The
notion of “nomads in exile” sounds almost contradictory. They lead migratory,
impermanent lives by choice—or at least they did before the Chinese occupation
of Tibet. Many now live in India, still very much tending their herds just as
their ancestors did before them. However, it is a struggle to preserve their
Tibetan language and customs. Tsering Wangmo introduces viewers one nomadic
Tibetan family and their reluctant encounters with globalization in the short
documentary Tibetans Nomads in Exile Resistance
(trailer
here),
which screens during the 2018 Margaret Mead Film Festival.
It
is hard enough to maintain a traditional nomadic lifestyle in the post-modern
world (just look at the Mongolian nomads in the narrative-docu-hybrid Zud), but adding on the oppression of an
outside invader is just not fair. Nevertheless, the Jigdol Wangmo follows tries
to do their best (but they yearn for the lush grazing that was once found in Tibet).
The eldest brother is already an adult, who is respected by his seniors for his
skill with horses and knack for fixing mechanical devices. However, it is the
middle daughter Karma, who has a potential future in the modern world.
Like
many nomadic children, she attends one of the Tibetan schools founded and
funded by the government in exile. The majority of her peers are day students,
but there are still a number of boarders from nomadic families. They educate their
students so they can engage with the world, but schools also keep the Tibetan
language alive.
Wangmo’s
film is a straight forward work of reportage, but it still captures some pretty
stunning images of Ladakh and the surrounding Himalayas. It also clearly
establishes the exiled Tibetan government’s greater claim to legitimacy than
the Chinese puppet regime, whether or not that was the filmmaker’s intention.
The evidence is there to see of the efforts of the exiled Lamas and officials
to provide for their people. In contrast, even native Beijingers should not any
kind of constructive help from the ruling Communist Party.
It
is a shame that families like the Karma’s are separated from their homeland. This
is undeniably a human tragedy, but also represents an ecological catastrophe.
Whereas the nomadic herders were wise custodians of Tibet’s once pristine
lands, the Mainland occupiers have been rapacious in their exploitation and
despoilment (a fact alluded to, but not explored in depth late in the film).
Recommended for anyone interested in Tibetan culture and the diasporic
experience, Tibetan Nomads in Exile screens
this morning (10/21), with Rituals ofResistance, as part of this year’s Margaret Mead Film Festival, at the
American Museum of Natural History.
