‘The Tibetan Nomad is an environmental protector,’ Tibetan Nomad & Environmental Activist
HOUSE OF NOMAD is a project that sits at the heart of a movement seeking to preserve the traditions and practices of the Tibetan nomadic lifestyle and to protect the beautiful and unique environment of the Tibetan Plateau. ‘House of Nomad’ aims to re-create and support the nomadic communities through environmental and cultural initiatives that enable what traditions the tribe was holding and to continue this transmission of culture and knowledge so that nomads can continue to develop their culture and positively adapt to current situations and changes in their ways of life.
The House of Nomad initiative stands as a multi-faceted program with parallel aims to deal with The protection of the Tibetan environment; Preservation and empowerment of the Tibetan nomadic way of life; Development and Improvements in livelihood for local nomad communities; and the Creation and special focus on empowering and retaining nomadic youth in the grasslands.
In 2014-2016, MILAM PROJECTS worked with HOUSE OF NOMAD a Tibetan environmental and social enterprise based on the eastern Tibetan Plateau to deliver a participatory process and co-design a series of eco-tours and a strategic framework with Tibetan environmental activists to strengthen the network of people and communities working to conserve the ecology of the Tibetan Plateau.
Climate change, along with resource mining and development poses serious threats to the future health of the region along with the millions, if not billions of people that rely on water sources originating here. Building off local innovation and existing community projects and networks we mapped the activist’s nomadic practices and ways of living to understand better how to support them. Through this immersive design and research process, we were able to deliver a framework for resilient social and ecological development and share incredible adventures with truly inspiring people.
The project outcomes included a scoping document for the House of Nomad, articulation of project vision and goals; branding development; local research; the compilation of cultural resources; an arts/craft strategy; and a building proposal for a House of Nomad community center.
The co-design of two ‘nomad-led' eco-tours as a new model for responsible travel was implemented locally in collaboration with smaller environmental grassroots initiatives. This allowed guests to learn about important and major environmental protections for both water and wildlife (including wild yaks and the Tibetan antelope) and the precious nomadic way of life, via community initiatives, and other social entrepreneurial models and co-operatives driving these protections.
Award-winning Australian Photographer Simon O’Dwyer worked side by side to create the photographic exhibition ‘House of Nomad,’ a compilation of 108 Portraits of local nomads. Milam Projects curated and delivered its first solo show at Koskela Gallery in Sydney, Australia in 2016. A selection of the series is available through our shop.
In the current state of growing global challenges, we hope the Tibetan Nomad – as an environmental protector - can communicate and represent a peaceful and sustainable practice to the world, contributing greatly to the ever-burgeoning problems of climate change and environmental crisis.
Photography, Simon O’Dwyer & Tsemdo
Design & Graphics, Bombay Ink
Videowork, VIDEOLab & Hexagon Media
