Tibet - A Photographic Journey by Robert A. Hefner III

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The Tiger in Chinese Culture and Rock Art

Tibet - A Photographic Journey

Lake Namtso at the Roof of the World

Photographs by Robert A. Hefner III

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Tibet Lake Namtso Sacred Pilgrimage Rock Art Caves Cave Paintings Petroglyphs Archaeology Culture

“In my experience ‘creativity’ is the key to humankind’s success. I believe that one of our endeavours should be to try and capture the creativity of our ancestors for the enlightenment of our children. I would like to think that the Bradshaw Foundation is achieving this in part, and thus helping to preserve and protect the rich heritage of humankind that surrounds us.” - Robert A. Hefner III - Bradshaw Foundation President

Robert Hefner III has been exploring physical and metaphysical terrains all his life. As a founding member of the Bradshaw Foundation - and its President - over the years Hefner has also helped draw the world's attention to 'cultural' terrains, including some of its earliest manifestations. His fascination with rock art has driven his encouragement and support for the discovery, documentation and preservation of this cultural heritage. This is an account of his rock art expedition to Tibet in 1990.

In 1986, Robert A. Hefner III, Bradshaw Foundation President travelled to Tibet, spending several weeks exploring this region, culminating in a journey to Lake Namtso, a sacred place of pilgrimage, where he carried out a preliminary survey of the rock art located in several caves around the lake.

The cave paintings and rock petroglyphs shown here were recorded in an article written by Mr. Hefner for South Asian Studies 6 in 1990. The article has been translated into Chinese, and now joins part of the extensive documentation of the rock art of China. For decades, representation of the rock art in China has been sadly lacking for the English-speaking world, and the Bradshaw Foundation's China Rock Art Archive endeavours to bring the varied and numerous forms of prehistoric rock art to the forefront.

Tibet Gallery

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→ A Note on the Rock Art of Lake Namtso, Tibet
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