Nomadic tents

Nomadic tents
An old tent with Tibetan nomads at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Nomadic tents are a vital source of housing for nomads living in mountainous regions of Central Asia. They are usually made from yak wool that has been hand spun into yarn and takes about a year to make a mid-sized tent.

Tibetan tents on the contrary are very thin in comparison where the sky can be seen through the hand spun yarn inside the tent. Nomad tents are held up using hand spun yak wool rope and 8 to 12 wooden poles. The top of the tent has a large opening that is used to let smoke out and to let the warm sunshine in. Prayer flags is abundance will always be flying outside across the top.

The inside of nomad tents are very basic as the nomads, often very poor, own few belongings. Inside there will be some sleeping mats and blankets, a stove, a table or two, a few extra clothes and a little food. Nearly all tents will have a picture of a local lama and often will have a picture of the 14th Dalai Lama. A thangka painting will also be found hanging inside.

A contemporary Tibetan nomadic tent near Namtso lake.

Traditionally yaks are kept tied up outside of the tent using lines of rope with have 8 to 10 small loops around one of the yaks feet at night (or tied through the yak's nose) that are made secure by two wooden stakes driven into the ground. A few dogs will also be kept tied up outside the tent. Large piles of dried yak dung are stored close to the tent as an important source of fuel. It is even common to see Tibetan buddhist sculptures made in the yak dung.

Nomadic camp near Tsurphu Monastery

Hand woven yak wool tents are declining rapidly. Many nomads now only live in these tents in the summer months. They increasingly live in mud-brick homes the rest of the year. Others are now moving into towns to live in traditional style Tibetan homes or are being relocated into cities (such as Xining) where the government provides them with a modern style apartment.

Although there the number of yak wool tents each year in Tibet and Inner China reduces every year, there are still several areas that have them in abundance. The northern regions of the Nagchu and Ngari prefectures in the Tibet Autonomous Region, Yushu prefecture in southern Qinghai and northern Ganzi prefecture in Sichuan province all have nomads still living in yak wool tents to this day.

References

See also


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Nomadic pastoralism — is a form of agriculture where livestock are herded in order to find fresh pastures on which to graze following an irregular pattern of movement in contrast with transhumance where seasonal pastures are fix.[1] The herded livestock may include… …   Wikipedia

  • Tent — For the tetanus neurotoxin (TeNT), see Tetanospasmin. A modern two person, lightweight hiking dome tent; it is tied to rocks as there is nowhere to drive stakes on this rock shelf A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other… …   Wikipedia

  • Nomad — For other uses, see Nomad (disambiguation). Pastoral nomads camping near Namtso in 2005. In Tibet, nomads constitute about 40% of ethnic Tibetan population.[1] …   Wikipedia

  • desert palace — ▪ Umayyad architecture  any country dwelling built in Syria, Jordan, and Palestine by Umayyad (661–750 CE) rulers and aristocrats.       At one time the complexes were thought to be rural retreats for nomadic rulers and members of ruling families …   Universalium

  • Yivli Minare Mosque — The Yivli Minare Mosque (Ulu camii) is located in Antalya, Turkey. It is one of the first islamic buildings in the city. The mosque s fluted minaret, which is decorated with dark blue tiles, is a landmark and symbol of the city. The mosque was… …   Wikipedia

  • Desert Bivouac Chégaga — (El Gouera,Марокко) Категория отеля: 2 звездочный отель Адрес: Centre Mhamid …   Каталог отелей

  • Huns —    Nomadic steppe people who were skilled horsemen and great warriors and who challenged the power of the Roman Empire in the late fourth and fifth centuries. Although the Huns were never a direct threat to the existence of the empire, they did… …   Encyclopedia of Barbarian Europe

  • arctic — arctically, adv. /ahrk tik/ or, esp. for 7, /ahr tik/, adj. 1. (often cap.) of, pertaining to, or located at or near the North Pole: the arctic region. 2. coming from the North Pole or the arctic region: an arctic wind. 3. characteristic of the… …   Universalium

  • Mauritania — Mauritanian, adj., n. /mawr i tay nee euh/, n. 1. Official name, Islamic Republic of Mauritania. a republic in W Africa, largely in the Sahara Desert: formerly a French colony; a member of the French Community 1958 66; independent 1960.… …   Universalium

  • Pakistan —    Although today there are no direct commercial or family links between European Gypsies and nomadic artisan clans in Pakistan, it is possible that some of these groups share a common ancestry with European Romanies. This entry is confined to… …   Historical dictionary of the Gypsies

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”