For Immediate Release

Kham Aid to Rescue Disappearing Tibetan Dialect

New program will document the Minyak language and teach it to children

LOS ANGELES  — January 15, 2008 — Thanks to a grant from the National Geographic Society, Kham Aid Foundation will be helping Tibetans in the Minyak region of the eastern Tibetan plateau preserve their unique language.  The two and a half year project will create written documentation of the language, compile audio recordings, and, most importantly, produce a Minyak textbook so that the language can be taught in schools, helping to keep it alive for the next generation.

The Minyak language is often considered a dialect of Tibetan; however native scholars say that Minyak is entirely different and should be regarded as a language in its own right.  Minyak was once spoken by three hundred thousand people spread across eastern Kham, but because of improvements in transportation and access to mass media, the number of Minyak speakers has dwindled to less than ten thousand – and these are found almost exclusively in small towns and far-flung villages off the beaten track. Elsewhere, Minyak people have adopted the speech of neighboring Tibetan populations; many have learned Chinese as well.

The project is being undertaken in partnership with a local nonprofit, the Minyak Culture and Environment Service Group.  This organization was founded by several local Minyak scholars for the purpose of safeguarding their homeland’s precious cultural and natural resources.  The heart of the Minyak region lies in the foothills of Minyak Gongkar, a Himalayan-scale peak that is a magnet for nature lovers because of the unusual flora and fauna found on its slopes. 

Larger program to preserve Minyak cultural heritage

Kham Aid Foundation has been helping Minyak people preserve their cultural heritage since 2005 when Kham Aid president Pam Logan was first invited to the area to see its ancient houses and temples.  Some of these structures are nearly a thousand years old and several of them contain Buddhist wall paintings thought to range in age from one to five centuries – highly unusual in China where most culturally significant structures have been razed and rebuilt in the last half-century.

In 2006 Kham Aid Foundation, which is based in California, began performing repairs on one severely endangered structure and brought a world-renowned conservation team to clean and protect three sets of wall paintings.  In 2007 Kham Aid Foundation announced the discovery in Minyak of a previously unknown temple containing wall paintings believed to date from the 16^th century.  Repair of that temple and conservation of its paintings will commence later this year.

Strengthening communities while preserving culture

Kham Aid Foundation’s organizational philosophy is that cultural heritage preservation should be accompanied by assistance in economic development, education, and other community needs. Field staff work closely with Tibetan communities to ensure that preserved heritage will be valued and protected by its owners, and that communities will possess the skills and means to manage their resources well.

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Kham Aid Foundation was founded in 1997 as a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit. In addition to its Los Angeles headquarters, the organization operates field offices in Chengdu and Kangding, Sichuan Province, China.  Funding for Minyak language preservation is provided by the Genographic Legacy Fund, a project of the National Geographic Society.

For more information, see www.khamaid.org or contact:

wubangfu@khamaid.org (English inquiries)

adrol@khamaid.org (Chinese and Tibetan inquiries)