TIBETAN ARTIFACTS: PRAYER WHEELS, WORN RELIGIOUS ITEMS, TIBETAN TENTS, AND PERSONAL ORNAMENTS IN 2022

* 'Jam dbyangs skyabs. 2023. Tibetan Artifacts: Prayer Wheels, Worn Religious Items, Tibetan Tents, and Personal Ornaments in 2022. Asian Highlands Perspectives 63:98-149. In exploring various aspects of Tibetan material culture, including prayer wheels and other religious items, yak hair tents, and personal ornaments, this paper seeks to deepen our understanding of Tibetan culture and society by analyzing these objects and their cultural significance. The paper draws on ethnographic research conducted in a Tibetan area of China from 2020-2023 and historical and cultural studies of Tibetan material culture. Part of this research was based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with five Tibetans, participant observations of their everyday lives, and abridged versions of autobiographical narratives these elders provided. All interlocutors lived in Stag lung Mtha' ba[1] and were natives of Gcig sgril (Jiuzhi) County, Mgo log (Goulou) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Mtsho sngon (Qinghai) Province, PR China. While the literature on Tibetan prayer wheels already exists, for example, Google Scholar lists 242 results for "Tibetan prayer wheels,"[2] several of these articles are largely descriptive (Stanley 1868, Martin 1987, Modi 1918, Ladner 2000, and Winder 1992). There appears to be a dearth of studies focusing on the meaning of prayer wheels to individual Tibetan religious practitioners and the history of this meaning and practice. In Part One, I introduce Don skyid (b. 1946), who shares the story of her most prized possession – a thar 'khor 'prayer wheel'.[3] In Part Two, Don skyid describes her family's seng gdong srung bzlog 'khor lo prayer wheel, the history of its acquisition, how it is used, and why. Part Three sketches the lives of Chos mdzad (b. 1938) and his wife, Yi po (b. 1941), and describes their prayer wheels, including a thar 'khor, two sgrol ma'i 'khor lo, a ma Ni' 'khor lo, and a 'then 'khor. Part Four outlines Bde sgrol's (b. 1947) life and describes her yig brgya'i 'khor lo'. Part Five examines the religious items Don skyid wears, and Part Six gives the history of her family's housing (tents and houses). Part Seven focuses on Tshe brtan's (b. 1968) life and the background of his precious mchong 'agate' his father gave him that he wears around his neck. Collectively, these personal experiences and histories of local elderly Tibetan religious practitioners provide insights into Mtha' ba Community culture, highlighting the significant roles that religious items and personal ornaments play in the lives of locals. The Appendix provides a list of relevant monasteries (Table 1), place names (Table 2), and people (Table 3). The terms used in this paper are what I was told by the elders I interviewed. I do not represent them as "standard" and representative of life and religious practice throughout the vast area where Tibetans live. [1] About 300 people lived in Stag lung Mtha' ba in 2023. Most were older parents and grandparents of adjacent Stag lung Monastery monks and bla ma. Many residents spent time circumambulating the entire monastery and temples, large Buddha images, and stupas within the monastery; prostrating to stupas and Buddha images; attending teachings by monastery bla ma; and joining monastery rituals. Stag lung Mtha' ba residents refer to where they live as "Mtha' ba" to local people and "Stag lung Mtha' ba" when, for example, they visit other monasteries in the area when asked where they are from. In this text, I refer to Stag lung Mtha' ba as "Mtha' ba Community." See https://bit.ly/42HNzNz 17 May 2023) for a discussion of mtha' ba 'tsowa' in A mdo and details on the "Eight Lhadé Tsowa" for a monastery in present-day Khri ka (Trika, Guide) County, Mtsho sngon Province. [2] https://bit.ly/3nRpapD 12 May 2023. [3] A 'khor lo 'prayer wheel' containing a Thar mdo scripture is a thar 'khor