Nomads of Eastern Tibet

Rinzin Thargyal, M.A. (1985) in Social Anthropology, University of Oslo, works for the Network for University Co-operation Tibet-Norway and teaches Tibetan language. He has authored various articles on the premodern Tibetan social system, Tibetan nationalism and identity. Toni Huber, Ph.D. (1993), is Professor of Tibetan Studies at the Humboldt University, Berlin. His extensive publications on the anthropology and cultural history of Tibetan societies include The Cult of Pure Crystal Mountain (Oxford, 1999) and The Holy Land Reborn (Chicago, 2007).

• Author’s Preface, Editor’s Preface, List of IllustrationsTONI HUBER—The Anthropology of Tibet and the First Tibetan AnthropologiesRINZIN THARGYAL—Nomads of Eastern Tibet: Social Organization and Economy of a Pastoral Estate in the Kingdom of DegeChapter One—Introduction Chapter Two—The Genesis of Zilphukhog Chapter Three—Labour ServiceChapter Four—Animal HusbandryChapter Five—Trade and Peripheral IncomesChapter Six—Strategic TranshumanceChapter Seven—Household OrganizationChapter Eight—Marriage and KinshipChapter Nine—Birth and DeathChapter Ten—The Political EnvironmentChapter Eleven—Social OrganizationBibliography, Index

"In summary, this book provides a fascinating glimpse of social and economic life in a pastoral society during the early part of the twentieth century. Rinzin Thargyal deserves credit for producing this rich, insightful, clearly written monograph. This book is an admirable accomplishment considering the painstaking task of describing a past way of life through the recollections of people who were spatially and temporally removed from their former homeland."Geoff Childs (Washington University in St. Louis), JAS 68 (2009).