Between ‘Silence’ and Expression
Nomadic pastoralists of the Tibetan plateau are well known for a way of life focused around animal husbandry and corresponding relationships with animals, primarily yaks. Where plants are concerned, attention tends to be framed in relation to the practicalities of life, namely domestic animals, diet, and medicine. In this regard, Tibetan pastoralists have wide-ranging interactions with plants that not only supplement but also enable their continued existence on the plateau. Notwithstanding this pragmatic attention and knowledge, Tibetan nomads have additional relationships with plants expressed as ‘sacred’ on the one hand and ‘creative’ on the other. Plants are sacred—and therefore not to be used—when they grow close to springs thought to be the dwelling of lu, serpent-like water beings, and when the plant itself is marked as sacred. Plants are also the medium of creative expression when, for example, women and children engage in imaginative interactions and activities with certain kinds of flowers. These lesser-emphasized interactions with plants open up our understanding of nomad-plant relationships on the Tibetan plateau beyond those of use and necessity.