Mountain Tribes of Geba

Shanyan, "perilous terrain" in Tibetan, is believed to be site of the largest primitive forest in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River. Located south of Baiyu County in Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, Shanyan is characterized by its harsh torrents, hazardous reefs and daunting mountain ridges. These topographic barriers have isolated the township and preserved the tribal traditions of the ethnic minorities that live here.

The tribes, called Geba in Tibetan, are patrilineal, which distinguishes them from many other of China's indigenous cultures. Their men are entitled to tribe membership by birthright, while women, called Najia or "things on the hand," are regarded as chattel. Najia are not members of the tribe and are therefore deprived of the right to inheritance and to free marriage.

The tribe has no particular head; all affairs are handled by the Geba conference. But it does have a nominal chief, who is not elected but acknowledged by his peers as having superior valor, vision and rhetoric. Recently, a road was built to link Shanyan with the outside world, but the area nevertheless remains isolated. To other parts of the world, life in Shanyan remains an enigma.