Gyalrong people

Last updated
Gyalrong
Total population
120,000
Regions with significant populations
Sichuan, China
Languages
Mandarin, Gyalrong (traditional)
Religion
Tibetan Buddhism
Related ethnic groups
Tibetan, Qiang, Tangut

The Gyalrong (Tibetan : རྒྱལ་རོང) people, also called rgyal rong, jiarong (Chinese :嘉绒人), or Gyelrongwas, live in parts of the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture and Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan, China. The word Gyalrong is an exo-ethnonym and loanword from the Tibetan word rGyal-mo tsha-wa rong. [1]

Contents

The Gyalrong refer to themselves as Keru. [2] During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Gyalrong were ruled by local chieftains ( Tusi ). In 1746, Slob Dpon, the chieftain of Greater Jinchuan, was trying to unite tribes in Sichuan, forcing the Qing dynasty to launch campaigns to suppress them. The People's Republic of China subsequently lumped them together with Tibetans. Due to the intermixing of ethnicities, it is difficult to accurately count the Gyalrong people, but they probably number in the hundreds of thousands. [3]

The dominant religion of Gyalrong was once Bon, but in the early 15th century the region received missionaries from central Tibet teaching the doctrine of the Gelug order of Tibetan Buddhism. Despite strenuous opposition from Bon priests, the Gelugpa succeeded in building many large monasteries in Gyalrong such as the Dhe-Tsang Monastery. [4]

Etymology

The name Gyalmo Rong (rgyal mo rong) can be translated as "valley of the queen", which hints at the region having been ruled by women. [3]

Language

Gyalrongwas speak a range of different languages, including the Qiangic Gyalrong language, Khams Tibetan, Amdo Tibetan, and Sichuan Chinese. [3]

Gyalrong region

The wider Gyalrong region encompasses neighboring places inhabited by Amdo and Kham Tibetans, Han Chinese, and the Qiang people. It contains a 120-mile long river basin at its core as well as steep, forested mountains and river valleys. Mount Murdo (dmu rdo) (4820 m) is a prominent destination for Bön and Buddhist pilgrims. Small and large rivers flow through the region from north to south and are known by many names. Historical Gyalrong kingdoms and current administrative divisions overlap with parts of Kham and Amdo. [3]

The 18 Gyalrong kingdoms/chiefdoms (嘉绒十八土司) in this area were:

Current administrative divisions that fall within eastern and southeastern parts of Ganzi Prefecture include Dartsendo, Tau, Nyakchukha, and Rongdrak, Chakzam (lcag zam, Luding) and Gyezur counties. Places in southern and eastern parts of Ngawa Prefecture include Rapten/Chuchen, Tsenlha, and Barkham counties, as well as parts of Lunggu/Tritsang, Trashiling (bkra shis gling, Li), and Trochu (khro chu, Heishui) counties. Chakzam has become heavily sinified, and Gyezur is now viewed more as a part of Kham. [3]

Notable Gyalrongwas

See also

References

  1. Prins, Marielle. 2011. A web of relations: A grammar of rGyalrong Ji omùzú, p. 18.
  2. "in search of a language unrecognised". 8 November 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "An Introduction to Gyelrong | Mandala Collections - Texts". mandala-texts-dev.internal.lib.virginia.edu. Retrieved 2025-02-24.
  4. "Built Heritage on the Eastern Tibetan plateau: Dhe-Tsang Monastery". 8 July 2024.