Introduction
This article explores the origin of the ethnic Tibetans in China and their closely related Bodic tribes in Bhutan, Nepal and Sikkim.
Tibetans were known as one of the ancient Qiang tribes (įžæ) by the Chinese during ancient China. Qiang means 'shepherd' which was typical of their lifestyle in ancient times.
Tibetans were known as one of the ancient Qiang tribes (įžæ) by the Chinese during ancient China. Qiang means 'shepherd' which was typical of their lifestyle in ancient times.
Homeland
The homeland of the Tibetans is along the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet province and they are the natives there.
Proto-Bodic
Proto-Bodic people came from Gansu province. There were mainly two migration paths which can be roughly illustrated by the purple arrows below.
Proto-Bodic first migrated in a westward direction from Gansu province towards western Tibet via Karakorum pass and established the Northern Neolithic of Kashmir around 2500-1700 BC.
From Neolithic Kashmir, a subgroup of proto-Bodic people migrated eastward along the northern flank of the Himalayas into the Yarlung river forming the Bodic branch.
The most famous Tibetan king was Songtsen Gampo (627-649 AD) who greatly expanded the Tubo kingdom from the first map to the second map below.
The Tubo kingdom annexed Nepal into its empire in 640 AD.
There are mainly two groups of Bodic people in Bhutan which are Sharchop and Ngalop.
The Sharchop people is the earliest Bodic tribe who migrated to Bhutan from Yarlung River basin before Songtsen Gampo's era (627-649 AD). They speak Tsangla language.
After the Sharchop migration, the Ngalop people is another Bodic tribe who migrated to Bhutan when the territory was part of Tubo kingdom during the 8th century. They speak Dzongkha which is the national language of Bhutan.
The current Bhutan government is controlled by the Ngalop people so it is essentially a Bodic country.
The closest ethnic relatives of the Bodic people are the Shang-Shung people in western Tibet and northwestern India. The details will be narrated on another article.
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Tibetan kingdom
The earliest Tibetan kingdom was called Tubo (åč) and its first king was Nyatri Tsenpo who started the Yarlung dynasty in 127 BC along the Yarlung River with its earliest capital around Lhasa.The most famous Tibetan king was Songtsen Gampo (627-649 AD) who greatly expanded the Tubo kingdom from the first map to the second map below.
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| Original territory |
The Tubo kingdom annexed Nepal into its empire in 640 AD.
Zhang Zhung kingdom situated in western Tibet was also annexed by Tubo kingdom in 643 AD.
Tuyuhun kingdom situated in modern-day Qinghai province was annexed by the Tibetan kingdom in 663 AD.
All these conquests led to the Tubo kingdom having a much larger border as shown in the map below.
Buddhism was first introduced into Tibet during Songtsen's rule and later became the state religion in the 8th century.
All these conquests led to the Tubo kingdom having a much larger border as shown in the map below.
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| Map of Tubo kingdom at its greatest extent |
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| Map of Tubo kingdom at its greatest extent 790 |
A successive Tibetan kingdom was later conquered by China in 1720 AD (Manchu Qing dynasty) and Tibet remained part of China ever since.
The Tibetans call themselves the Bod people and are subdivided into three subgroups in China which are U-Tsang, Amdo and Kham. Most U-Tsang live in Tibet province, most Amdo live in Qinghai province and most Kham live in easternmost Tibet (Chamdo region) and western Sichuan province.
The Bodic group live mostly in northern Nepal at higher altitude because they originally came from the north along Yarlung River basin.
When the Tubo kingdom expanded their kingdom to Nepal in the 7th century AD, many Tibetans started to move into Nepal and their descendants are called Tamang, Gurung and Thakali. The Tamang were sent to Nepal by a Tibetan king in 755 AD to guard the expanded border of Tibet after the annexation.
The Bhutia migrated to Sikkim in the 13th century AD and they are descendants of the Kham Tibetans of eastern Tibet. A group of Bhutia from Sikkim subsequently migrated to Nepal in the 15th century and became known as the Bhotia aka Bhotiya in Nepal.
The Sherpa migrated to Khumbu valley in Nepal from (Salmo-Gang district) Kham region of Tibet during the 15th to 16th century AD triggered by a Mongol invasion. The word Sherpa literally means "from the east" which is a reference to their migration from eastern Tibet.
Tibetan subgroups in China
The descendants of Tubo, eastern Tibetan kingdom, became known as the Bodic tribes and their languages are grouped under Bodic branch.The Tibetans call themselves the Bod people and are subdivided into three subgroups in China which are U-Tsang, Amdo and Kham. Most U-Tsang live in Tibet province, most Amdo live in Qinghai province and most Kham live in easternmost Tibet (Chamdo region) and western Sichuan province.
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| Three subgroups of Tibetans |
Bodic subgroups in Nepal and Sikkim
The Bodic subgroups in Nepal are Tamang, Gurung, Thakali, Bhotiya, Sherpa; they are close to the Tibetans living in China in terms of religion, language and culture e.g. they also celebrate Losar which is the Tibetan New Year.The Bodic group live mostly in northern Nepal at higher altitude because they originally came from the north along Yarlung River basin.
When the Tubo kingdom expanded their kingdom to Nepal in the 7th century AD, many Tibetans started to move into Nepal and their descendants are called Tamang, Gurung and Thakali. The Tamang were sent to Nepal by a Tibetan king in 755 AD to guard the expanded border of Tibet after the annexation.
The Bhutia migrated to Sikkim in the 13th century AD and they are descendants of the Kham Tibetans of eastern Tibet. A group of Bhutia from Sikkim subsequently migrated to Nepal in the 15th century and became known as the Bhotia aka Bhotiya in Nepal.
The Sherpa migrated to Khumbu valley in Nepal from (Salmo-Gang district) Kham region of Tibet during the 15th to 16th century AD triggered by a Mongol invasion. The word Sherpa literally means "from the east" which is a reference to their migration from eastern Tibet.
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| Sherpa women |
Bodic subgroup in Bhutan
There are mainly two groups of Bodic people in Bhutan which are Sharchop and Ngalop.The Sharchop people is the earliest Bodic tribe who migrated to Bhutan from Yarlung River basin before Songtsen Gampo's era (627-649 AD). They speak Tsangla language.
After the Sharchop migration, the Ngalop people is another Bodic tribe who migrated to Bhutan when the territory was part of Tubo kingdom during the 8th century. They speak Dzongkha which is the national language of Bhutan.
The current Bhutan government is controlled by the Ngalop people so it is essentially a Bodic country.
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| Ngalop in Bhutan |
Closest ethnic relatives
Conclusion
The Bodic tribes are the natives of central Tibetan plateau having migrated from the upper Yellow River basin in ancient times.
Sharchop and Ngalop tribes are closely related Bodic tribes who live in the Himalayas in Bhutan. Bhotiya, Gurung, Sherpa, Tamang, Bhutia are closely related Bodic tribes who migrated to Nepal and Sikkim.
Sharchop and Ngalop tribes are closely related Bodic tribes who live in the Himalayas in Bhutan. Bhotiya, Gurung, Sherpa, Tamang, Bhutia are closely related Bodic tribes who migrated to Nepal and Sikkim.
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| Tibetan people |
Related links
Origin of Sino-Tibetan tribes
http://eastasiaorigin.blogspot.com/2018/08/origin-of-sino-tibetan-tribes.html
Ethnic origin of Shang-Shung
http://eastasiaorigin.blogspot.com/2021/03/ethnic-origin-of-shang-shung.html
http://eastasiaorigin.blogspot.com/2018/08/origin-of-sino-tibetan-tribes.html
Ethnic origin of Shang-Shung
http://eastasiaorigin.blogspot.com/2021/03/ethnic-origin-of-shang-shung.html
Sources
- Imperial China 900-1800 Author: Frederick Mote
- On the origin of Tibetans and their genetic basis. by Binbin Wang, Yong-Biao Zhang. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0017002
- Building New China, Colonizing Kokonor: Resettlement to Qinghai in the 1950s By Gregory Rohlf
- http://aboutworldlanguages.com/sino-tibetan-language-family
- http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Altera/tibet.html
- https://studybuddhism.com/en/advanced-studies/history-culture/buddhism-in-tibet/tibetan-history-before-the-fifth-dalai-lama/the-empire-of-the-early-kings-of-tibet
- http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/bhutan/forrel-prc.htm
- A new theory on the origin of Chinese. by George Van Driem. Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association Bulletin 18, 1999.
- Myths and facts: reconsidering some data concerning the clan history of the Sherpas. Oppitz, M. (1974). Kailash 2, 121–131.
- Genetic signatures of high-altitude adaptation in Tibetans. https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/03/28/1617042114
- Areal Diffusion and Genetic Inheritance: Problems in Comparative Linguistics. By Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald, Robert M. W. Dixon.
- The interest of Zhang Zhung for comparative Tibeto-Burman. By James Matisoff. University of California, Berkeley.
- Y-chromosome haplotypes and clan structure of the Sherpa of the Solukhumbu (Nepal): Preliminary ethnogenetic considerations
- Ethnic groups in Nepal. http://www.greathimalayatrails.com/ethnic-groups/
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