Tibet is comprised of 41 different ethnic races of people. Some of the groups are Tibetan, Menpa, Luopa, Han Chinese, Hui, Sherpa, Deng and a small amount of Nepali, Lama and Tamang people. Each group has its own distinct language and different variations of culture and life style. Most of the people in Tibet live in the southern and western parts of the country. The current population of Tibet is 2,626,300 of which 2,427,200 are Tibetan, making up 92.2% of the population. China has a strict family planning policy, this policy though practiced by the Han Chinese, is not widely practiced by the Tibetans mainly as it does not go hand in hand with Buddhist theology, this account for Tibet’s high population.
As a people, Tibetans are very forthright and hardy. They comprise mainly of farmers living in small rural villages. The harsh conditions of Tibet’s climate make them sturdy and hardy people able to tolerate extreme weather conditions and a poor diet. An other major group in Tibet is the nomads. These people make a living by herding yaks and sheep. They spend a vast majority of the year living in the high pastures tending their animals. The nomads live in tents and rely heavily on yaks, they use yak’s wool for their tents and clothing, make butter and tea from the milk and eat and sell the meat. Tibetans that live in the cities are generally traders, business men and industry workers. The Tibetans are musical people who like to sing and dance, a lot of their history and culture is recorded in song and dance. They are also renowned for their skills in painting, carving and handy craft. There are five main province covering the Tibetan population, U-Tsang, Kham, Chamdo and Amdo. In each province a different dialect of Tibetan is spoken.
Menpa- The Menpa’s mainly inhabit the south part of Tibet and earn their living through farming, hunting and handy crafts. A unique feature of the Menpa’s is that every adult male carries a broadsword around his waist as a symbol of his man hood. Menpa men and women are known to be fond of snuff and alcohol.
Luopa- Inhabiting the south eastern region of Tibet, the Luopa people are primarily farmers. They are famous for their skills in handi craft especially their hand platted bamboo products which are exquisite. Like the Menpa’s, the Luopa people only have an oral language, not a written one. They have their own relgion, though a few of them are Buddhist
Sherpa-Living in Nyalam, Shigatse and Dingkye, they are Buddhist people. In Tibetan, Sherpa means oriental. These people are chiefly border traders and farmers.
Deng- the deng have a relatively small population in Tibet. Living in the south east they believe only in ghosts and not gods. Again they have there own language, but its is oral only and not written. They record events by making knots in ropes or putting marks on pieces of wood.
Han Chinese- the Hans are the second largest population in Tibet. Mostly they originate from main land china and where sent into the region as technicians during the revolution. There life style conflicts with that of the Tibetan peoples.
