EXITING NEWS

ELDERS' ORAL HISTORIES NOW ON THIS WEBSITE

The Tibet Oral History Project is pleased to announce that several of the 67 oral histories of Tibetan elders living in exile are now posted on our website. Read the complete interviews on the Elders Speak page. Additional interviews will be posted each week as the transcripts become available.

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 their memories of their homeland including:

• The cultural traditions of Tibet and their lives as the children of farmers, herders and traders or as young monks and nuns in monasteries;
  
  
• The infiltration of Tibetan villages by the Chinese army and the subsequent dissolution of traditional Tibetan social, cultural, and religious ways of life;
  
  
• Eye-witness accounts of arrests, beatings, imprisonment and forced work in labor camps;
  
  
• Efforts by Tibetan resistance fighters to fend off the Chinese invasion, and the escape into exile of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and 80,000 Tibetans over the arduous Himalayan terrain.

Lodi Gyari, Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, has issued a call for Tibetans, in Tibet and around the world to record their experiences of suffering over the past 50 years. "It is vitally important, especially as a testament to those Tibetans no longer here, that we record our personal experiences of suffering. We should do this, not to fuel resentments but to help the Chinese people understand our true history and to know that we are justified in our hopes for a future Tibet."

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."

OUR GOAL

The Tibet Oral History Project aims to preserve the true history of the Tibetan people. At the request of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, we record the life experiences of Tibetan elders who were forced to flee their homeland following the Chinese invasion. His Holiness has emphasized the urgency of conducting interviews of these elders before they pass away and their stories are lost forever. The Tibet Oral History Project enables donors from around the world to contribute to keeping the invaluable history of Tibet alive for generations to come. We must not let their memories vanish!

IN THE NEWS

March 18, 2009 - A story about the history and work of the Tibet Oral History Project was featured recently in a local newspaper. Read the article.

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February 26, 2009 - Five Tibetan elders interviewed by our Project have passed away in the last year: Tashi Nyima, Dorji Phuntsok, Khenrab Dakpa, Wangla, and Tsering Kyipa. This sad news underscores the urgency of our efforts. Tenzin Yangchen from Bylakuppe, India, tells us: "We have their remarkable stories with us and the passing away of each elder who was interviewed makes TOHP's work that much important and the passing away of an elder whose story has not been told is such a great loss."

LATEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• We have videotaped the extraordinary oral histories of 82 Tibetan elders living in exile. Our oral history team conducted interviews in the oldest Tibetan refugee settlements in Bylakuppe, India. The participants ranged in age from 60 to 95 and originated from the three regions of Tibet: Amdo, Kham and Utsang. They provided eyewitness accounts of early life in Tibet, and of the devastation that followed the Chinese invasion and occupation. They also recounted memories of their flight from Tibet to escape oppression and to follow their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama into exile.




"Tibet Remembered: Eyewitness Accounts
of Tibet's Elders" [Length: 6min 50sec]
• Each Tibetan elder received a DVD copy of his or her own oral history to share with their family and community. All were deeply moved to see their stories, which embody the history of Tibet, preserved for posterity. "I have been waiting my whole life to tell what happened in Tibet." This heartfelt statement by one of the elders conveys perfectly the significance of our work.



• We produced a short film, "Tibet Remembered: Eyewitness Accounts of Tibet's Elders" with clips from several interviews, to give you as glimpse into the history and the memories of Tibetans who were born when Tibet was free. View the film now by pressing play on the video player.



• Our Tibetan team in India has completed translating and transcribing the videotaped interviews. The transcripts will be summarized and indexed by keywords. We have also begun posting the transcripts on the Elders Speak page of this website along with photos of each interviewed Tibetan elder.

YOUR HELP IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE NEXT PHASE

Our goal is to make the entire text of the interviews available on the Internet for future Tibetan generations, the Chinese people, historians, journalists, anthropologists and those who cherish the Tibetan people. With your support we can meet our next goals:

• Provide DVD copies of the interviews and transcripts to Tibetan and other library archives around the world.
  
  
• Post on our website the oral history transcripts organized under topics such as early life in Tibet, cultural and religious traditions, invasion and occupation by the Chinese, prison experiences, and escape from Tibet.

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE

TOHP is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization - All Donations to Tibet Oral History Project are Tax Deductible
Copyright © 2009 Tibet Oral History Project. All rights reserved.