The Monba People

The Monba migrated to their present locations in the Medog, Nyingch and Cona counties of eastern Tibet three centuries ago. Medog, also known as "the Sacred Palace of Padmasambhava", is considered a Shangri-La by the Tibetans and is primarily inhabited by Monba. In this area of eastern Tibet, there is an abundance of rainfall and villages are built on mountain slopes close to water sources.

Both the men and women of this people group wear long, red, woolen robes and soft-heeled boots of red and black felt. Caps are brown with an orange-colored edge and a slit in front. Women wear an apron outside the robe to protect them while laboring.

Monba hunt and practice slash-and-burn farming. They grow bananas, peppers, leeks and ginger and harvest rice and corn. They drink a liquor that is sour and pleasant-though not high in alcohol content-that is distilled from corn and rice. For cooking, they use stone pots along with containers and utensils made from bamboo. Homes are also made of bamboo with straw roofs. They are two or three stories high with the second and third floors being used for livestock. Houses face east in order to catch the rising sun for good luck. Furniture is also made of bamboo.

The Monba are a hospitable people who enjoy singing and dancing and offer beverages to their visitors. Most speak Tibetan and use the Tibetan script. They are also a monogamous people, free to choose their marital partners and have intermarried with Tibetans with whom they have always had close, political ties. In death, they practice sky, water and ground burial.

The central government recently built the Zhamo-Medog Highway to better connect this people with the outside world. According to government sources, the Monba value education and want to modernize. The result is that their education has improved, and government sources say they no longer believe in demons.