Gegan’s Story: Becoming a Tibetan Teacher

Abstract

The story in this chapter narrates Gegan’s happiness at fulfilling his dream of becoming a Tibetan teacher through studying at a minority college, which happened from 1950, the period when the Tibetan language was treasured in China from 1949 to 1957 (see Sect. 2.5.1). It also narrates how a political campaign deeply affected his life as a Tibetan teacher in the minority college, which happened from 1968 to 1976, the period when the Tibetan language disappeared from the school curriculum. Offering a detailed picture of how one individual’s experience of learning and teaching Tibetan was closely affected by the geopolitical changes taking place in society, this chapter reveals “how vital it is to understand life stories in their historical and cultural settings if we are to investigate and understand individual and personal meaning-making” (Goodson IF, Developing narrative theory: life histories and personal representation. Routledge, London, 2013, p 32).

On the road I relish the speed of a horse’s hoof.

In the desert I admire the heavy load a camel carries.

On the snow mountain that frightens the eagle,

I see the yak with its tongue stuck out jumping like a fierce tiger from the ravine!

Beneath the feet of those who struggle, there will always be a path!

Please do not think too highly of the one who dives into water –

The necklaces of my ancestors are the corals deep in that sea!

Tibetan poet Yidan Cairang (Cited in Dhondup 2008, p. 46)