Milk Culture of the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

The people who inhabit the vast Tibetan Plateau are mainly Tibetan groups, speakers of various Tibetan languages in the Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family, and followers of Tibetan Buddhism. The composition of these groups, however, is varied and complex. In the western part of the Tibetan Plateau, there is considerable intermixing with Aryans; Hindu and Islamic influences are strong, and people practice transhumance between altitudes of 3000 and 4000 m, as well as trading over a wide area. In the central part of the plateau, the main practice is nomadic pastoralism, with year-round movement around grasslands at altitudes of over 4000 m. In the eastern part are Tibetan groups of diverse ethnic origins, all of whom rely heavily on livestock for subsistence. I conducted field surveys of milk processing systems in the Tibet Autonomous Region, China as a case study of the central Tibetan Plateau; in Sichuan Province as a case study of the eastern part of the plateau; and in Jammu and Kashmir, northern India, as a case study of the western part. This chapter describes in detail the milk processing systems in each part of the Tibetan Plateau, their change and development over time, and the cultural filters of adoption and change. Finally, the Tibetan Plateau is compared with its neighboring regions to bring into relief the characteristics of Tibetan milk culture.