“The Tibetan Nomad is an environmental protector,” Tibetan Nomad & Activist
‘House of Nomad’ pronounced in Tibetan as ‘Drokpa-tsang’ and in Chinese as ‘Zhuo ba cang,’ is a central enterprise for knowledge-exchange, custom, culture, technology, services and innovation for a sustainable future. It sits at the heart of a movement to preserve Tibetan nomadic culture and protect the beautiful and unique environment of the Tibetan plateau throughout the regions of Western and greater China. The House of Nomad’s mission is to re-create and generate new pathways for the transmission of culture and knowledge, that can assist nomads to positively adapt to current situations and changes in ways of life. The House of Nomad initiative stands as a multi-faceted program with parallel aims to -
Protect the Tibetan environment and preserve its fragile ecosystems.
Empower and sustain the unique Tibetan nomadic way of life.
Improve livelihoods for local nomadic communities across the entire Tibetan Plateau.
Engage and retain nomadic youth through targeted programs that honours cultural identity and fosters future leadership.
The House of Nomad venture was created for the passing of Tibetan culture from generation to generation, yet equally provides opportunities to improve livelihoods by evolving and ‘custom building modernization’ the Tibetan Nomadic Way - Innovative, Traditional, Community driven and In-Balance with Nature.
House of Nomad - ‘Drokpa-tsang’ is a place where solutions are co-developed with their project partners in community, business, government, national and international experts. These solutions will be capable of delivery throughout the Tibetan plateau, to create a reality that embraces Tibetan culture and land management practices and which possess a core philosophy in ecological sustainability - which people everywhere can adopt.
Moreover, House of Nomad aims to represent the live and precious lineages of nomadic and indigenous people and cultures from across the globe, for both locals and outsiders to authentically experience and increasingly understand and value.
Tsotri ཆོ་ཏྲི། Tibetan Plateau, P.R.C
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
