Tibet is a small state completely landlocked between China, India, Bhutan and Russia. It is surrounded by the Kunlun Mountians to the north and the Himalayan crest to the south. 12 These two barriers allowed Tibet to escape Western imperialism in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Due to this, Tibet lacked major roadways, modern technology and communication networks until the Chinese invasion in 1949. Its remoteness has also made any type of historical documentation very difficult. For example, the origins of the word Tibet are still unknown. Tibetans themselves call the country "Bod" or land of snows. 13

Tibetan Society
Life in Tibet was very uncomplicated until the 1950's. There were four types of people; monks and lamas, nobles, agriculturalists, and nomads. Monks and lamas (monks who embody the divine being and complete the the study of Buddhist literature) accounted for fifteen to twenty percent of the male population in Tibet. Before 1951 there were about 200 noble families. They held large estates, had administrative responsibilities and were responsible for trading. The agriculturalists inhabited the river valleys of southern Tibet. They cultivated lands that were owned by monastaries, nobles or the government. Ulag (provision of service) was expected of these common people in exchange for the payment of rent and taxes. They could also be hired hands on estates or trade caravans. In the north lived the nomads, or Drok-pa's, who migrated seasonally to the place that was best for their livestock. In Tibet the most common type of livestock is yaks. 14

15
Yaks were used as draft and pack animals by the nomadic people of Tibet. Their milk was used to make butter and they were killed for their meat, skin and fur. 16

Most Tibetans lived simple lives. Their homes were made of stone or sundried bricks and were usually two or three stories high. (Nomads lived in yak skin tents.) The common people wore chubas. The monks wore deep-red, ankle length wool robes and a hat during celebrations. The staple Tibetan food was tsampa, a mixture of barley flour and butter. They also ate some meat, curd, vegetables and fruit. Tea and chang (barley or millet beer) were also two very popular drinks. Most marriages in Tibet were arranged. Polygyny (practice of having more than one wife at one time) and polyandry (practice of having more than one husband at one time) 17 were also heard of, although the later was less common. When a family member died, cremation was the usual choice for disposal, but Tibetans also would dissect the corpes and leave the remains on a hillside to be eaten by vultures and dogs (a practice not found in any other Buddhist country). During Buddhist holidays there would be large celebrations. The most lively celebration was during New Years (Febuary or March) and lasted the entire first month of the lunar calendar. 18

19
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Chubas (top) were full gowns with long sleeves that reached or fell below the fingertips. In summer they were made of cotton and in the winter they were made of sheep or lambskin. The traditional monk (bottom) garment was a robe of deep red wool that fell to the ankle and exposed one arm. Monks also wore hats which differed in color depending on the sect of Buddhism the monk belonged to. 21

Tibetan Culture
Tibet was the channel of communication between south, east and central Asia. Their culture was heavily influenced by India until the 1200's. The written Tibetan langauge that King Song-tsen Gampo (627-650) developed was based on Sanskrit, the written langauge of India. Before that point oral stories were used to spread the teachings of Buddhism. It wasn't until the 9th century that literature started to appear (although all Tibetan literature consisted of Buddhist teachings). The time from 800 - 1200 is known as the period of the "Great Translators" in Tibet, for it was the time when Buddhist monks were responsible for translating the oral langauge to the written langauge and then transcriping it into books. Commentaries didn't begin to appear until the 13th century when the Chinese surpassed the Indians in the amount of influence they had on Tibet. In the 14th century the first two Tibetan encyclopedias were published, the Kanjur and Tenjur.
Dance and drama were also an important part of Tibetan culture. The most popular Tibetan dance was the cham. Art was also important. The first known Tibetan painting is from the 1100's. Most paintings are symmetrical arrangements of divine beings. Metalworking was introduced to the Tibetans from Nepal in the 13th century. Most important Tibetan buildings were made of solid stone, with inward sloping walls and flat roofs. Most had stupas (domed structures) on top as well, which were originally funeral mounds in the 7th century. 22

23
The cham was a ritual dance preformed by monks during New Years that used grotesque masks to invoke the diety's protection against evil. 24