Gyalrong people


Gyalrong people, also called rGyalrong, Jiarong, or Gyarong, are ethnically native to parts of the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture and the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan, China. They speak a variety of languages. Gyalrong is an exo-ethnonym and loanword from Tibetan, namely rGyal-mo tsha-wa rong. Gyalrongs refer to themselves as Keru.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Gyalrong were ruled by local chieftains. In 1746, Slob Dpon, the chieftain of Greater Jinchuan, was trying to unite tribes in Sichuan, forcing the Qing dynasty to launch campaigns to suppress them. The People's Republic of China subsequently lumped them together with Tibetans. Due to the intermixing of ethnicities, it is difficult to accurately count the Gyalrong people, but they probably number in the hundreds of thousands.
The dominant religion of Gyalrong was once Bon, but in the early 15th century the region received missionaries from central Tibet teaching the doctrine of the Gelug order of Tibetan Buddhism. Despite strenuous opposition from Bon priests, the Gelugpa succeeded in building many large monasteries in Gyalrong such as the Dhe-Tsang Monastery.

Etymology

The name Gyalmo Rong can be translated as "valley of the queen", which hints at the region having been ruled by women.

Language

Gyalrong people speak a variety of languages, including Qiangic Gyalrongic languages, Amdo Tibetan, Khams Tibetan, and Sichuan Chinese.

Gyalrong region

The wider Gyalrong region encompasses neighboring places inhabited by Amdo and Kham Tibetans, Han Chinese, and the Qiang people. It contains a 120-mile long river basin at its core as well as steep, forested mountains and river valleys. Mount Murdo is a prominent destination for Bön and Buddhist pilgrims. Small and large rivers flow through the region from north to south and are known by many names. Historical Gyalrong kingdoms and current administrative divisions overlap with parts of Kham and Amdo.
The 18 Gyalrong kingdoms/chiefdoms in this area were:
  • Kingdom of Chakla
  • Chiefdom of Rapten/Chuchen aka Greater Jinchuan
  • Chiefdom of Tsanlha aka Lesser Jinchuan
  • Chiefdom of Trokyap
  • Chiefdom of Guthang
  • Chiefdom of Gomai Damkala
  • Chiefdom of Gotod
  • Chiefdom of Trateng
  • Chiefdom of Bawam
  • Chiefdom of Geshitsa
  • Chiefdom of Gyalkha
  • Chiefdom of Ogshi
  • Chiefdom of Lunggu in what is today Wenchuan County
  • Chiefdom of Muchi
  • Chiefdom of Somang
  • Chiefdom of Jotse
  • Chiefdom of Dzonggag
  • Chiefdom of Tsenpa
Current administrative divisions that fall within eastern and southeastern parts of Ganzi Prefecture include Dartsendo, Tau, Nyakchukha, and Rongdrak, Chakzam and Gyezur counties. Places in southern and eastern parts of Ngawa Prefecture include Rapten/Chuchen, Tsenlha, and Barkham counties, as well as parts of Lunggu/Tritsang, Trashiling, and Trochu counties. Chakzam has become heavily sinified, and Gyezur is now viewed more as a part of Kham.

Notable Gyalrongwas