The Last Peasants








tentefemme





In Chang Thang


"The escape was easy, explains Tsepak. We simply moved with our sheep and goats to pastoral area of Kagshung in Chang Thang."

Chang Thang – the "Northern Plain" - is a huge expanse of high altitude grassland sprinkled with blue lakes and snow mountains which streches over a large third of the tibetan cultural area. While most of it is located in the chinese region of Tibet, India owns a small portion of it in the south-east of the province of Ladakh. This is the Chang Thang refered to by Tsepak. Farming is nearly impossible in this extremely high land – almost entirely above 4000 meters. The only economy which can thrive there is itinerant animal husbandry.

"In Chang Thang, continues Tsepak, we lived as nomadic shepherds for several months. But in 1962, the region went through a very heavy snowfall which caused the death of most of our animals."

Snowfall is as occasional as rain in the dry climate of Ladakh. And when it snows for several consecutive days – a rare event – it is a tragedy for the nomads : the snow cover – which can easily reach a meter high – prevents the animals from grazing. Starvation added to cold (between –30 and –40 degrees) quickly wipes out the shepherd’s herds, on which they totally depend for their living. That is what happened to the tibetan refugees of Ladakh in the dreadful 1962 winter.

Most of them were transferred to the village of Choglamsar, eight kilometers from Leh, the little capital of Ladakh.

Following the Lion River (Indus), the valley of Leh is lower than the Chang Thang plateau – between 3000 and 3500 meters – and dedicated to agriculture and limited trade with the rest of Kashmir and lowland India.

This relocation in a less remote area made it easier for the indian government to help the refugees, while at the same time bringing an end to their attempt of living as independent peasants.






labourchoglam




The end of peasants


"We were stationed in Menla, recalls another refugee, Champa Choemphel, refering to the eastern part of Choglamsar. We lived in tents, depending on rations distributed by the indian government and working as coolies, mostly for the army."

At the time there was no other option for these peasants without land nor animals who had no qualification. Many of them were recruited on road construction programs while others got employed as daily workers on various construction sites or for local farmers.

Refugees could bear such precarious conditions, away from their beloved homeland, because they thought the problem with China would soon be solved by the Dalai Lama, and they would then go back home. This faith in a near return to Tibet explains why the exiles refused for a long time to build houses for themselves or to engage into agriculture.

But years passed, and China showed absolutely no sign of any will to modify its policy regarding Tibet. It appeared that the exile might last longer than planned.

"In 1973 came the rehabilitation project of the indian government, continues Champa Choemphel, a solidly built man in his fifties. I was transferred to the area of Agling, west of Choglamsar. There, I was allocated 3000 square meters of land plus a horse, so that I could make a living out of agriculture with my family. I was very enthusiastic and planted various crops, including barley and wheat… Unfortunately, when water was needed, it was not available. Eventually, all my crops died."

A canal had been built, bringing in water from the Indus, but it proved largely insufficient. Few refugees continued growing crops. Sinon Yangkyap is one them. In spring, he can be seen with his wife ploughing his small field, in the Menla area of Choglamsar. While he handles the wooden plough, singing words of encouragement to his horse, his wife walks in front of them throwing seeds in the furrows.
A sixty year old man with long hair and thick glasses, Sinon used to be a farmer in the area of Tsabu, Western Tibet. He went through the same course as most of the refugees of Ladakh : escape to Chang Thang, tragic snowfall of winter 1962-63, relocation in the tent camp of Choglamsar, jobs as coolies until the rehabilitation project in the early seventies. That is when Sinon tried his first crop in exile : "the water was too scarsily available and I never managed to grow efficiently the wheat and barley I had planted. In such conditions, only alfalfa grass can survive. I am still growing some alfalfa in a little field near my house. With the grass, I can feed my horses, which I rent to trek operators during the tourist season. And the horses help me plant the alfafa by pulling the plough in the field…"

Some other refugees keep a few sheep or cows in their homelot, mainly for milk products. Others grow vegetables in organic greenhouses. But generally speaking, agriculture never really took off among the refugees of Choglamsar who continue to rent themselves as coolies to earn their living.






Next : Today