Himalayan Health Exchange offers two international anthropology field expeditions for summer, 2005. Both are to the remote Indian Himalayan Tibetan Borderland regions of Spiti and the Chang Thang Plateau. These comprehensive expeditions provide for a unique and productive learning experience, as well as fieldwork and research opportunities for students of various fields. Expeditions provide practical knowledge and understanding of India and the Himalayan cultures, especially Tibetans; social and medical factors, along with religious practices and beliefs, from the ancient Bon Po era to present-day Buddhism.
Subject Areas: Anthropology: Cultural, Physical, Medical, Asian Studies, Religion, Sociology, Yoga/Meditation
Expedition fee: Each all-inclusive trip is US $2,640 plus international airfare.
Note: These are high-altitude expeditions in rugged Trans Himalayan regions. Field camp elevations range between 8,000-15,000 feet, with higher pass crossings. As a participant, you must be in excellent physical shape and health and be willing to work in improvised field sites.
Spiti, June 12- July 3, 2005: Once a part of the Guge Empire of Tibet, Spiti lies in the Indian Himalayan region at the edge of Western Tibetan Plateau. Our anthropology expedition takes us on a fascinating journey through this beautiful and mysterious ancient Buddhist land, where travel was restricted until 1992, and where only a few adventurers have set foot. This field trip includes, among many other destinations, a visit to Kibber, the highest permanent human settlement in the world, Tabo an ancient 9th century monastic village, Dharamsala - home to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and Tibetans in Exile, and the Taj Mahal.
Chang Thang Plateau, June 30 -July 20, 2005: This anthropology field expedition takes us to India's highest, least populated, and most inaccessible area, Ladakh and the Chang Thang Plateau, located in the Western Himalayan Indo-Tibetan Borderlands. Our exciting journey through this remote part of the world provides an in-depth look at the local culture, Buddhist beliefs and social structure of Western Himalayan families and nomadic Tibetan tribes. Trip includes a visit to Taj Mahal.
Contact information: Himalayan Health Exchange: info@himalayanhealth.com; www.himalayanhealth.com; 404-929-9399. Crystal Blue Mascaro: crystalblue100@yahoo.com; 910-458-5645
Program Coordinators: Dr. James Fisher, Professor of Anthropology and Asian Studies, Carleton College, MN; Dr. G.D. Sharma, Professor of Yoga and Meditation, University of Himachal Pradesh, India; Dr. Karma Lekshe Tsomo, Professor of Religious Studies, University of San Diego, CA; Dr. Dennis Gaffin, Professor of Anthropology, Buffalo State College, NY; Crystal Blue Mascaro, MA Cultural Anthropology; Marzena Saternus, MA Medical Anthropology