The Eurasia Review last week analyzed the effects that increasing tourism and military deployments in northern India are having on the traditional Ladakhi way of life. Widening economic gaps between rural Ladakhis and urbanites in Leh, the regional capital, are one of the problems the article identifies. Traditional agriculture, as… Continue reading…
According to some entries posted last week on a blog by the skipper of the yacht “Jennifer,” which has been sailing through the Outer Islands of Yap State in Micronesia, the culture of Ifaluk Island appears to be resisting changes and modernization. But Lars Hässler, the captain of the yacht… Continue reading…
Tashi Dolma, describing the importance of Ladakhi beliefs in a news story last week, writes that the strength of locals to tolerate the geographical and climatic extremities of their land often leaves visitors flabbergasted. Carried by the South Asian news service ANI, Dolma’s report praises the “age old beliefs of… Continue reading…
Looters broke into the world famous Egyptian Museum on Saturday and ripped the heads off two mummies, but soldiers prevented them from getting to the gold mask of King Tutankhamen or the other priceless treasures of Egypt’s incredible history. The soldiers then secured one of the most important museum collections… Continue reading…
While a tourist facility in the sacred Dzongu reserve of North Sikkim has just gotten a blessing from a foreign royal party, it is not clear how increased tourism will affect the lives of the local Lepcha villagers. A news story last week indicated that Crown Prince Haakon of Norway,… Continue reading…
While a tourist facility in the sacred Dzongu reserve of North Sikkim has just gotten a blessing from a foreign royal party, it is not clear how increased tourism will affect the lives of the local Lepcha villagers. A news story last week indicated that Crown Prince Haakon of Norway,… Continue reading…
The war of words about the persecution of the San societies in Botswana grew ever hotter last week, though calls for compromise may yet prompt a peaceful resolution of the matter—in line with the heritage, at least, of the G/wi people. A hopeful reading of the news suggests the possibility… Continue reading…
The Chief Minister of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, traveled to Leh on Saturday to open the annual Sindhu Darshan festival, which celebrates the peaceful, multi-cultural identity of Ladakh and modern India. The three-day annual festival, held at the time of the full moon in June,… Continue reading…
A Chewong community in Malaysia has a new building designed to display village crafts for tourists, according to a news story last week. Kampung Kuala Gandah, near Temerloh, has used a poorly made building as a store for many years, but the new facility, costing RM200,000 (US$62,000) will significantly boost… Continue reading…
Alex Gillespie analyzes the relationships between tourists in Ladakh and the Ladakhi people on the basis of trust. Tourists visit Ladakh to hike in the mountains, visit remote villages, see Buddhist monasteries, and engage with what they hope will be traditional Ladakhi people. They often are more concerned with the… Continue reading…
