ThisschoolpackisaproductofFreeTibethttps://www.freetibet.org

AnIntroductiontoTibet

This is a map of Tibet. It is a very big country, the 10th largest nation in the world! The capital of Tibet is called Lhasa. The red circle outlines where Lhasa is.

Hi! I’m Tenzin the yak. I come from Tibet and I’m here to help

you have fun whilst we learn some amazing facts about the country

Tibet. Let’s get started!

Tibet is a country in South East Asia with a population of around 6 million. People in Tibet speak Tibetan, and the main religion is

Tibetan Buddhism.

In 1950 the Chinese army invaded Tibet and claimed Tibetan land as their own. Since then, China has been illegally in charge of Tibet. However, Tibetan culture remains rich and there

are lots of interesting things for you to learn.

Tibet has beautiful landscapes, amazing animals, tasty food and wonderful traditional clothing. But before you get to that, let’s take a look at a map of Tibet.

Below is a map of the world. The arrow points to where Tibet is. Tibet does not appear on the map because China made it disappear. But it is still there and filled with rich culture.

This is the bold and bright Tibetan flag. It is called ‘The Snow Lion Flag’.

The white mountain represents Tibet,

which is often called ‘ The land surrounded by snow mountains’.

The red stripes represent the six traditional tribes of Tibet. These tribes are the ancestors

of modern day Tibetans.

The sun represents freedom and spiritual

happiness for all Tibetans.

The fearless snow lions represent unity and spirituality.

Activity:UsingtheimageoftheTibetanflagyouhavejustseen,canyoucorrectlycolourinthisblankTibetanflagandlabelwhateachpartrepresents?

Animals in Tibet

The yak is a large, domesticated ox similar to a cow. A male is called a yak, and a female is called a dri. They have long, shaggy fur that protects them from the cold climates of the plateau. Both males and females have horns. Many nomads rely on yaks for milk, wool and for transporting goods over long distances. They play an important role in Tibetans’ lives and many are decorated with colourful beads.

The bearded vulture (jha-goe in Tibetan) is a type of bird found in the mountains of Tibet. They are orange or pink in colour, and have a wingspan of nearly 3 metres. It is also known as the ossifrage or ‘bone-breaker’ as up to 90 percent of their diet is bones. They scavenge from carcasses found on the cliffs, and their powerful stomach acid can dissolve bone in just 24 hours! In Tibetan Buddhism, bearded vultures are thought to be Dakinis or angels, who carry the spirits of the dead to heaven.

The Tibetan antelope (chiru in Tibetan) is a medium-sized antelope from the flat, open rangeland of the Tibetan Plateau. Males have horns and black stripes on their legs. They were once classed as endangered because of illegal hunting for their soft, warm fur. Luckily, their population has increased over the past 30 years.

Snow leopards (sah or shen in Tibetan) are large cats that live in the Himalayas. Sadly, there are now less than 10,000 snow leopards left in the wild. Their main threats are habitat loss and hunting. They have a body length of 1.5 metres, with their tail growing up to a metre long. Their thick fur keeps them warm in winter and their long tails help them balance on the steep mountain slopes.

InTibetwehavethebeardeddragon,theTibetanantelope,thesnowleopardandbestofall,yakslike

me.

Activity sheet: Tibetan Animals Time to put your new Tibetan animal knowledge to the test! Activity 1: Complete the word search and find the words relating to the animals. To play online:https://thewordsearch.com/puzzle/1141307 Activity 2: Complete the sentences about the Tibetan animals by filling in the blank spaces with adjectives. Look at the photos and descriptions to help you. Example: The Tibetan yak has fur which is _________ and ____________. The Tibetan yak appears to be ______. The yak is decorated in _____ fabric. The Tibetan snow leopards have _____ and _____ fur. Tibetan antelope horns are ______. Their fur is special because it is very _______. The bearded vulture looks ______ but ______. Their fur is _______ and their wings are _______.

warm shaggy

TheTibetanLandscape:Factsheet TheTibetanPlateau

Rivers

Canyons

TheTibetanlandscapehas:ü Snowymountainsü Sandydesertsü Turquoise(blue)lakesü Emeraldgreenforests

Key word: A plateau is the name for a raised area of land.

The Tibetan Plateau is called the ‘Roof of the World’. It is the highest area above sea level on earth (4,500 metres tall).

The Tibetan Plateau is surrounded by the tallest mountains in the world, including Mount Everest (8,848 metres tall).

Melted snow and ice flow from the mountains into Asia’s largest rivers.

Around 2 billion people in Asia depend on the water that comes from these mountains.

Global warming means the water-ice on the mountains is now melting faster. This could lead to a water shortage in the future.

Key word: A canyon is caused by a river cutting through rocks.

Tibet has the deepest and longest canyon in the world.

It is the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon (300 miles long).

The Canyon has lots of wildlife like the Asian wild cat and the Yellow Honey-guide bird.

Activity Sheet: Tibetan Landscapes Write a story! Imagine you are about to climb Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. The sky is blue but there is snow on the ground. The climb is going to be very cold and you are going to need to eat lots of food to help fuel your climb. You’re wearing goggles to prevent snow blindness and an oxygen pack so you can breathe. Write a description and/or draw a picture of you successfully climbing to the top of the mountain. How you would feel being somewhere so incredible? You can use the space below:

Optional challenge: ü Can you create and

draw a new animal that could live in the Tibetan landscape?

ü What features would they need to survive?

Tibetan Buddhism

Let’s learn some important facts about Tibetan

Buddhism Key Word: Buddha

Tibetan Buddhism is a branch of the religion called Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhists worship and follow the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama - a figure known as The Buddha.

Key Word: Dalai Lama The living spiritual leader of the religion is the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama is a figure that has been present since 1391. The Dalai Lama is the head monk (a male Buddhist) and travels the world teaching people about Buddhism.

Key Word: Losar Losar is the most important Buddhist holiday in Tibet. Losar is the celebration of the Tibetan New Year. It begins at the full moon in February or March and lasts for 15 days. The celebrations involve family, friends, cooking special food and visiting monasteries.

Key Word: Alms bowl The alms bowl is also known as the begging bowl. It is a significant object for all Buddhist monks and nuns. Tibetan Buddhists traditionally carried it with them everywhere they went. The bowl is used to collect alms (food or money) from Buddhist followers.

Key Word: Mala beads A mala is a string of Tibetan prayer beads. There are 108 beads on a string. Buddhists count the beads whilst praying. You are meant to move one bead at a time and focus on your breath when praying. This is to create positive spiritual energy.

ActivitySheet:TibetanBuddhismActivity 1: Can you find the words relating to Tibetan Buddhism?

To play online: https://thewordsearch.com/puzzle/1135944 Activity 2: Answer these questions using the information you just learnt about Tibetan Buddhism.

1) What is the name of the spiritual leader who Tibetan Buddhists follow? 2) When Tibetan Buddhists collect alms, what are they collecting?

3) What do you think of the special Losar Buddhist holiday that Tibetan Buddhists

celebrate?

4) Can you name a religious item used by Tibetan Buddhists?

5) Why do you think mala beads help Buddhists while they pray?

TibetanCultureTibet is very rich in culture. You have already learnt about Tibetan animals, Tibetan landscapes, and Tibetan Buddhism, but there is more to their culture than this. Tibetan Language English Tibetan Hello

Tashi Delek

How are you? Khe-rang Ku-su Deop Yin pae?

Thank you Thuk Je Che Good bye Kha-leh phe Tibetan Clothing

Like many other cultures Tibetans have their own

traditional clothing.

Lots of bright colours can be seen on Tibetan clothing.

Tibetans speak their own language called Tibetan. It is spoken by about 6 million people. Tibetan is written in a special script which was developed when people translated holy Buddhist texts. Below are examples of how you say some basic phrases in Tibetan. Try practicing them with an adult.

The Tibetan script for writing numbers is slightly different to

English, although you can see some similarities. You can see the numbers 1-10 written in

Tibetan here.

Men wear a long and broad robe fastened under the right arm,

and a long sleeve shirt with a high

collar. In Northern Tibet where it is

colder they also wear fur.

Women wear a long, narrow robe and a long

sleeve shirt with a turned down collar.

Traditionally a decorated cloth belt is

worn at the waist. Women wear lots of big

and bright jewellery.

Activity sheet: Tibetan culture Activity 1: Do you remember these Tibetan numbers? Now it is time to practice writing them yourself! See if you can copy the Tibetan version of the numbers from 1 – 10.

Activity 2: Now it is time for some fun maths! Using the Tibetan numbers above, can you crack the maths code to work out the sum? Write the answer in English. Example:+ =8

1) + =? 3) + =?

2) - =? 4) - =?Activity 3: Watch this video of Tibetan children performing a Tibetan dance in their traditional outfits. Think about how it differs from how you dance and what you wear in your culture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0bGVN7gyXA

Optional challenge: Using what you have learnt about Tibetan clothing and the photos, can you use your own clothes to

make a Tibetan costume?

TibetanMomoRecipe Ingredients The Dough - 4 cups flour - 1 to 1 1/2 cup water (Approximate) Put the flour in a large bowl, make a well in the centre. Slowly add the water, and start mixing it with the flour. Then knead until it is firm but supple. The Filling -1 lb Minced Beef -2 /3 Celery stalks (chopped) -1 small onion (chopped) -2 stalk spring onion (chopped) -Small bunch coriander (chopped) -1 Tablespoon Oil -2 Tablespoon Soy Sauce -¼ cup water -Salt & Black pepper to taste -A little dash of Erma (Szechuan pepper) if you have it Mix all the filling ingredients together in a bowl. Method

1. Take one portion of the dough, roll it out thin and flat as big as you can get.

2. Using a cup or glass turned upside down, cut out the momo skins.

3. Add a spoonful of mixture to each circle of cut out dough

4. Using your fingers fold the circles into semi-circles and pinch them together along the top to close in the filling.

5. Line up the momos in a steamer (not touching), and steam for 12-15 minutes. Tip: the skin should be dry and not sticky when cooked.

6. Enjoy your delicious momos!

One of the most delicious foods which Tibetans are famous for is momos. Momos are a type of dumpling that are steamed and filled with meat or vegetables and served with a dipping sauce. They can be found in many restaurants and street vendors

across East Asia.

Letscook!Followtherecipebelowwithadultsupervisiontomakeyour

ownmouthwateringmomos!