This narrative of subsistence on the Tibetan plateau describes the life-worlds of people in a region traditionally known as Kham who move with their yaks from pasture to pasture, depending on the milk production of their herd for sustenance. Gillian Tans story, based on her own experience of living through seasonal cycles with the people of Dora Karmo between 2006 and 2013, examines the communitys powerful relationship with a Buddhist lama and their interactions with external agents of change. In showing how they perceive their environment and dwell in their world, Tan conveys a spare beauty that honors the stillness and rhythms of nomadic life.

Gillian G. Tan is assistant professor of anthropology at Deakin University in Victoria, Australia.

Foreword / Stevan Harrell

Preface

Acknowledgments

Transcription, Transliteration, and Names

The People

Timeline

1. Getting to Dora Karmo

2. The House and the Tent

3. Life in the Summer Pasture

4. A World of Impermanence

5. The Lama

6. Leaving and Arriving

Glossary

Suggested Reading

Index