Early-nineteenth-century Kham, situated between Tibet and China, was a decentralized frontier zone comprising more than three dozen autonomous polities, many consisting of only a few hundred tribesmen under a local chieftain.One such petty chieftain was Gnpo Namgyel who, during the period of 1836-61, unified the tribes of the Nyarong region of central Kham and expanded his power over the neighboring states to the point where he challenged the authority of both Lhasa and Peking.He is remembered today as something of a Robin Hood figure, a charismatic leader whose memory lives on in local mythology.That memory is contested in China today, where official discourse situates him as a revolutionary war hero leading the serfs' struggle against the exploiter class, while for many in Kham he remains a champion of Kham nationalism.Drawing primarily on a wide range of Chinese, Tibetan, and European sources, this monograph, a pioneering exploration of the life and times of Gnpo Namgyel, provides a superbly nuanced and original examination of the notoriously complex history of the Kham region.Indeed, as well as narrating the life-story of this charismatic figure, it serves as the best available account yet of the historical complexities of nineteenth-century Kham.Its roots in a Harvard doctoral dissertation are well hidden; the dissertation is not even cited in the bibliography and the work benefits from many years of subsequent research and reflection.After a valuable introduction to the political and cultural history of the region, the author demonstrates that while existing theories of rebellion in the Ching empire identify Han immigration, excessive taxation, famine, and religious issues as primary causation factors, in this case endogamous cultural factors were behind the rise of Gnpo Namgyel.He represented the strong local identity in Kham.While Buddhist, it was primarily a warrior culture, a land of shifting allegiances and alliances, where blood feuds, banditry, and constant violence were endemic, as the author illustrates in the introductory chapters.The narrative section commences with a discussion of Gnpo Namgyel in historical memory.Even as a child he demonstrated strength and cruelty but also generosity and powers of leadership.An early injury to one eye earned him his nickname "the blind man of Nyarong" and apparently inspired him to reject the then-common punishment of bodily mutilation.That may have been the only manifestation of his compassion, however, for he and his supporters slaughtered thousands in the course of his rule.He encouraged looting, even of monasteries that opposed him, and rewarded his followers for heads and other body parts they brought as proof of killing the enemy.Such expressions of the regional culture of violence stand in stark contrast to popular images of both Tibetans and their Buddhist faith.Gnpo Namgyel's early successes, detailed in chapter 5, were, the author concludes, largely motivated by a desire for revenge on his enemies.She describes how he followed the model of the Central Asian warrior leader, who shared the proceeds of his raids with a socially cohesive group of followers bound to him by marriage alliances, tax obligations, and oaths of loyalty.Gnpo Namgyel ensured his men were better trained and equipped than his opponents, and he was a highly skilled tactician, firstly
Alex McKay (Tue,) studied this question.