TIBET
The yak here takes the place that the reindeer fills in the Tundra
region ; for it has similar powers of enduring cold and subsisting on scant
vegetation, while it supplies the natives with milk, flesh, and hair, which
is woven to form the black material used for tent-coverings. The animal
is also very sure-footed, and therefore especially suited to serve as a beast
of burden across the mountains encircling the plateau, though ponies,
sheep, and even goats, also are used for this purpose. Most of the inhabi-
tants are clad in long sheep-skin coats, and subsist on oatmeal porridge,
mutton, butter, and tea, A few find employment in obtaining salt from
the shores of the lakes, and borax, which is used among other purposes
in manufacturing enamel, glazes for pottery, and some sorts of glass.
Some gold and silver are mined in the west.
The Southern Yalleys.—These, on account of their depth, and
hence relative warmth, are the most fertile part of the country, and oats,
pulses, and even fruit-trees, are cultivated. A settled life is therefore
possible, and the bulk of the population of Tibet is concentrated in the
valleys of the Sanpo and its tributaries. Some of the natives are engaged
in agriculture, some in metal-work and weaving ; but a large proportion
are lamas—(%.e., priests of the Buddhist faith, which is the predominant
religion in the country.
Buddhism is founded on the philosophical and religious teaching
of a man called Buddha, who dwelt in the plain of the Ganges in the fifth
century. In the main, this religion has degenerated in Tibet into what
is, practically, the worship of relics or images of Buddha, and the
mechanical performance of many rites and ceremonies, The lamas lead a
celibate life, dwelling in monasteries, and supported by the rest of the
population, though some also earn money by trading. The chief lama
dwells in a magnificent palace on the summit of a hill a short distance
{rom Lhasa, amid a number of monasteries.
Lhasa itself, the capital of Tibet, lies on the north side of the valley
of a small tributary of the Sanpo. It is the natural focus of the trade of
the country, importing brick-tea and. cotton goods from China, animals
and animal products from Mongolia, and silks, rice, indigo, sugar, and
spice from India. The chief route into China runs due east of Lhasa to
the province of Sechwan, and the routes into India either by difficult
passes over the Himalayas, or westward via the Indus Valley (see p. 95).
All transport is by pack-animals or human porterage. "The chief
exports in order of value are : Silver, gold, salt, wool, woollen manufac-
tures, furs, drugs, and musk
