Gillian G. Tan

In the Circle of White Stones

Gillian G. Tan

This narrative of subsistence on the Tibetan plateau describes the life-worlds of people in a region traditionally known as Kham who move with their yaks from pasture to pasture, depending on the milk production of their herd for sustenance. Gillian Tan�s story, based on her own experience of living through seasonal cycles with the people of Dora Karmo between 2006 and 2013, examines the community�s powerful relationship with a Buddhist lama and their interactions with external agents of change. In showing how they perceive their environment and dwell in their world, Tan conveys a spare beauty that honors the stillness and rhythms of nomadic life.