The Tibetan Resettlement Project New Mexico

The Immigration Act of 1990 granted visas for 1,000 Tibetans to resettle in the United States; 900 visas were available to Tibetans living in India, 100 visas were allotted for Tibetans living in Nepal. In the following year, 1991, the Tibetan Resettlement Project New Mexico (TRPNM) was established to aid the Tibetan—U.S Resettlement Project, a coalition of Tibetans living in exile and their supporters. The goal of both groups was to create a model of successful immigration, establishing sites where Tibetan immigrants would have the type of economic and cultural support that would enable them to flourish. Twenty-one cluster sites were established, each with a strong support network of volunteers, cultural resources and employment possibilities. New Mexico’s cluster site is unique because it is composed of two cities, Santa Fe and Albuquerque. So many Tibetans applied for resettlement that a lottery system was used to select those who would come to the U.S. Applications were divided into two groups, educated and uneducated, and a national drawing was held.

At first, approximately fifty individual Tibetans resettled in New Mexico through TRPNM. Housing, employment and other community contacts were set up in advance for the immigrants. Tibetans coming to New Mexico were greeted by their host families, sponsoring employers and volunteers at the airport. Most Tibetan immigrants brought very little with them, but each carried a statue of the Buddha which the Dalai Lama had given them to remind them of their religion and culture. Host families typically housed Tibetans for about three months during which time they assisted the immigrants in adjusting to life in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. As people worked and established their new lives, some Tibetans changed jobs and moved into group apartments. By 1993 all 1,000 Tibetans had been resettled in twenty-one sites across the United States.

Initially, the focus of TRPNM was to locate housing and employment for the Tibetans. However, once the immigrants established their lives in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, the focus shifted to the reunification of families, many of which had been left behind in India. Tibetan families began arriving in New Mexico in the fall of 1996. More families continue to arrive and this has caused the TRPNM to concentrate on cultural preservation. In the TRPNM’s newsletter, Sherab Donme: the Lamp of Wisdom, establishing a Tibetan Sunday School as well as a Tibetan library is discussed. In Santa Fe, a Tibetan Cultural Committee has been formed to raise funds to rent a facility for Tibetan Cultural programs. Meanwhile, Tibetan children continue to be enrolled in Santa Fe and Albuquerque public schools and integrated into New Mexico’s daily life.

Questions for Discussion/Classroom Activities.

1. Are there any Tibetan students in your class? If so, have them bring cultural objects from home to discuss with the rest of the students. Invite family members in to talk about Tibetan culture, prepare foods or wear traditional dress. Have other students share from their ethnic heritage as well. Compare recipes, religious traditions and clothing. Look for similarities and celebrate differences.

2. Instruct students to imagine they are leaving their home country and traveling to another as a permanent home. Have students respond to the following questions: What personal items would you choose to bring? Why? What do you think would be the advantages of moving your home from one country to another? What would be the hardships? How would you hold on to your traditions? How would you want to share them with others?

3. Consult the TRPNM office for members of TRPNM who would be willing to visit your classroom. Ask them to share with you a tradition that is important to them; e.g., a story, song, visual image, daily practice or meditation. Look for similarities/differences between Tibetan traditions and those found in New Mexico.