Practicing new skills with the recording of religious songs

Tibet is renowned for its traditions of painting and handicrafts but it also home to similarly rich but lesser-known musical traditions. Music on the Tibetan Plateau is an art form that serves as a vital conduit of oral history and culture. But as the cultural gap widens between generations it has become of crucial importance to assist the people of the Tibetan Plateau in remembering and recording their significant intangible cultural traditions. With this aim, TBF and UNESCO are supporting the Plateau Music Project to increase the technical capacity of local people—particularly Tibetan youth—to collect, archive, and disseminate the traditional music of their regions. The collection and recording of traditional music is being carried out in partnership with the Plateau Cultural Initiative, which collects and records folk songs and dances in over 20 communities across the Plateau using Tibetan student volunteers. The project is also utilizing UNESCO’s experience archiving traditional music and developing systems that allow for the greater dissemination of these materials on the web.

In the fall of 2010, the project welcomed the technical mentorship of ethnomusicologist, Professor Manoleta Mora. Through the completion of two one-week trainings held in Qinghai Province, Professor Mora was able to introduce a team of young Tibetan ethnomusicologists to recording and sound archiving techniques.

Each training had over a dozen participants who benefited from both classroom activities and in-field recording exercises. The in-field portion of the training took place in a rural Tibetan village setting in Qinghai where participants were given the chance to put their new skills into practice by carrying out extensive recording sessions. Students captured different genres of traditional music, including working songs and religious chanting, as each style requires different skills. Students then presented their work in class to learn from each others’ experience.

The community-based, collaborative nature of the project is ensuring that valuable oral traditions are being documented and preserved. But it is also providing younger generations with the opportunity to gain a greater appreciation for the richness of their heritage while providing them with valuable technical skills. The Plateau Music Project is continuing to add to an archive of over 1,000 recorded songs and creating a series of DVD music slideshows to be enjoyed by the current generation and those to come.

Deteriorating wall paintings of eastern Tibet

Minyag, a secluded region of Sichuan’s Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, has received growing attention for its rich architectural heritage. But it is only recently that preservation efforts have focused on that which has remained hidden inside many of the region’s historically significant structures. Across the Tibetan Plateau, a small number of original murals—many dating back from early periods of the last millennium—can still be found in Buddhist temples and in the homes of community members. In Minyag, the wall paintings that have survived to the present day are concealed within the chapels of the region’s oldest private homes. These significant examples of Mahayana Buddhist art have escaped the attention of Tibetologists and art historians. Their fragile states after generations of neglect and exposure to the elements call for immediate attention. Partnering with communities of Minyag, The Bridge Fund (TBF) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have initiated the Mural Conservation Project. This project links the people of Minyag with leading international art conservators in order to restore and preserve mural sites while also providing members of the community with training in the skills that will allow them to continue assessment and conservation work throughout the region.

An essential component of the initiative focuses on increasing awareness of the value of cultural heritage and the vital role that community member’s play in its preservation. The rapid changes that are occurring across the Tibetan Plateau have impacted local perceptions toward items of antiquity: all things new are often prized over those seen as old or traditional. As a result, Minyag residents are replacing the original murals in their homes with new wall paintings, using techniques and materials of inferior quality that quickly degrade. The project team has partnered with local spiritual leader and architect, Minyag Choekyi Gyaltsan, to help community members gain a better understanding of their local cultural legacy. The project’s focus on the value of Minyag’s cultural heritage is fostering renewed appreciation by the community for their murals and enthusiasm to take part in preservation efforts as the paintings’ primary guardians.

TBF and UNESCO’s partnership in Minyag began with an assessment mission in 2009 which allowed the project team to survey the mural sites, conduct preliminary tests and begin the design of a long-term conservation training program for community members. Preparation in 2009 was followed by a field mission and intensive training in the fall of 2010 with the participation of two international conservators: Mr. Sanjay Dhar, an expert from India who specializes in Tibetan murals and scroll paintings; and Ms. Sophie Duong, an expert from France who specializes in mural painting traditions of Southeast Asia and Europe. The conservators and project team presented a 3-day interactive workshop that introduced the concepts behind heritage protection. The 33 participating individuals—which included mural site home owners, village elders, and members of the local monastic community—discussed Minyag’s significance within the wider context of Tibetan art and the world’s painting traditions, and were given their first introduction to conservation strategies.

The 3-day workshop was followed by a 17-day hands-on training for a team of eight individuals to learn basic conservation skills. The training took place in Minyag’s Sade Township at a mural site in a local family’s home. Covering large portions of the walls, ceiling and supporting pillars, these particular murals are believed to be 700 hundred years old. Conservation trainees learned the important steps in condition assessment and the charting of treatment plans on site. The emphasis of the training was on practical experience with each participant given the opportunity to practice documentation techniques and explore causes of deterioration. They were also able to complete an analysis of the traditional techniques and materials used in the original murals, helping the participants—many of whom are painters themselves—improve the quality of their paintings. As the trainees apply the conservation techniques they have learned to further sites, the project team has encouraged the creation and use of a vernacular vocabulary for technical terms and ideas so that conservation can more easily be assimilated as a local practice.

Now having completed the first year of this three-year initiative, the Mural Conservation Project is off to a promising start. The team has designed the next steps for the project which will ensure the continued training of local novice conservators with the goal of gradually reducing the involvement of external experts. Developing local expertise through education and skills training are essential to ensuring the sustainable success of the project and will ultimately be of greatest benefit to the preservation of the significant cultural heritage of the surrounding region.

As Minyag’s team of conservators ready for their next season of mentorship, a group of 20 artisans have just received similarly valuable training to expand their abilities in their respective crafts. Through the establishment of the Artisans Skills Project, TBF and UNESCO are helping Tibetan artisans develop skills that will allow them to improve their product design and marketability while cultivating greater opportunity for the continuation of traditional Tibetan art forms. In February of 2011, a group of 20 individuals reflecting a diverse range of Tibetan artistic traditions and backgrounds traveled to Chengdu to complete a 5-day training. The project team was joined by international expert, Mr. Joseph Lo, who has close to a decade of experience working with arts and crafts in central Tibet and Bhutan.

The UNESCO-developed curriculum emphasized the importance of maintaining high standards of product quality and discussed the degradation of these standards, which often occurs when handicrafts are produced for the mass tourist market. Participants analyzed handicrafts that have won the UNESCO Award of Excellence and were asked to define excellence in relation to design, form, finishing, and marketing of handicraft products. Participants then gathered in small groups by their media—stone and metal, leather and textiles, and incense, thangka and paper—and were given the opportunity to discuss what constitutes a traditional Tibetan handicraft. The interactive sessions allowed the artisans to explore how far they can take innovation in product design while staying true to Tibetan tradition. The training encouraged a sense of creativity: the artisans were encouraged to use traditional materials, techniques and designs as their base for new product development. The Artisan Skills Project is working in association with TBF’s Mandala Business Development Center which is managing the establishment of the Artisan Training Center, a facility that will provide ongoing education, generate income opportunities, and serve as a marketplace for Tibetan craft production through an attached outlet shop.

Prior to working with The Bridge Fund I spent ten years with the European Union working on Foreign Affairs. I am very happy to now be a part of the TBF community.  My work feels very fulfilling as we are trying to assist Tibetans as they work to protect their rich cultural civilization and identity. I recently had the privilege of traveling to China and the Tibetan Autonomous Region, and I would love to share with you my experience.

I started my Tibetan experience with the most scenic, beautiful flight of the Himalayas with the wonder of Mount Everest! It was breath-taking to enjoy the magic view of the roof of the world.

This was just the beginning of my adventure, as I discovered the unique city of Lhasa and its neighbourhood the following days.

As soon as I landed in Lhasa, I experienced altitude sickness for the first time. Even though I was very excited to finally be in the highest city in the world, I could not manage to go outside, as I felt very dizzy. Instead, I went to rest at the hotel. I was immediately in touch with the Tibetan style and atmosphere: very cosy, colourful furniture, no heating and cold water.

The day after I had the chance to enjoy the amazing richness of the Tibetan cultural tradition and some of the most striking UNESCO World Heritage sites. Early in the morning I visited the majestic Potala Palace, with its white and red structure, vast array of Tibetan murals, beautiful statues and tombs of the eight past Dalai Lamas. The gorgeous views of sweet hills gave me an idea of why this palace is a favourite place for meditation.

In the afternoon, I lost myself in the streets around the busy Barkhor Square, the nerve centre of Lhasa, strolling around the craft and souvenirs shops and visiting Jokhang Temple, another holy site for Tibetan Buddhism, where I was overwhelmed by crowds of prostrating pilgrims. I was attracted by each kind of Tibetan jewel, prayer wheel, people doing kora (holy circuit) with their beautiful dresses and colourful braids.

The day after I went to the Ganden Monastery, which is located at the top of the Wangbur Mountain, at an altitude of 4,300 m, around 108 km away from Lhasa. I learnt this is the very first Gelug Pa (Yellow hat tradition of Buddhism) monastery to be founded in Tibet. While reaching this high location, I had my first encounter with the famous yak! After this amazing view, I continued to be very lucky as I could also visit a semi nomadic family in the Trupshi village.

For someone like me who had a very limited knowledge of Tibetan Buddhist practices and traditions, this was a very fulfilling trip of very sacred and beautiful landscapes. However, the blue sky of Lhasa and the sweetness of Tibetan smiles and eyes are the precious gifts that I will treasure for good.

At the end of my trip I was able to meet with TBF staff in Chengdu, Xining and Beijing.  We had many interesting meetings and presentations on the different TBF projects being implemented in very remote areas of China. This was such a meaningful experience for me as I learnt a lot about cultural preservation projects, herder cooperatives in nomadic areas and the challenges they face in everyday life.

I was impressed by the commitment, professionalism and enthusiasm of my colleagues.  I feel very lucky and honoured they showed me the richness and beauty of their lands, food and culture. They shared with me their knowledge about the unique and qualitative handcrafts of Tibetan artisans, the ethnomusicology richness, and the murals restoration work with UNESCO, which is so important for the preservation of local heritage of art and history. My experience would have not been the same without their warm welcoming and company.

Raffaella Della Porta recently joined the TBF team to serve as the director of TBF Europe, and develop the TBF Brussels office.  She brings with her an extensive background in sustainable development.  We are very excited to have her on board!