FIFTY ELDERS' ORAL HISTORIES NOW AVAILABLE
The Tibet Oral History Project (TOHP) is pleased to announce the oral histories of 50 Tibetan elders living in exile are now posted on the Interviews page. More interviews will be posted in the next few months.
This oral history collection is invaluable. It provides intimate portraits of the elders - the last generation to live in a free, unoccupied Tibet - and preserves for future generations the memories of their homeland.
The elders provide eyewitness accounts of early life in Tibet, and of the devastation that followed the Chinese invasion and occupation. They also recount memories of their flight from Tibet to escape oppression and to follow their spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama into exile.
An 82-year-old interviewee declared, "I have been waiting my whole life to tell what happened in Tibet."
HELP PRESERVE THE MEMORIES OF 53 MORE ELDERS!
During the first two weeks of April, TOHP videotaped the compelling oral histories of 53 Tibetan elders living in the Doeguling Tibetan Settlement of Mundgod in Karnataka, India. With your help we can transcribe and publish these interviews for you and the world to treasure for generations to come!
We captured intriguing memories of life in Tibet:
a small pox epidemic killing thousands of monks in Lhasa's great monasteries; nomadic life and marriage customs; administration of taxes by the government and monasteries; environmental observations about the abundance and then devastation of wildlife and forests.
We documented important eyewitness accounts of Chinese occupation:
farmers forced at gunpoint to beat village leaders; barbaric torture techniques used by the Chinese; sterilizations of men and women without consent; and monks who gave up their vows to protect their spiritual leader and defend their country.
The following are a few elders we recently interviewed whose stories need to be published. Help us share these eyewitness accounts with the world - SPONSOR AN ELDER'S ORAL HISTORY. While every donation is needed, your gift of $135 will cover the cost to translate, transcribe and publish one interview. Become a part of Tibet's history!
- Dolma Yangzom, who grew up in Norbulingka (the summer palace in Lhasa), shares a charming story of her life as the daughter of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's tailor, who had her marriage arranged by the Dalai Lama's mother.
- Norsang provides a vivid description of local village healers who channeled protective deities to determine the spiritual remedies required to heal physical illnesses.
- Yidham Kyap tells a gripping tale of 200 people, escaping across the Tibetan Plateau, who survived horrific weather and numerous encounters with Chinese soldiers.
- Pasang Dhondup describes how the mountains were once full of wild animals, protected by a Tibetan government law, until the Chinese arrived and began killing the animals for food to feed their military forces.
- Anzi, an 83-year-old Buddhist monk, recalls his joy at joining a monastery, and later renounced his vows to take up arms to defend His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his country against the Chinese army.
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JOIN OUR Tibet Remembered PROGRAM
Help keep the remarkable Tibetan culture alive by becoming a monthly donor. The Tibet Remembered monthly giving program makes it easy for you to sustain our project. There are many more Tibetan elders' stories to be told and your gift, no matter how small, will make a huge difference! Learn more about the program.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
120 INTERVIEWS NOW IN OUR COLLECTION
One of our interviewees, Cho Lhamo, told us, "Tibetan seniors living in exile, like me, are now almost all gone. It would be very sad to lose our history when our generation passes. That is why the Tibet Oral History Project is so important. Through this project, even when all of our seniors are gone, our stories will be passed to the next generation of Tibetans and beyond."
Sonam Tsering, former Welfare Officer, Bureau Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New Delhi, says, "This project has created a space for vanishing elderly Tibetans to leave their untold stories for future generations. These facts will become important eye-witness [accounts]. I would like to thank you whole heartedly for executing this vital project and completing it with great success."
"Tibet Remembered: Interviews
with 3 Elders" [Length: 5min 16sec]
"Tibet Remembered: Eyewitness Accounts
of Tibet's Elders" [Length: 6min 50sec]
FILMED INTERVIEWS ON YOUTUBE
INTERVIEWS FEATURED ON RADIO FREE ASIA
INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR OUR WORK
Library of Tibetan Works and Archives * Bureau Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama * International Campaign for Tibet * International Tibet Support Network * Tibet Justice Center * Committee of 100 for Tibet * Canada Tibet Committee Ottawa * Tibetan Nuns Project * Tibetan Dickey Larsoe Settlement * Tibetan Youth Congress Bylakuppe * The Tibetan Co-operative Society Ltd., Bylakuppe * Lugsam Samdupling Tibetan Settlement * Doeguling Tibetan Settlement * Regional Tibetan Women's Association Bylakuppe * The Tibetan Service Co-Op Bank, Ltd., Mundgod
IN THE NEWS
TOHP is Guest Author on International Campaign for Tibet's Blog
Contra Costa Times Describes Urgency of TOHP'S Mission 
The Tibet Post International Highlights TOHP's Accomplishments
International Campaign for Tibet Blogs about TOHP
Dalai Lama's Special Envoy Issues Call for Tibetans to Record Their Experiences
Lodi Gyari urged Tibetan youth in particular to learn about their family experiences from their parents and relatives. "This is a part of the legacy our Tibetan children have inherited, and it is the moral responsibility of every Tibetan family to know their history and to collect evidence of the events that have shaped their lives."