Tsering Dolma Gyaltong was a Tibetan spiritual leader living in exile in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada.Supriano, S, (2009-04-06) Tsering was active in being a Founding Member of the Tibetan Women's Association and re-establishing it again in 1984. She was active in her open criticism of China's treatment of Tibetans. Tsering was a member of the

International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers is an international alliance of indigenous female elders that focuses on issues such as the environment, internationalism, and human rights. The group met for the first time in October ...

- a group of spiritual elders, medicine women and wisdom keepers until her death in 2018.

Life

On the 17th of March 1959, the day that the

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...

began his escape from the Norbulingka Palace, The Tibetan Women's Association, of which Tsering was a Founding Member carried out a street demonstration with 500 of its members due to the Invasion of Tibet by the Chinese and the ongoing treatment of the Tibetans. Due to this, Tsering is said to have been 'instrumental' in creating the diversion to get the

out of

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

in 1959. Tsering's husband had a role in lobbying for support for Tibet from other governments. Because of this, Tsering and her family had to leave Chinese-occupied Tibet. Tsering followed the

into exile in India.Tibetan Women's Association, Dolma Publication, 2009, p.18 Tsering moved with her family to Canada in 1972 where she lived in Toronto. In 1984, Tsering came back to India to reinstate the central Tibetan Women's Association. Tsering took on many roles on the Executive Committee - spanning 10 years; Vice President from 1985–1988, Special Assistant from 1988–1991, Vice President from June–October in 1992 and President from 1993–1994.

Fourth World Women’s Conference

Tsering and two other Canadian Tibetan Refugees were joined by Tibetan delegates from Australia, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States in order to attend the

Fourth World Conference on Women The Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace was the name given for a conference convened by the United Nations during 4–15 September 1995 in Beijing, China. At this conference, governments from around the ...

which, in 1985, was held in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. Here, Tsering and her fellow delegates criticised China's treatment of Tibetans, especially women. Due to the heavy-handedness of Chinese security, and Tsering's outspokenness and the publicity actions of other members of the Tibetan Women's Delegation, the event was seen as a

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. P ...

disaster for China. Another success was that they were able to meet with hundreds of other international female delegates. They were able to network and get their message heard internationally.

The International Council of 13 Grandmothers

In 2004, Tsering was approached by

The Center for Sacred Studies ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

to serve on the

. The council has been active in protecting indigenous rights and medicines, and promoting indigenous wisdom traditions. In 2006, Tsering Dolma Gyaltong hosted a visit by the Grandmothers to

Dharamshala Dharamshala (; also spelled Dharamsala) is the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh, India. It serves as administrative headquarters of the Kangra district after being relocated from Kangra, a city located away from Dharamshala, in 1855. The ...

, where they presented a sacred condor feather to the

, held prayers for world peace, and "emphasised on protection of the diverse cultural heritage in the form of different languages, medicine and ceremonies."

Notes

References

Grandmothers' Council website about the Grandmothers
*Native Village Publications, *Sacred Studies

*Schaefer, C, (2006) Grandmothers Council the World: wise women elders offer their vision for our planet. Trumpeter Books 978-1-59030-293-4 *Supriano, S
Steppin’ Out of Babylon
(2009-04-06) Interview with Agnes Baker Pilgrim - Chairperson of the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers and the oldest living member of the Takilma Siletz nation of Southern Oregon *Tibetan Women's Association
Creation
*Tibetan Women's Association, (2006-10-13)

*Tibetan Women's Association

*Tibetan Women's Association
Dolma (Publication), English Version
2009 *Tibet Women's Delegation (1996

External links

International Council of 13 of Indigenous Grandmothers Official Website

Official website for documentary

For The Next Seven Generations Film Trailer

The Center for Sacred Studies

Statement of the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers

Official Tibetan Women's Association website

Tibetan Women's Delegation Report on UN 4th World Conference on Women 1995

Canada Tibet Committee website

Grandmother TSERING DOLMA GYALTONG
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gyaltong, Tsering Dolma Tibetan humanitarians Tibetan women activists Sustainability advocates 1930 births 2018 deaths Canadian people of Tibetan descent