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Stories from Cuochi Village
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| Stories from Cuochi Village |
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| Going Home |
Li Li
Small Grants Coordinator
Conservation International China Program |
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The travel to CuoChi village Eco-culture festival at the foot of Xia’erba Sacred Mountain was quite different from my other field trips. In order to understand nomadic life and community conservation implemented on the plateau, 26 guests from Sichuan, Qinghai, Yunnan, Beijing and United States were assigned to different herdsman households. We were supposed to stay with our host family for 5 days. In the evening of 16th July, after 10 hours truck travel, white tents finally appeared in the clouds. Before getting off the bus, I saw many hosts raising nameplates, holding Khatags and waiting for their guests. The one who was holding my name is a tough middle-aged Tibetan guy. He has a typical Khampa feature, sharp face, high nose bridge, black skin, long hair. When I stepped forward to introduce myself, he offered me the Khatag, then firmly held my hands and led me to his tent.
Our tent contained 7 people from 4 families. They all came from the third production group of Cuochi village, the most remote one. It was too far from Xia’erba, so women had to stay at the summer pasture to take care of their flocks and herds. Meanwhile, the men brought their kids to the festival, setting up a temporary family. The tough guy who picked me up is the head of this temporary family. His name is Zeduo. Brother Zeduo got up at 6 o’clock every morning to start the yak dung fire to make yak butter tea for us family members. Every night after the festival activities finished at around 11 o’clock, when I got back to my tent, Brother Zheduo had already made us warm delicious beef soup noodle. Brother Zeduo seldom talks and almost know nothing about Mandarin, however he quickly learnt how to say “Lili, eat more!”, “Lili, drink more” in a special Tibetan tone. Taken care by Brother Zheduo, I was eating and drinking and enjoying my herdsmen life.
It is well known among people who have been to Cuochi village the “Friend of Wild Yaks Association” is the key force of conservation in this village. The association began to patrol and monitor wild animals since 2005. They tried to prevent poaching and protect natural resource of the village. According to the elders in Cuochi, in the past, the youngsters only cared for “the useless machines (motorcycle), and wandering around”. But recently they became interested in joining the Friend of Wild Yaks Association to protect their sacred mountain, grassland and wild animals. Among 7 people in my home tent, there were 2 Friend of Wild Yaks Association members. Brother Zeduo was one of them. In September 2006, the spontaneous conservation activities of Cuochi village won a formal recognition from the Three River Source Nature Reserve Management Bureau. The head of the “Friend of Wild Yaks” went to Xining to sign a Cuochi Conservation Agreement with the nature reserve management bureau, Snowland Great Rivers Environmental Protection Association, and Conservation International. At that time, Cuochi village was authorized with the official conservation management right. With this management right, the association members, even shy as Brother Zeduo, could use the conservation agreement to stop the illegal activities happening in the community-conserved area.
During this festival, the Three River Source Nature Reserve Management Bureau had prepared those Cuochi “Watchers” with patrolling uniforms and equipped them with binoculars. There was a small silver medal on the uniforms, reading “Cuochi Conservation Steward Program”, which Brother Zeduo liked very much. He put it on whatever clothes he wore. Wearing this association-member-owned medal, Brother Zheduo felt very proud whenever he was singing, dancing, riding a horse or even when cooking meals.
Time flies and the festival drew to an end. It was time for leaving. At the departing eve, Brother Zeduo gathered all his Mandarin words and talked with me for a long time. He asked me many questions, such as how far was Chengdu; had I been to Lhasa; would I come back to Cuochi again next year? Our leaving time was half past five in the morning. But when I got up, I found Brother Zeduo was already there waiting for me. He remained in silence, but helped me with my luggage. The day gradually shined, cloud lowly flowed and Sacred Mountain silently stood beyond tent city. Everything seemed pure and beautiful. Before boarding, Brother Zeduo offered me another Khatag as the day I arrived. He hung on to my hands and used his Tibetan tone to ask me “Lili, come home next year!”
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