CHAMTSEE

Chamtsee means compassion in Tibetan. It is a very small workshop at present, but we have big dreams for the future and are taking it step by step. We wish to employ Tibetan nomads, to help with the changing nomadic way of life, and to keep our cultural values alive for humanity.

Tibetan nomads have lived an all handmade lifestyle up until very recently. They make their yak tents, their dress, fuel, saddles for horses and yaks, carpeting and houses with stone or rammed earth walls.

With our appreciation of handmade, I was encouraged to start a venture, an enterprise, in Gannan Tibetan autonomous prefecture in Gansu province in China, for the preservation of Tibetan art and craftsmanship.

It is clear that there is a need for employment in the nomad community, so with the help of my close family and relatives we are creating something special and meaningful. Chamtsee employs local people, we are training them in traditional skills like natural dyeing, spinning and weaving and thus utilising local materials like wool, tseepa and khullu becomes easy; we live in the middle of tens of thousands of yaks and sheep.