Jamyang Tsomo: The Daily Life of a Tibetan Woman

Jamyang Tsomo is a Tibetan woman living with her family in a small community in the remote mountains of the Garze Autonomous Region. Now in her late 30s, unwed but with a three-year-old son, she is the primary caretaker of a household that also includes her elderly mother and three brothers who often come and go. Their presence and ability to contribute to the work depend on their migrant work, studies, or monastic obligations.

This project is an ongoing story of a woman who exemplifies dedication and bravery. Yet, it’s also about poverty and an alternate narrative to the common mythologized visions of Tibet. Jamyang Tsomo, like other Tibetans, lives in one of the most physically challenging environments and politically unstable regions of the world. Like millions of others, she faces daily difficulties in work, life, family, culture, environment, and politics.

Eleanor Moseman

Eleanor Moseman is a photographer, adventuress, and storyteller focusing on social and cultural narratives involving women and persecuted groups of people around Asia. More specifically, she visually conserves the politically sensitive regions of Tibet and Xinjiang, drawing international awareness to the humanitarian issues of persecuted Buddhists in Tibet and the Muslim Uighurs (or Uigur community) of Xinjiang.

With a BFA in Photography and Film from Virginia Commonwealth University, Eleanor now uses her photography and storytelling skills to contribute to the research of anthropologists, historians, conservationists, and activists. She speaks fluent Mandarin and is beginning her third year of Tibetan language studies at Indiana University. Eleanor is deeply committed to women’s issues that range from persecuted Buddhist and Muslim women to female competitors in the World Nomad Games in Kyrgyzstan.

In addition to her documentary-style work, Eleanor is also a noted architectural and interior photographer with assignments that have taken her throughout Asia and the United States. She also owns and manages a photography studio and gallery, “The Lone Huntress Photography Studio” in Dayton, Ohio where she creates portraits and displays her work from around the world.

With Tibet being blocked off from the world since she left three years ago, Eleanor plans to return as soon as possible to continue her long-term work, begin new projects, and share how this delicate region has changed over the last few years. As one of the few photographers working continually in the region for over a decade, she feels a responsibility to document and share what has transpired politically, physically, and culturally since Covid changed the world.