The Treasure of the Ancestral Clans of Tibet Translation of Bod mibu gdong drug fir us mdzod me tog skied zhes bya ba bzhugs so somposed jointly by Gyilung Tashi Gyatso and Gyilung Thugchok Dorji Tibetan scholars in Tibet and published by the Religious Affairs Committee of Qinghai Prefecture. Based on various old Tibetan records folksongs biographies oral stories etc. this book discusses the origin of Tibetan People supporting the traditional Tibetan theory that Tibetans originated form a monkey father an emanation of Avalikiteshvara and a mother rock dwelling ogress. It tells us how the ancestral Tibetan clans or tribes got their names and how they branched out and spread through out Tibet with a special focus on Kham and its environs. It gives examples of many eminent personalities such as king’s high lamas siddhis chieftains etc. born to various clans. The authors skillfully draw a connection between Chinese astrology and identification of a person’s clan depending on the movement of his or her lips manner of breathing and body gesture while talking.

This rus mdzod or genealogical account of Tibetan people is one of the most important sources of reference of study and research on the Tibetan race and ancient Tibetan tribes. This book contains both the English translation as well as the Tibetan text for the benefit of the readers.