PEMA KOE ( PEMA KOD )

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1. INTRODUCTION
Pemako literary means "Lotus array" in Tibetan language It is a region located in the southeast cornor of Tibet. Historically a hunting ground for Abors the region became famous specially during the visit of Guru Rinpoche in 8th century.Pemako is consider as the most sadred place in Tibet, blessed with holy virtues.Many popular Lamas visited the place in search of termas which were made hidden during crisis in Tibet,the most renowned lama who was born in Pemako is H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche (1904).

2. GEROGRAPHY
Pemakoe (Pemakoe,Pemakod or Pema ko) is located in the altitude ranging from 2000 to 3500 Meter above sea level,it covers 30,000 Sq Km of area stretching from south of Kongpo and Powo(Kham)through lower Tsangpo into Arunachal Pradesh (Tuting region), surrounded by high mountains (tallest is Mt.Namcha Barwa 7,782m)with lush vegetation,one can find many species of wild animals in this part of Tibetan Plateau.The region unlike other parts of Tibet receives plenty of rain hence,it is so diverse in nature that you can find subalpine conifer forests in the north to the temperate coniferous forest in the south in low lying area of River Tsangpo gorges. In contemporary Tibet Pemako has become a mere historical name, it has been officially termed as Metok County (after Metok Dzong) or spelled by Chinese as Medog or Mòtuō irrespectively which is under Nyingchi Prefecture, Tibetan Autonomous Region. According to Chinese govt,Metok county covers an area of about 30,000 Sq Km and has population of 9200 (2001 census) people.

3. HISTORY
Historically Pemako was under the jurisdiction of Powo king who ruled whole area of which defines Pemakoe (Now Metok county and part of Arunachal pradesh (upper siang).During Powo rule pemako people had good relations with the Poba people,they jointly fought agianst Abors (Adis,mishmis etc.) who regularly disturbed the pilgrimage.Hardly any people lived in Pemako before Tsangla migrants settled in the region,currently Pemakopas makes up the majority of the population. People of pemako were the descendants of those Tsangla goup who migrated to the land of hidden valley to escape aggression in their original homeland ( eastern Bhutan during Drukpa rule) but this hasn't been confirmed yet. When first Tsangla people arrived in Pemako region they found that the land was unused,they settled in the lower yarlung Tsangpo valley,surrounded by Kongpopas in the northwest and Pobas in the northeast and Lopas in the south Pemakopas adopted many customs from them but still retained their original language which they still speak at home. However By 1931 Lhasa Government when they dismantled Powo kingdom and absorbed it into Central Tibetan rule, Pemako also went into the jurisdiction of Lhasa Govt. Ganden Phodrang (Tibet govt) had its governor stationed in Metok Dzong who look after the territory and establshed communications between Lhasa and Pemako people.Hence tax to be paid to Tibet Lhasa govt which was compulsory for all the people living in the region in the form of cash or kind.

4. YARLUNG TSANGPO GRAND CANYON
River Tsangpo which originates from Lake Mansarovar in Western Tibet flows through 1500km eastward when it reaches Mt Namcha Barwa it bends making a U shape turn to penerate into lower Himalayan ranges,thus curving one the deepest Canyon in the world.Its waters drop from 3,000 meter near Pe to about 300 m at the end of the gorge.

5. DEMOGRAPHY
Pemako is surely not an homogeneous society, different ethnic people lived here from many years,people like Pemakopas(Tsangla),Kongpowas,Poba Tibetans and Lopas(Adi,mishis etc.)live here but Pemakopas make up the majority about 65-70% of the total population of 10,000-15,000,remaining are Khampas,kongpowas and Lopas. ( According to 2001 census in Metok county (Dzong) there are about 10,000 people )

6. LANGUAGE (Tsangla language)
Tsangla is widely spoken and understood by many non-tsangla speakers in the area,Tibetan is also widely spoken language apart from Khampa ke and Kongpo ke.As majority are Pemakopas,Tsangla spoken is well established.if we talk about Tsangla language it's a branch of Tibeto-Burman bodish language which is mutually intelligible with those Tsangla in Eastern Bhutan.The language has evolved into a new dialect which took many loan words from Kongpo tibetan and kham ke due to centuries of close interactions with them.Though Tsangla language which doesn't have tones unlike central bodish,but Tsangla language in Pemako has high and low sound, which is absence in other Tsangla speaking people of neighboring countries.

7. RELIGION
People in Pemako follow Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.Nyingma means old translation in Tibetan.