan music. Tracing its origins back to Tibet’s

donation logistics as well as with follow-up queries.

early history—it is said that Trisong Detsen performed nangma

The donation comes on the heels of another major

after the completion of Tibet’s first monastery, Samye—

donation to Latse, the personal library and papers of

nangma is amongst Tibet’s oldest cultural traditions.

the Taktser Rinpoche in 2009, and makes a significant

In Lhasa in the 1950s he was a member of the Nangma

contribution towards the library’s efforts to collect and

Kyiduk, led by the famous blind musician Acho Namgyal.

preserve the work and achievements of a generation of

Geshe Nornang’s donation to the Library reflects a lifetime of

Tibetans, which might otherwise be lost.

teaching and research, as well as strong ties to the Tibetan and Tibetan studies communities. In addition to books, journals, offprints, and pamphlets in Tibetan, English, and Chinese, there is a fascinating variety of other materials, including book manuscripts and drafts, film reels, and newspaper clippings about Tibet from western newspapers from the 1950s on, and decades-worth of highly detailed class notes. The collection also includes dozens of phonograph records of recorded Tibetan conversation that formed the basis of his Modern Spoken Tibetan. A number of the books donated by Nornang are inscribed,

Events at Trace Foundation Conversations can change the world.

EVENTS

That conviction lies at the heart of Trace Foundation’s public programming. Since 2003, we have brought together dozens of academics, researchers, development workers, musicians, artists, writers and more to build knowledge on the Tibetan Plateau and explore the current state of its communities. In 2010 public programming at Trace Foundation highlighted contemporary Tibetan film and art, classical Tibetan music, Tibetan writing, recent historical and archaeological finds, and Sikkimese language reform. 2010 also saw an expansion in regular programming at our library. While continuing our regular Children’s Program, we launched Pakéling: Fundamentals of Tibetan Language a biweekly Tibetan language program for beginners. The program attracted a diverse student group of heritage and first-time learners, including our own Controller. 2010 also saw the conclusion of our first lecture series, Minority Language in Today’s Global Society. Through six multi-day conferences the series convened academics and researchers from around the world to explore the challenges and opportunities posed to minority language

speakers in a rapidly globalizing world. The last three events, held in 2010, focused on language standardization, the connection between linguistic diversity and biodiversity, and digital technologies and the future of minority languages. The dialogue begun here, and the partnerships formed through these programs will continue to shape the development of communities on the Tibetan Plateau far into the future.

Sampling of our events announcements

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The Future of Tibetan Identity & Tradition Janet Gyatso, Hershey Professor of Buddhist Studies, Harvard Divinity School

We can start to see that the urge to preserve might sometimes work against the vitality of a language.

On September 24th and 25th Trace Foundation held the

was that, surely, diversity is a good thing. But, as the

fifth event in its first lecture series, Minority Language in

discussion proceeded, it also became clear that there might

Today’s Global Society. The two-day conference, entitled

be different ways to think about diversity and identity and

Interdependent Diversities: The Relationship between

tradition—and that some of those ways might turn out to be

Language, Culture & Ecology, explored the connection

at odds with other goods that are needed for the continued

between linguistic diversity and biodiversity on the Tibetan

flourishing of Tibetan languages, cultures, and biospheres.

plateau and around the world.

The presence of several experts who are entirely outside of Tibetan studies was of great benefit. They played

Trace Foundation outdid itself last month in tackling some of

the very welcome role of drawing attention to other groups

the most important—and tricky—issues facing Tibetans today.

around the world whose languages, cultures, and biospheres

Cultural identity and tradition, at the heart of the discussions

are threatened. What can Tibetans learn by considering other

during the Interdependent Diversities conference, are often

examples? The first speaker was Dr. Luisa Maffi, cofounder

seen as the last hope to forestall the disappearance of the

and director of Terralingua, an organization that is devoted to

Tibetan world. The conference focused upon the intrinsic

promoting the biological and cultural diversity of the “web of

value of diversity, especially the relation between

life.” Dr. Maffi pointed to research that ties the recent

linguistic diversity and that of both human culture and

reduction of linguistic diversity in a given region to the

biological culture. The assumption for all of the participants

equally dramatic reduction of the diversity of plants

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and animals in the same area. The connection between

assumptions about what constitutes the best way of life

language and the natural environment has to do with

are not shared between groups, the argument that local

local, traditional expertise in caring for life in a region.

knowledge is intrinsically valuable might be a hard sell.

Such ability to care and protect is intimately connected with

The perfect and salient example of who may not be convinced

having the linguistic resources to name and understand those

of the value of local tradition is the Chinese state.

plants, animals, and their habits.

The third speaker at the conference was Xu Jianchu, senior

Dr. Maffi’s talk was underscored the next morning by the

scientist and regional coordinator at the World Agroforestry

impressive body of research by Eugene Hunn, Professor

Centre, and currently Professor at the Kunming Institute of

Emeritus from the University of Washington’s anthropology

Botany and executive director of the Center for Biodiversity

department. Professor Hunn expanded the argument for

and Indigenous Knowledge. Professor Xu’s work focuses

protecting the world’s cultural and linguistic diversity.

on the conservation of biodiversity in Yunnan province in

He pointed to the intrinsic virtue in supporting alternative

Southwest China, an area that includes major Tibetan cultural

ways of living on the earth. That allows us all to have a

precincts. Professor Xu turned the conference’s attention

richer understanding of the capacities of human nature.

to Tibetan agricultural calendars and spoke of the special

Professor Hunn surveyed his experience among the Tseltal,

dangers to the Tibetan plateau, source of all of Asia’s

the Zapotec and other Mid-Columbian Indians, and the Huna

major rivers, due to global warming. Professor Xu, like the

Tlingit in Northwest America. He pointed to the elaborate

speakers before him, showed respect for the local worldviews

vocabulary among the Tseltal for bees, wasps, and their

and conceptions of the sacred among Tibetan peoples. But he

nests, which shows far more specificity than what is known

also intimated the delicate political climate and the likely need

to modern zoology. Again, he fascinated the audience with

for compromise. For example, there has been a recent effort

the astonishing knowledge of a young girl he worked with in

on the part of the state to get Tibetan nomads to dramatically

central Mexico who was able to identify hundreds of distinct

reduce the size of their herds. Here Professor Xu pointed to

medical plants in her region by name.

some animal husbandry practices of Tibetan herders that are

While we are taken with this argument for the ecological

detrimental to the environment.

value in preserving local language and culture, questions

Professor Xu’s remarks also served to raise the question

remain. What about cases where traditional practices

of how much influence academics and scientists really

turn out not to be the most effective, or are even

have on governmental policy. While Professor Xu lauded

mistaken or damaging? What about conflicting notions

the value of broad consultation with local actors before new

between different cultural groups regarding what elements in

policies are instituted, large scale and compulsory changes

the environment should be favored over other elements? At

are taking place at this moment in the Tibetan nomad regions

such points, other standards are going to have to be invoked,

in question. It is not likely that many of the ideals to which

since if two traditions are at odds with each other, we cannot

Professor Xu alluded are actually being respected.

say that tradition as such is always right. In particular, if

Professor Xu is well aware of political realities, however.

EVENTS

As the conference participants contemplated the current

and the future. Keeping this distinction in mind might help

jeopardy to Tibetan ways of life, a comment made by Eugene

us to work through the nostalgia and genuine longing for

Hunn earlier in the conference, regarding the “treaty tribes”

the riches of the Tibetan language reviewed by Professor

among Native Americans, became very significant. Those

Nangsal Tenzin Norbu, instructor of modern Tibetan language

native tribes who, in the 19 century, were forced into unfair

at Columbia University. Professor Norbu pointed to the

agreements with the United States government, and were

increasing number of loan words in Tibetan, especially those

compelled to relinquish large portions of their ancestral

that describe the objects of modern technology. He lamented

lands, are now in a better position in the 21st century—in

the loss of the colorful and historically resonant terms that

contrast to other native American tribes who never signed

are being left behind. The ensuing discussion recalled the

such treaties—to negotiate with the American government

similar predicament of other languages—indeed, virtually all

and win new privileges. The very treaties that spelled the

languages—including some successful moves to revitalize old

end of their traditional way of life are now valuable political

languages, like Hebrew, in the 20th century. But there is also

tools. They are a legal basis upon which to have a place and

another issue.

rights in the American justice system. The point for Tibetan

We can start to see that the urge to preserve might

groups, to which Professor Xu heartily agreed, is that it

sometimes work against the vitality of a language.

is necessary to work within the Chinese political system

We might start to worry that were we to get too good at

rather than opposing it unconditionally.

remaining true to the “heirloom” language, our language

This point about the political also relates to another helpful

might not be able to “work” for the everyday lives of people

distinction made by Professor Hunn. This turned out to be

in the 21st century.

relevant to the final two papers given at the conference, both

It might be that the real question is just whether

by Tibetan scholars. Professor Hunn distinguished between

the Tibetan language—even with its loanwords and

an “heirloom tradition” (which is handed down and valued

neologisms—is being used at all. There is a big difference

simply because it is old) and a “working tradition” (wherein

between accepting with open arms the changes wrought

adjustments can be made that are salutary in the present).

on any language as it evolves, and allowing the language

Again, the emphasis is on the political, the strategic,

to fall out of currency altogether. One very key issue would

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seem to be the use of Tibetan in the classroom, at all levels

the early kings of Tibet, who invited physicians from across

in institutions of higher learning, both in Tibet and in exile.

the Asian world to their court in order to raise the level of

Another would be the health of intellectual and literary arenas

medicine being practiced in Tibet at the time, that ultimately

for the language to be used in constructive and expressive

made for the vibrant mix that is canonized in what has come

ways. We know that modern poetry and fiction has been

down to us as “Tibetan medicine.” Here, then, is a case of a

written in Tibetan since at least the 1980s.

hybrid and heterogeneous combination of traditions, which

Modern Tibetan literature has become a creative site

fostered a brilliant millennium of writing and theorizing on

for new constructions of Tibetan identity as writers

medicine in Tibet. Dr. Dorje worried about the connotations

deal with the traumas and memories from the last

of “tradition,” as if it must only represent outmoded customs

century, and attempt to move forward. Here the question

from the past. He claimed instead that all production of

of influence from other modern literary worlds might indeed

knowledge partakes of the dynamics of tradition.

be raised. And yet who, even among the staunchest purists,

If that is so, then his comments suggest a way to look

would want to argue that the new forms of fiction and poetry

not only at the future of Tibetan medicine but also of

that we are seeing in Tibetan should be cleansed or reigned

Tibetan identity and even beyond any formulation of

back in so as only to mirror the old genres from before the

identity altogether. Perhaps the most viable Tibetan cultural

twentieth century?

formations will be those that allow constant development

To talk of Tibetan identity brings us to the center of what is

and improvement, drawing in a wide range of voices, and

complicated in the issues raised by the conference. Identity

combined together in a distinctive Tibetan brew.

presents itself as an attractive consolation for the oppressed,

Tibetans today are receiving pressure to articulate Tibetan

and a platform from which to press a group’s case.

identity from many parts of the globe—both from Chinese

And yet identity can pigeon-hole us, limiting our ability

governmental structures that demand that all citizens be

to experience the world and contribute to it fully.

defined by ethnic identity, and from Western romanticizations

The final talk of the conference, by the learned Tibetan

of Tibet that also demand a kind of rarified spiritualized

scholar and author Dorje, director of the Qinghai Tibetan

identity. This thought-provoking conference allowed us

Medical Research Academy, provided an impassioned account

to ponder the complexities, but also the productiveness

of the unique contributions of traditional Tibetan medicine.

and promise, of the elaborations of diversity.

And yet Dr. Dorje’s talk in effect drew on just those elements

Perhaps we can begin to imagine Tibetans entering a larger

of Tibetan medicine that historically were not confined to

arena of culture, and literature, and science, and even

Tibet at all—the five elements, the three humors, the medical

statehood, in which they are participating at a world-class

principles of hot and cold—but rather represent a larger Asian

level, not confined to “being Tibetan.” Perhaps they will keep

heritage that was appropriated by Tibetan medicine long

drawing on the long traditions of creativity and intelligence

ago. This is a good example of the constructedness of

that happened to have been fostered in that place we still like

identity in the end. It was precisely the cosmopolitanism of

to call Tibet.

EVENTS

Digital Voices, Old and New David Nathan, Endangered Languages Archive, SOAS, University of London

Digital technology is not new. It started with language itself, the oldest human technology.

What can digital technologies offer to the efforts to sustain Tibetan cultures and languages? The history and current trends of these technologies suggest that they can and will play significant and positive roles—if we remember their origins. Languages are digital because their fundamental units are symbols—abstract values drawn from a set of contrasts, within pronunciation, grammar, lexicons, and even meanings. When we speak and listen, we choose from amongst these values. Languages have diversified, spawned others, borrowed and copied and embraced and referred to others so that the whole human communicative ecology can be regarded as a complex digital network—more rich and diverse than any digital apparatus that exists even now. To borrow terminology from today’s software industry, human

EVENTS

language is the greatest open source information technology

Language could suddenly be carried far from where it

project ever undertaken.

was uttered, but its digital content was obscured and

Many thousands of years later, and much less universally,

could be recovered only by the literate. Linguistically

various systems for writing languages were invented, all

and historically, written forms are analogue parasites on our

of which also use digital principles. Different approaches

innately digital mental and social worlds. I will return to this

to writing languages include writing their meanings (as

point later. Skipping forward, past the century of analogue

with Chinese characters), writing their phonetic shapes—

inventions that defined the century from the late 1800s—

as segments or syllables—and even, as some Australian

photography, moving image, telephone, radio, magnetic

Aboriginal societies are said to, representing whole stories

tape—humanity regained its digital heritage with the rise of

through sand drawings.

computers in the 1980s. Three subsequent developments

The next important step was the invention of printing.

crucial to tomorrow’s technologies each draw their power

Printing replaced sound by images inscribed on surfaces, thus

from the application of digital technologies to human

freezing our symbols whilst at the same time exaggerating

communication needs: the development of multimedia

their analogue properties through the use of different papers,

(from the 1980s); the Word Wide Web (1990s); and social

layouts, fonts and other affectations.

media (also called Web 2.0), where the web becomes a truly

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two-way platform, transforming traditional mediaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mass

surpasses all that went before.

audiences into mass participants.

For minority languages on the web today, we can distinguish

One might add mobile communications to this list. However,

amongst sites with information about languages, sites that

those three technologies were destined to become mobile,

provide language teaching and learning resources, and sites

and, as mobile leads their delivery to the third world, it seems

that communicate in languages.

that the radio, TV, and computer in the middle class western

By far the majority of language-related sites provide

home increasingly represent the historical anomaly.

information about languages, including attempted (but

What do digital technologies, especially the web, offer to

incomplete) global coverage by UNESCOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Atlas of the Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

minority languages?

Languages in Danger (www.unesco.org/culture/languages-

Whatever concerns we might have about web

atlas/), the Ethnologue (www.ethnologue.com/web.asp),

censorship, it is worth remembering that until the web

a growing number of language pages on Wikipedia and

arrived, most minorities throughout the world had been

a new collaboration between the Rosetta Project and the

denied the possibility of sharing their views and their

Internet Archive (www.archive.org/details/rosettaproject).

cultures, through lack of access to literacy or means

But language communities themselves are also vigorous

of publishing.

here: to give just two examples, the Tjapukai community in

In many cases, it was worse than that; misinformation

northeast Queensland uses songs in its language to promote

about indigenous peoples abounded, not only in common

its dance troupe and tourist venture, and the Tai Ahom

conversation but also in most of the books to be found in

people of northeast India use their website to host a forum

local or school libraries. Overall, the amount and quality of

for community members to discuss their language and

information about, for, and by minority peoples on the web

orthography.

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For language teaching and learning, sites tend to favour

preserved. However, spoken languages and dialects around

major languages, and vary greatly in depth and quality, but in

the world, including Tibet, are under considerable and in

this respect Tibetan is fortunate to have some fine resources,

some cases urgent threat. Rural areas where Tibetan language

such as Sonam Chusang’s website The Tibetan Language

remains strongest and literacy is weakest can be regarded as a

Student (www.learntibetan.net).

frontier where language survival will be decided.

Up till now, there have been few sites providing content

In such areas, information technologies are the new arrivals,

in minority languages. However, this situation is rapidly

and the technologies of immediate relevance to people’s lives

improving with the arrival of Web 2.0.

will contribute most to cultural and linguistic maintenance.

From blogs in Welsh (www.bloganswyddogol.blogspot.com),

The most meaningful relationships in our lives are created

to new YouTube “channels” with videos of rap music in Aka

and conducted using our spoken voices, our first digital

(www.youtube.com/enduringvoices), to Warlpiri humor at

technology.

Bush Mechanics (www.bushmechanics.com), to accounts of

Emerging digital technologies can expand the ways in

everyday life (www.globallives.org/en/videos/), minority and

which we can have our voices heard.

endangered languages are exploding into public experience,

Narrow focus only on digital writing represents the same

and making the internet more culturally relevant for their

threat to these meaningful messages as broader cultural,

speaking communities. The newest sites, such as those for

educational or political changes.

audio blogging (www.audioboo.fm), and new uses of web technologies to “crowdsource” aid, such as translations of requests for help in disaster areas (www.slideshare.net/ wwrob/realtime-crowdsourced-translation-for-emergencyresponse-and-beyond) show that exploration of these communication forms has only just begun. These emerging sites with their increasing use of audio and video force us to reconsider the relationship between the spoken and the written. While written forms have long been important in many cultures, with Tibetan being an outstanding example, they can also be considered as means of narrowing channels of communication. They exclude those without relevant literacies, and restrict communication to what those literacies can portray, filtering out, for example, the timbre of a friend’s voice, or the joy of a mother. Literacy practices are unlikely to disappear, whatever technology brings, and books and manuscripts can be physically

This article follows a presentation given by David Nathan at the Trace Foundation’s event Minority Language in Today’s Global Society: Alive and Digital, on November 19th, 2010. The last event in our first lecture series, Alive & Digital investigated recent technological advances allowing for greater use of Tibetan in digital environments.

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Escape from nothing Charlie Finch

Would the Tibetan cohort be able to match and compete with the broad aesthetic art of his Chinese contemporaries, much less Western artists such as Koons and Hirst?

On October 7th, in connection with the closing of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tradition Transformedâ&#x20AC;? at the Rubin Museum of Art, the first show of contemporary Tibetan art at a New York museum, Trace Foundation together with ArtAsiaPacific and the Rubin Foundation invited six of the leading contemporary Tibetan artists to discuss the future of contemporary Tibetan art. The roundtable, entitled Beyond the Himalayas: New Horizons for Tibetan Art, also included Clare Harris, fellow of Magdalen College, Carol Huh, assistant curator for Asian art at the Freer-Sackler Galleries, and Charlie Finch, senior art critic at Artnet.com, and was moderated by Ashley Rawlings of ArtAsiaPacific.

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I knew little about Tibetan contemporary art, when my editor

that Dedron did not appear on the Trace Foundation panel.

at ArtAsiaPacific, Elaine Ng, asked me to join a panel on the

The eight male artists on the panel struck me collectively as

subject at Trace Foundation in conjunction with the show

physically and spiritually akin to the Abstract Expressionist

“Tradition Transformed: Tibetan Artists Respond” at the Rubin

painters of the 1940s: Gorky, de Kooning, Pollock, Rothko,

Museum in New York. Looking through the catalogue, I was

Motherwell and the rest. They wore the same blue jean outfits

particularly struck by the fantastic paintings of Tenzin Norbu,

as those masters and exuded a physically fit machismo and

whose ease of line and sensual monks and dragons would be

rough, ironic humor. Losang Gyatso at 57, the same age

appreciated in any contemporary art context. When I walked

as myself and a veteran of Madison Avenue, seemed the

into the Rubin, Tenzin Norbu was there and I embarrassed

most Westernized, yet was firm in his respect for Tibetan

him a bit by wrapping him in a congratulatory bear hug.

traditions, talking about his difficulty in finding a Tibetan

The show’s lead curator, Rachel Weingeist, explained to me

woman to marry and subtly chastising my use of the term

that even the most tepid use of images from the modern

“transgression,” which he preferred to characterize as

world is radical by the standards of traditional Tibetan art

“reimaginings.” Kesang Landmark’s work seemed the most

practice. Her criteria for choosing the artists in the show,

akin to the contemporary pieces of Damien Hirst. Kesang’s

she explained, was excellence in the craft of making art,

powerful black skull mandala filled me with foreboding,

primarily and a kind of surrealistic undercurrent that conveyed

emphasizing the dark side of nothingness. Yet, he was the

a subtle, yet respectful, undermining of Tibetan tradition.

most wry and cheerful member of the panel.

Looking at the work of Dedron, the only woman in the

Tenzin Rigdol exuded gentleness and compassion, yet his

show, I was deeply moved by the searching eyes and closed

work, such as Updating Yamantaka in which the goddess of

mouths of her childlike figures, and was later disappointed

chaos tramples Osama bin Laden underfoot, created turmoil

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out of traditional designs through collage. Tsherin Sherpaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s elaborate Buddha heads and Pemba Wangduâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s illustrations of the five poisons through intertwined erotic figures are a little off-putting in their complexity for one as ignorant as I am about their messages. This brought to mind the burdens of the Tibetan diaspora and its destination beyond the concerns of a revered and mind-boggling esoteric Buddhist tradition. Must everything be explained in this body of art to be understood? The artists on the panel are devoted to the peculiarities of their craft and, to my mind, this demanded that they ultimately work on a larger, more public scale in the West. The artists pointed out that the Scorching Sun of Tibet, held this fall at the Songzhuang Art Museum, included larger pieces and they kept coming back to the miracle of seeing contemporary work exhibited anywhere in China. To them, the Rubin show was simply a contemporaneous underlining of this significant beachhead. I thought of the Chinese art star Zhang Huan, who has made boldly huge sculptures from incense ashes from Buddhist temples, as well as other quite transgressive materials. The only way I see this happening, is for the Tibetan artists to continue to exhibit as a group and to challenge each other to create a pictorial message that finds something fresh in commercial modernity that affirms Tibetan theology. That is a very hard road, indeed, but the austerity of Tibetan art practice cannot and will not be overthrown. Instead, its palliative feel must be enhanced and celebrated.

Untitled Tenzin Norbu, 2009 Newborn Tseren Dolma, 2008 Soaring TseKal, 2009

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Pakéling Jeremy Burke

mispronouncing words can easily lead to misunderstanding and embarrassment. The written language provided further difficulty for me. The script is written from left to right like Latin-based languages, however the vowels are written above or below the consonant, similar to other Sanskrit-based languages.

In February of this year, Trace Foundation’s Latse Library

There is also no spacing between words, so it took me some

launched its first language class, Pakéling: Fundamentals of

time to be able to identify individual words.

Tibetan Language and Culture.

By the end of the class, I was able to read and

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

understand the Tibetan alphabet and some basic vocabulary, and was also able to speak a limited amount of conversational Tibetan. Having this foundation, I then enrolled in the intermediatelevel class taught by the Director of Latse Library, Pema Bhum, which commenced in late spring. The intermediate class was designed around an old Tibetan folktale “The Farmer and the Nomad,” and each week we would read the story and use it as the basis for learning grammar rules, sentence construction, and new vocabulary. The class also included lessons in Tibetan calligraphy by Phuntsok Dhumkhang, a highly-regarded calligrapher and musician who has taught both subjects for many years. If you are interested in learning more or enhancing your Tibetan language skills, the library plans to offer additional classes in the fall. As one of my classmates, Seunghun Lee, an Assistant Professor of Linguistics and TESOL at Central Connecticut State University says, “Attending the Pakéling classes at Trace Foundation is a great way to get an introduction to the Tibetan language. Teachers make sure that everyone in the class understands the materials and allow students to build their Tibetan competency.” Jeremy Burke joined Trace Foundation in 2006 as the main person in charge of the Finance Office.

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Learning Culture is Child’s Play jik! nyi! sum! zhi! shake it! shake it!

This exuberant chant resonated through Trace

“We hope to instill pride in being a Tibetan,” says Diki, the

Foundation’s Latse Library on August 6 , as thirty-seven

founder and director of Diki Daycare Center. “Our cultural

children vigorously shook small tubs of heavy cream.

education focuses not only on basic Tibetan language

They were learning how to make butter, a traditional staple of

skills, but on the feeling of community and belonging.

the Tibetan diet. Their young voices rose in excitement as the

We hope that children can understand the value of their

tubs were passed around, taking delight in a task that, while

parents’ upbringing and background along with the value

appearing simple, is deeply rooted in Tibetan culture.

of American culture. New York City is very culturally diverse,

The children attend the Tibetan Summer Camp, offered

but the Tibetan-American culture is only just beginning to

for a second year by the Diki Daycare Center in Astoria,

blossom here. This can cause Tibetans to feel left out or

Queens. During this eight-week summer program, the

misunderstood. We are hoping to eliminate that for this next

center provides classes that merge cultural activities with an

generation.” Diki’s own education began in Lhasa. When she

educational curriculum. The goal is to instill in the children

was eleven, having performed well in primary school, she was

an understanding and appreciation of their cultural

offered the opportunity to continue her education in Xi’an.

heritage. Activities such as churning the butter provide

Though it would require her to leave her family for several

entertainment and familiarize them with Tibetan traditions at

years, the draw of a better education and the opportunities

an early age.

it might afford was irresistible. “While living in Xi’an, I felt

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removed from Tibetan culture,” she says. “I missed the feeling

Diki hopes to encourage Tibetan children’s appreciation of

of community and belonging that I had experienced in my life

their heritage by integrating aspects of Tibetan culture into

with my family and in my town.”

early education.

The four years Diki spent in Xi’an would prove, however, to be

“I believe that it is especially important for children of

of incredible importance to her. The dedication and support

non-American cultural backgrounds to feel pride in their

of her teachers inspired an emerging interest in education,

heritage. I believe that it helps them to understand

and the distance she felt from her home and family piqued

how and why their families may do things differently

her interest in her own background. On her return to Lhasa

than those of their friends, and to feel proud of these

four years later, Diki felt compelled to further investigate her

differences instead of shame.

Tibetan heritage, studying the language, culture and history of the Tibetan people. In 1997, she was accepted to Seattle Central College in Seattle, WA, and graduated in 2001 with a degree in International Business and Economics. After graduation, she worked as a travel consultant for a time, living comfortably in the United States, though she continued to miss the close community and culture of her homeland. “I started my career in business, but when my husband and I decided to start a family and were looking for suitable daycare solutions, I realized that I could put my degree and background to work for me. I saw a need in the community for affordable childcare options. I knew that I could help others by providing a safe and educational daycare center.” As a Tibetan mother and teacher, Diki became increasingly aware of the lack of understanding of the language, history and culture of the Tibetan people among Tibetan children raised in the U.S. In 2005, she founded the Diki Daycare Center, offering a warm environment and a multitude of programs for preschoolers and toddlers that encouraged personal growth through fun and educational programs. In 2007, the center began offering “Tibetan Sunday School,” a weekly class that immerses Tibetan children in their cultural heritage. Through the establishment of these cultural classes,

I think that teaching children in a formal setting about their heritage can add to what they are learning at home from their families, and bring a sense of support to their parents.” When it first opened, the daycare consisted of only one classroom and twelve students. In the five years since, Diki Daycare has expanded to an additional four classrooms and over eighty students, with more on the waiting list. Diki believes the popularity of her daycare is due to a void in the Tibetan community in New York which is an absence of a strong sense of community. “Many Tibetan mothers expressed to me their frustration and concern about their children losing their Tibetan language and culture.

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They were overwhelmed with American influences on

the library’s Children’s Program instructor, Tsering Choedron,

television and in public schools, and found it hard to instill

and other staff had prepared a morning of entertaining

cultural pride in their youngsters. They felt that their heritage

instructional activities focused on Tibetan culture.

and cultural traditions were being lost. Raising a child in the

The butter-making activity was one way that children learned

U.S. myself, I sympathized with this concern. I realized that I

not only how to make the butter that is a dominant staple in

had the resources to make a difference in not only the lives of

Tibetan life, but also about traditional Tibetan kitchen utensils

my own child and the children of my friends, but for all of my

and food staples. Librarian Lobsang Tengye shared with the

fellow countrymen living in the area.”

children Tibetan writing implements and tools for learning

The Sunday school classes begin with traditional prayers,

language, and invited the children to try their hand at using

orientating the children with the relationship between Tibetan

the Tibetan pen and writing boards. Later, the telling of

culture and the Buddhist religion. The first hour is comprised

Tibetan folk tales was accompanied by puppet-making.

of practicing written Tibetan with a jangshing and samta, two

The children created crow and frog puppets from paper

traditional Tibetan writing tools similar to a chalkboard.

cutouts and popsicle sticks. These two-dimensional creatures

The following hour, the children practice fluently pronouncing

came to life in their makers’ hands, taking flight or leaping

their Tibetan vocabulary words, as an attempt to encourage

around in accordance with the narration of a Tibetan folktale.

proper usage of their parent’s mother tongue. The day ends

These and similar activities unite contemporary teaching

with an exploration into Tibetan cultural arts, such as crafts,

methods with a unique cultural heritage.

music and dancing, and drama. The center also offers the

“At Trace Foundation, our children are able to hold and

parents numerous services.

read books, make artwork and have interactive learning

The Diki Daycare Center began the Tibetan Summer Camp

experiences. All of our students, not only those in our

program in 2009, building and expanding on the curriculum

Tibetan programs, can now learn about Tibet and share in

of the Sunday school. Students participate in a wide variety of

the knowledge of our culture.” Diki has bright hopes for

activities meant to stimulate their interest and familiarity with Tibetan customs. In addition to the Sunday school, the center offers language education, dividing the classes into groups based on proficiency, rather than age. There is a strong emphasis on cultural customs and arts, in which the children practice calligraphy, learn the process of making pöja, Tibetan butter tea, and study aspects of Buddhism that encourage compassion and inner peace. They also perform dramatizations of Tibetan folktales and history, to reinforce their understanding of cultural

the future of children who benefit from culturally-orientated education. “I would like to think that being raised with Tibetan pride, and with a sense of community and belonging, will allow my students to become prosperous citizens of the world.” The 2010 visit of Diki Daycare to Trace Foundation was organized by the leaders of the library’s Children’s Program. The Children’s Program, held on alternate Saturday’s since 2003, introduces young Tibetans in New York to the fundamentals of Tibetan language and culture with the aim of fostering a

storytelling. On this sunny day in August, Diki Daycare made

deeper appreciation and understanding of their ethnic background.

a special field trip to Trace Foundation’s Latse Library, where

To learn more about Trace Foundation’s Children’s Program, visit www.trace.org

Publication distribution

Since our inception, we have actively supported

Drepung Monastery, the other by the Ngakmang

Tibetan-language publications.

Instiute, a non-profit based in Sichuan which

From pecha, novels and poetry, to text books,

works with lay practitioners of tantric Buddhism.

journals, and coloring books, publications

These two sets were distributed to more than 30

supported by Trace Foundation have enriched

international institutions in the last half of 2010,

Tibetan literature, strengthened Tibetan-language

including Harvard University, Ecole Pratique des

education, and preserved significant portions of

Hautes Etudes in Paris, the University of Helsinki,

Tibet’s incredible literary heritage.

Università degli Studi di Napoli “L’Orientale,” the British Library and the Library of Congress in

After distributing more than a million copies of

Washington D.C.

over a thousand Tibetan-language publications

Building on our initial success, we have expanded

free of charge in the People’s Republic of

the number and variety of Trace-supported

China, in 2010 we began offering these texts

publications to be distributed in the West.

to libraries and cultural institutions throughout

Presently there are more than 15 texts available for

the West. The first texts made available through

free distribution to libraries and cultural institutions

this program were two multi-volume sets of

around the world. For more information and to

rare Tibetan Buddhist texts, one collected from

order copies of these texts visit www.trace.org

Remembering E. Gene Smith Andrea E. Soros

It was a force that needed to lay itself down in linear feet, like a locomotive laying its own tracks, around the world, in words.

I remember the first time I spoke to Gene Smith on the telephone. It was 1996 and I was in the office kitchen. He was the one – everybody said so. He was the one to get Trace Foundation’s Tibetan library off the ground. He knew everything there was to know about Tibetan literature and libraries. He was personally responsible for reprinting thousands of Tibetan volumes and introducing them to the West. He had encyclopedic knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism. He was deeply respected throughout the world. Too bad he was working in Egypt. Too bad he was committed to the Library of Congress. Too bad the era of Public Law 480 was over. But then again… I can’t remember the exact date of that first phone call (Gene would, of course) but I do remember the outcome – a stop in New York to discuss the possibility of working together further. It turned out that Gene was ready to retire from the Library of Congress, and was considering what to do next. He had been keeping up with some of the trends in publication of Tibetan works in China, and was intrigued by the idea of a new era in Tibetan book collecting. He agreed to a consultancy with the Foundation, and began a new, post-Library of Congress life. A few months after that meeting, trucks began to arrive with boxes… and boxes… and boxes–more than 600 of them, shipped from Cairo. Mostly books came, but there were also computers and notebooks. We had lined the entire office with steel bookcases, and it didn’t take long before they were filled. Unsurprisingly, we didn’t have all the linear

IN MEMORIAM

feet required, but we had ample storage space, and Gene

delivering on its incredible promises, he found a new home

was able to begin work. In the roughly two years that Gene

and a renewed purpose. Gene lived next door to the Rubin

spent with Trace Foundation, he and a small team comprised

Museum, and within striking distance of a host of institutions

Himalayan and Inner Asian Resources (HIAR). Working

with a focus on Tibet– Columbia University with its modern

through the Foundation’s network and his own, Gene was

Tibetan studies and religion programs,Tibet House, The

able to identify reliable sources for the hard-to-come-by

Jacques Marchais Museum on Staten Island, and the Newark

materials that were the focus of the library’s collection. Some

Museum’s Tibet Information Zone, not to mention religious

2,500 volumes were collected on Buddhism, social sciences,

establishments. In his last years Gene found himself again

literature and other topics, mostly in Tibetan but also in

back at a hub of the Tibetan cultural world.

Chinese and English. Gene also began to explore how

When I think of Gene, I think of those rows and rows

advances in information technology could be used to

of bookcases. I imagine the banging of the famous

document and provide insights into Tibetan literary

typewriter of his earlier years, and the whirring of the

traditions and social networks.

computers all over the world with the knowledge he

He hosted several delegations of scholars and leaders from

shared. I think of his mind and what an incredible force it

the Tibetan plateau and, when the library relocated to its own

was–a unique power, a tumult of knowledge and craving and

space nearby, he opened our doors to everyone, as he had

excellence. And now we stand back and marvel at what he

always opened his home in the past. The loyal friendship of

created, word by word, day by day, year by year.

Ramon Pratz and Mangoram Manga helped Gene settle back into life in the U.S. after decades abroad, and to face the ups and downs of a start-up foundation. Upon his return, Gene moved into an apartment on East 18th Street, only a few blocks from where he would come to spend the rest of his life. Whether at home or at the office, whatever his mood, he worked tirelessly, obsessively. His appetite for literature and for understanding was insatiable, and his single-minded focus on the Tibetan plateau, through all the centuries of its history, was unflagging. In 1998 Gene moved on to Cambridge, where, with Leonard van der Kuijp, theTibetan Buddhist Resource Center was born. Within a few years, due to the generosity of Donald and Shelley Rubin, TBRC had moved to a new location just blocks from Gene’s old office at HIAR–which had since become Trace Foundation’s Latse Library. In the years that Gene spent building TBRC and conceptualizing and

He has left a legacy that will last, and that will continue to grow. Because he was the one–the one E. Gene Smith.

Financial highlights

Trace Foundation Select Financial Information For the Year Ending December 31, 2010

PROGRAM EXPENSES

Latse Library

409,436

Research & Lecture Series

395,457

Program Services & Support

929,738

Yushu Earthquake Disaster Relief

287,577

Special Initiatives

94,947

Other Programs

1,122

Total

2,118,277

GRANTS & SCHOLARSHIP

Grants

2,869,120

Scholarship Program

1,254,472

Total1

4,123,592

SUPPORTING SERVICES

General Administration TOTAL EXPENSES

857,060 7,098,928

1 Grants and scholarships expense reflects a change in accounting method from prior years. An adjustment has been made to record expenses related to grants approved for payment in future years as required by GAAP. 2 The financial information above has not yet been fully audited.

132 Perry St., Suite 2B, New York, NY 10014 USA Tel. +1-212-367-7380 Fax +1-212-367-7383 www.trace.org

Activity Report 2010