Norlha: The Beginnings of an Extraordinary Enterprise

Aknowledgements......Page 7
Introduction......Page 11
Preface......Page 13
Part I - Before Norlha......Page 17
Where I Come From......Page 19
Our First Project: Monks and Dolls......Page 21
Our Second Project: Artisans and Craftsmen......Page 29
Our Family......Page 33
Part II - Building the Base......Page 35
Laying the Foundation......Page 37
Exploring the Luxury Market......Page 41
Dechen and Genam in Amdo......Page 42
My First Visit......Page 50
Setting Things Up......Page 55
Training: Nomads in Siem Reap......Page 57
Training: Nepal Interlude......Page 60
Norlha's Place in the Larger System......Page 61
Building Norlha......Page 63
Norlha's Role in the Context of Altruism......Page 72
Our Partners......Page 75
Part III - Around Norlha; Place, Locality, Background......Page 77
Ritoma......Page 78
Tso......Page 83
Labrang......Page 85
Culture......Page 93
The Monastic Community......Page 95
The Lay Community......Page 98
The Horse......Page 101
Laptse......Page 105
Nomadic Life: The Ecosystem......Page 109
Nomadic Life: in the Context of Change......Page 114
Part IV - Making......Page 119
The Challenges of Sustainability......Page 121
The Yak......Page 125
The Raw Material......Page 129
Spinning and Weaving: In Tibet, Ritoma......Page 135
Felting......Page 141
Part V - Creating......Page 147
The First Creations, the First Experiences......Page 148
Developing the Products, Design......Page 155
The Norlha Brand Statement......Page 169
A Tibetan Brand......Page 181
Colors and Textures from the Environment......Page 189
The Media, Awards, and Recognition......Page 216
Part VI - People......Page 221
Norlha in Context......Page 223
The Norlha Team......Page 225
Norlha Families: Dunko and Drukmo Kyi......Page 231
Norlha Families: Tenzen Gyamtso and Acha Pagde......Page 237
Norlha Families: Jigshe Tso......Page 241
Norlha Families: Dugya Bum and Lhamo Tso......Page 243
Norlha Families: Serwo Kyap and Lumotso......Page 247
The Norlha Family: The Annual Picnic......Page 249
Ritoma, Eleven Years Later......Page 253
Part VII - The Future......Page 259
The Snowball Effect, Replication......Page 260
Conclusion......Page 261