Tenam
I still remember my first visit to the Guimet Museum, a moment of profound importance for me as a Tibetan in exile. Upon entering the museum, I felt a deep connection with the sacred objects on display, artifacts that represented my culture and heritage – our civilization. I saw thangkas commissioned by the Great Fifth Dalai Lama. I saw statues carved by Nepalese artists for Tibetan monasteries in the 17th and 18th centuries. I wanted to remove my shoes in this sacred space before continuing my visit.
For me, the Guimet Museum represented a sacred space for Tibetans living in exile – a place where we could connect to our culture in the face of a relentless 70-year campaign aimed at destroying it in Tibet by the Chinese government. The museum offered a sanctuary where Tibetan identity could be preserved and celebrated, free from the repressive narratives imposed by the PRC.
So recently, when the Guimet Museum in Paris made the decision to replace the term “Tibet” with “Himalayan World” and to designate “Art of Tibet” with the vague terminology “Tibetan Art,” it was a shock for Tibetans in France and worldwide. This change is not only scientifically and historically inaccurate, but it also risks supporting the Chinese colonial narrative about Tibet. As a museum with the largest collection of Asian arts outside Asia, its actions carry significant weight, leading to the erasure of Tibetan culture and identity for future generations.
Historical Context and Cultural Importance
Tibet is not simply a place on a map; it is a civilization that flourished for centuries, rich with a unique heritage that predates the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Tibetan arts, traditions, and religious practices have flourished for centuries, rooted in a unique cultural context that deserves to be recognized and preserved. By diluting this identity and opting for “Himalayan World,” the Guimet Museum obscures the rich tapestry of Tibetan history and contributes to a Chinese narrative that has long sought to erase it.
The act of renaming places is not a trivial matter; it is deeply tied to power dynamics and colonial histories. European colonialism sought to inscribe order and meaning on non-European landscapes through the process of naming places. Naming or renaming was fundamental to extending imperial control over physical and human environments. The use of the colonial power’s language, alphabet, and cultural idiom was important to express and cement the imperial authority of the former colonial power, and China perpetuates this in its colonies like Tibet and East Turkestan.
The act of renaming is an assertion of authority, stripping away the indigenous connection to land and culture. This is particularly relevant in the context of Tibet, where such renaming efforts are part of a broader strategy to erase Tibetan identity and history. This erasure of Tibet is also an erasure and dilution of our world’s rich heritage that goes beyond Tibet.
Moreover, the term “Tibet” also evokes powerful associations with the “Free Tibet” movement, which has galvanized international attention on the Tibetan struggle for freedom. The recognition of Tibet as a distinct entity serves as a reminder of the ongoing colonial domination, human rights violations, and cultural destruction perpetrated by the PRC. In attempting to erase the term “Tibet,” the Chinese government seeks to suppress this narrative, diverting attention from the broader Tibetan experience beyond what it designates as the “Tibet Autonomous Region,” which encompasses only central Tibet but not the two other traditional provinces of Amdo and Kham.
This invisibilization of Tibet in an important cultural institution like the Guimet Museum is deeply alarming. As future generations engage with these arts, they risk absorbing a distorted understanding of Tibetan culture – one that does not recognize its uniqueness and historical significance. This affects not only Tibetans but also deprives global audiences of a more complete appreciation of the diverse cultures that make up our world.
By adopting terminology that diminishes Tibet’s identity, the Guimet Museum perpetuates the erasure of Tibetan culture, facilitating an environment in which colonial narratives thrive. This decision could influence other institutions and researchers, leading to a broader normalization of a distorted view of Tibetan identity that ignores its complexities and historical roots.
I believe that the ability to name one’s own culture and heritage is integral to self-determination. The Tibetan people have the right to define their identity, history, and culture, free from external manipulation or erasure. The Guimet Museum’s decision to strip Tibet of its name is not simply an institutional choice; it is a denial of this fundamental right.
To defend this incomprehensible change, the Guimet Museum justifies its decision by claiming to want to make the collections “more readable and understandable to non-specialists.” However, simplifying our history does not do justice to its richness. Public education and awareness must come through authentic presentation, respecting the complexity of our cultures rather than diluting them. The beauty of human history and Humanity lies in its complexity and diversity. The museum must present History as it is and not rewrite it!
In light of these concerns, it is imperative for the Tibetan world, the field of Tibetan studies, and anti-colonial movements to unite and pressure the Guimet Museum to restore “Tibet” to its rightful place in its exhibitions and communications. We must advocate for the recognition of Tibet as a distinct cultural and historical entity, ensuring that future generations do not inherit a diluted understanding of its rich heritage.
This is not simply a matter of terminology; it is a matter of justice for a culture that has endured more than seven decades of oppression. The Guimet Museum has the opportunity to stand against colonial narratives and affirm its commitment to authentic representation. By restoring “Tibet” in its exhibitions, it can honor the resilience of the Tibetan people and safeguard their identity for generations to come.
The decision to replace “Tibet” with “Himalayan World” is a dangerous and insidious move that perpetuates historical injustices. It is our collective responsibility to challenge this narrative and ensure that the voices of the Tibetan people are heard, recognized, and celebrated. Together, we can help preserve Tibet’s rich heritage and stand in solidarity against cultural erasure.
The struggle to restore the name “Tibet” goes beyond a simple matter of terminology. It is a question of justice, honor, and respect for a people, their history, civilization, and right to self-determination. As a global community, we have the responsibility to oppose cultural erasure and celebrate the richness of diversity that enriches our humanity.
Sign this petition launched by Students for a Free Tibet here: https://www.change.org/p/pr%C3%A9servons-l-identit%C3%A9-culturelle-tib%C3%A9taine-dans-nos-mus%C3%A9es
(Views expressed are his own)
The author is a former editor of Tibetan Bulletin and a board member of SFT France and International Tibet Network. He live in Paris, France.
Note- The article was earlier published in a French online media.
One Response
The Chinese communists tactic to smother Tibet by deleting Tibet from the face of the earth and out of the conscience of the world is the most sinister conspiracy to date. Tibet was never part of China and all the claims made by successive Chinese regimes are all falsified, fabricated and distorted to suit their evil design on Tibet. At no time in history, Tibet was ruled by the Mongols or Manchus or the Chinese. The priest patron relationship was purely a religious friendship between the Mongol and Manchu rulers of China and had no political overtones. There was no subordination of each other and both respected their own station as the Lama and his disciple. However, the Chinese hood winked the international community with their pompous claims through deceit and lies! To cite an example, according to the book, LOST IN TIBET: “until 1936, the Chinese (Republican China)in Lhasa had mantained a monopoly on wireless links with the outside world, and when they offered the use of their radio to the Tibetans, rashly and foolishly, (The Tibetans) agreed, unaware that they were handing China a powerful weapon that would soon be turned against them. The Chinese used their monopoly to issue a stream of misinformation on what was happening in Tibet; so when the 14th Dalai Lama was installed, for example, they let it be known he had been enthroned only with Chinese blessings, and they claimed they had been responsible for appointing the Dalai Lama’s regent! When Chinese press picked up these and other erroneous reports, transmitting them to the rest of the world, the lies and distortion became – for most people – accepted truths”!!! Lost in Tibet is written by Miriam Murcutt and Richard Starks. This is how China was able to convince the leaders of India, America,UK and the rest of the world to believe in the disinformation spread by the Chinese Republicans and later the communists, who invaded and illegally occupied Tibet. Today, the communists have decided to completely ERASE THE VERY NAME OF TIBET in order to make sure that their ill gotten trophy is forgotten by the rest of the world once and for all!!! How we Tibetans failed to tell our story cost us our country in this way: “On 12th October 1943, Taktra Rinpoche, the Tibetan regent had sent a message on behalf of the Dalai Lama, which was intended to offer courteous, but neutral, congratulations to Chiangkai Shek, who had just been appointed President of the National Government of the Republic of China. Now, it seemed, the message had been radically altered – even rewritten – to make it sound as if the Dalai Lama acknowledged Tibet to be part of the Chinese Republic. And that- most certainly – was NOT what the Dalai Lama had intended to say”! This how the successive Chinese Governments have lied through their teeth to claim Tibet and give the pretence of Tibetan cognisance. We must not repeat history and this time, we should be the wiser after we have lost our country to Chinese intrigues and deception that pooled the wool over the eyes of the world and landed us in the present unenviable predicament. Deleting the historical name of our country Tibet has huge ramifications for our IDENTITY, our DIGNITY and our VERY EXISTENCE AS A PEOPLE DISTINCT FROM THE CHINESE. IF WE LOSE OUR IDENTITY AS TIBETANS, IT IS AKIN TO A PERSON WHO HAS NO IDENTIFICATION! NOBODY WILL BE ABLE TO KNOW WHO WE ARE AS A PEOPLE AND TO WHICH COUNTRY WE BELONG, IF WE LOSE OUR COUNTRY’S NAME! WE WILL BE NOTHING BUT A BLANK OBJECT!!! WE WILL BE A PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO NAME OR ANY CHARACTERISTIC TO BE IDENTIFIED AS A PERSON. This is utterly unacceptable and every Tibetan must fight for our tag that identifies us through out the world as TIBETANS!!! We should show our clear displeasure and offence who ever uses the Chinese nick name for our country. Now, there is no going back on this. If need be, we must use aggression in order to make our feelings clear to the evil CCP, museums, libraries, academics, countries and individuals. We must let them know that their support for the CCP’s erasure of our country’s name is supporting cultural genocide, ethnocide and extermination of a people with their linguistic, cultural and religious identity that is utterly different from China. Besides, it is also supporting the dismemberment of our country by excluding whole of Amdo and Kham from Tibet! It is infringing upon the unity and existence of the Tibetan people! Every Tibetan has the responsibility to fight for our right to retain our historical name which is being erased by the killer regime in order to legitimise its illegal occupation of Tibet by ERADICATING THE TIBETAN PEOPLE, OUR UNIQUE IDENTITY INCLUDING OUR COUNTRY’S HISTORICAL NAME!!!