Migration

Synopsis

A group of ancient Tibetan nomads live in the Qilian Mountains in western China. Their home is a tent made of yak hair. They change their location with the seasons — to allow their cattle and sheep to eat the best grass, while protecting the vegetation of the pasture. They stick to their traditional beliefs. The women chant scriptures from time to time while turning prayer wheels. In the evening, devout rituals are performed in front of small portraits of the Panchen Lama and the Dalai Lama. During migration, the families help each other pack their belongings and load them onto yaks; they ride horses, sing pastoral songs, and drive cattle and sheep along the ancient nomadic route. This film documents their journey — from the spring to the autumn. It is a spiritual and a practical life: Sheep are exchanged for yaks, wool for tea, fried noodles for money. Every cloud over the mountain has a divine nature; the sun and the moon are the Panchen Lama and the Dalai Lama. (Shot June 1995.)