Len yi Tibetan Village

Duration: 1 hour 17 mins 17 secs
Share this media item:
Embed this media item:


About this item
Len yi Tibetan Village's image
Description: Part 1: Len yi Tibetan Village, Sgong po (Gongbo) Township, Sde rong (Derong) County, Dkar mdzes (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Si khron (Sichuan) Province, PR China.
 
Created: 2011-02-11 12:13
Collection: Digital Himalaya Films & Video
Publisher: University of Cambridge
Copyright: Sonan Jetsun (Bsod nams rgyal mtshan)
Language: tib (Tibetan)
Keywords: Tibet; New Year; Dance;
Credits:
Producer:  Sonan Jetsun (Bsod nams rgyal mtshan)
 
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Sonan Jetsun (Bsod nams rgyal mtshan) filmed this material 12-22 January 2008 in Len yi (Lianyi) Village, Sgong po (Gongbo) Township, Sde rong (Derong) County, Dkar mdzes (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Si khron (Sichuan) Province, PR China. The film features the Tibetan New Year, Bkra shis Temple, and ordinary people's lives in Len yi Village. Sonan Jetsun also edited the material and plans to give it to Len yi villagers on DVD/ VCD.

LOCATION: Lianyi Village is 200 kilometers southwest of Sde rong County Town, 550 kilometers from Dar rtse mdo (Kangding) City (the capital of Dkar mdzes Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture). The village has eighty households (560 Tibetans). Each family has an average of seven members, representing three generations. Most villagers were born after 1953. Villagers are agro-pastoralists, followers of the Dge lugs pa (Yellow Sect) of Tibetan Buddhism, and speak a distinctive Tibetan dialect.


LAB RTSE: The featured lab rtse is on 'bru lung Mountain, a twenty minute horse ride from Len yi Village. It was built as a place to make offerings to the mountain deity, A myes 'bru lung. Only men visit this mountain deity. It is believed that the deity will be angry if women climb 'bru lung Mountain. On the second day of the Tibetan New Year, each family sends one man on horseback to visit the mountain deity. They put dar lcog (prayer flags), bamboo, branches of trees, and other things into the lab rtse. Next, they chant prayers and burn bsang in front of the lab rtse, and circumambulate the lab rtse three times. Then, they have a picnic for a few hours beneath the lab rtse.

HORSE RACE: On the fifth day of the Tibetan New Year, a horse race is held on the mountainside. Nearly all the villagers attend the horse race, except for very old people. People ride horses and mules from the bottom of the valley to the valley's highest point. When the race is finished, prizes are given to first, second, and third place winners. After the race, many kha btags (white silk scarf) are tied around the winning animal's neck.

TRADITIONAL CIRCLE DANCE: The circle dance is the most common performance in the village and is performed at such times as wedding parties, a celebration marking the building of a new house, and gatherings during the New Year. People sing as they dance. A stringed instrument (resembling the two-stringed Chinese upright fiddle) known as the bewong in the local dialect is played by men.
Available Formats
Format Quality Bitrate Size
MPEG-4 Video 480x360    1.84 Mbits/sec 1.04 GB View Download
Flash Video 480x360    567.81 kbits/sec 321.41 MB View Download
Flash Video 320x240    504.59 kbits/sec 285.62 MB View Download
Flash Video 160x120    228.86 kbits/sec 129.55 MB View Download
iPod Video 480x360    505.38 kbits/sec 286.07 MB View Download
iPod Video 320x240    472.71 kbits/sec 267.58 MB View Download
iPod Video 160x120    455.07 kbits/sec 257.59 MB View Download
QuickTime (for download) 384x288    849.1 kbits/sec 480.63 MB View Download
QuickTime (for streaming) 480x360    903.15 kbits/sec 511.22 MB View Download
QuickTime (for download) 320x240    230.5 kbits/sec 130.47 MB View Download
QuickTime (for streaming) 480x360    445.01 kbits/sec 251.90 MB View Download
QuickTime (for download) 160x120    212.31 kbits/sec 120.18 MB View Download
QuickTime (for streaming) 160x120    104.09 kbits/sec 58.92 MB View Download
MP3 44100 Hz 125.02 kbits/sec 70.57 MB Listen Download
MP3 22050 Hz 62.51 kbits/sec 35.29 MB Listen Download
MP3 16000 Hz 31.25 kbits/sec 17.64 MB Listen Download
Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF) 1.34 Mbits/sec 778.04 MB Listen Download
Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF) 689.19 kbits/sec 389.02 MB Listen Download
Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF) 250.04 kbits/sec 141.14 MB Listen Download
Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) 44100 Hz 126.35 kbits/sec 71.32 MB Listen Download
Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) 22050 Hz 63.14 kbits/sec 35.64 MB Listen Download
Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) 16000 Hz 31.74 kbits/sec 17.92 MB Listen Download
RealAudio 582.11 kbits/sec 328.58 MB View Download Stream
RealAudio 95.83 kbits/sec 54.09 MB View Download Stream
RealAudio 32.02 kbits/sec 18.08 MB View Download Stream
RealMedia 868.76 kbits/sec 491.76 MB View Download Stream
RealMedia 733.24 kbits/sec 415.05 MB View Download Stream
RealMedia 185.3 kbits/sec 104.89 MB View Download Stream
Windows Media Video (for download) 476.99 kbits/sec 270.00 MB View Download
Windows Media Video (for streaming) 444.84 kbits/sec 251.80 MB View Download Stream
Windows Media Video (for download) 440.96 kbits/sec 249.60 MB View Download
Windows Media Video (for streaming) 214.57 kbits/sec 121.46 MB View Download Stream
Windows Media Video (for download) 315.09 kbits/sec 178.35 MB View Download
Windows Media Video (for streaming) 193.98 kbits/sec 109.80 MB View Download Stream
Auto * (Allows browser to choose a format it supports)