< Previous80 COASTMONTHLY.COM | SepTeMber 2024 CURRENTS | BOOKS ‘WORLD NEEDS TO KNOW’ Islanders publish award-winning book on persecution of Tibet’s oldest religion story by BARBARA CANETTI T welve years ago, during a lecture, islander Jackie Cole became intrigued by the devastating stories being told about Tibet’s Bön religion and its monks. Cole and her husband, journalist Harvey Rice, set out to research these stories and pre- serve the legacy of this religion and its leaders, most of whom have fled their native Tibet. In January, their book “Flight of the Bön Monks: War, Persecution and the Salvation of Tibet’s Oldest Religion” was published. Bön is an ancient indigenous religion originating in certain regions of Tibet and was followed by people in Tibet called Bonpo for centuries before the growth of Buddhism, according to historians. Tibetan Bud- dhism adapted and assimilated many of Bön’s beliefs in divine rulers and structured priesthoods. Both religions have a commitment to enlightenment through meditative practice and a belief in the availabil- ity of wisdom to all, Cole and Rice explain. “This is a generation that is passing and the world needs to know their story,” said Cole, a retired Galveston veterinarian and former member of the Galveston City Council. The sad story of the Bön monks is told through details of the Chinese invasion of Tibet in the 1950s, resulting in the death of more than 1.2 million Tibetans as a result of the Chinese occupation. Before the occupation, the Bön religion was dominant in Tibet. The couple’s book focuses on the struggle of three monks who were forced to flee Tibet to be free to practice and preserve their religion. During a 10-year period, they traveled to Tibet, India and Nepal and conducted surreptitious interviews — they would have been imprisoned or forced to leave the country if officials found out they were writing a book about Bön. The main characters who helped them were interviewed in France, where they had fled. Only one monk — a minor player — was interviewed in Tibet, but he, too, has left the coun- try, Rice said. “We wrote about a period of history they don’t want written or talked about because of all the terri- ble things done,” said Rice, a retired Houston Chronicle reporter. The couple hired a govern- ment-sanctioned guide, which is required to travel in Tibet, which made gathering information difficult at times. “If we stopped to talk to anyone, they would later be interrogated,” Cole said. “There were spies in the monasteries, and the government would inflict punishment on anyone caught talking.” They would try to strike up casual conversations to get a feel for the country and people, but they didn’t want any harm to happen to anyone. They painstakingly retraced the steps the fleeing monks took — dramatic scenes of torture and imprisonment, as well as the fear that their hallowed religion wouldn’t survive. The monks’ mission was to gather as many Bön sacred documents and create a Bön settlement in exile in India. The (Opposite) Galveston husband and wife Harvey Rice, a retired journalist, and Jackie Cole, a veterinarian, teamed up to write “Flight of the Bön Monks,” an inside account of the Chinese invasion of Tibet told through the voices of three persecuted monks. COASTMONTHLY.COM | SepTeMber 2024 81 p HOTO: COU r T e SY82 COASTMONTHLY.COM | SepTeMber 2024 CURRENTS | BOOKS book is written in the style of a modern adventure story, but documented and foot-noted throughout. It is a story of resil- ience, survival and dedication to individual beliefs. The Bön monk population today is very small and no Ti- betan monk has publicly endorsed the book — except one: the Dalai Lama. In fact, he wrote the compelling forward of the book, Cole said. Through her connection with Geshe Denma Gyaltsen, the resident lama of Houston, a copy of the book was forwarded to the Dalai Lama. He read it, ap- proved of the message and penned the forward. In July, the book won the 2024 International Book Award for nonfiction. A recent review by Kirkus Reviews, an Amer- ican book review magazine founded in 1933, said it is “a remarkable work of historical insight and dramatic power.” Signed copies are available in Galveston at Henley Market on The Strand. “For us, it was written as a labor of love and purpose,” Cole said. “We would have written it whether or not it would sell.” (From top) Two main characters of the book, Tenzin Namdak, left, and Sangye Tenzin; Harvey Rice and Jackie Cole at Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet, in 2014. p HOTOS: COU r T e SY COASTMONTHLY.COM | SepTeMber 2024 83 Emergencies happen. We’re right here when they do. 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A new exhibit, created with the help of many former residents at the Galveston Orphans’ Home, sheds light on the culture of orphanage living and how this small island community came to support and assist in raising these children. “This building and the stories from within it are important to tell,” Tony Alves, creative director of The Bryan Museum, 1315 21st St., said. From 1895 until the early 1980s, about 6,500 youngsters passed through the or- phanage doors. Fewer than 10 percent of those children were eventually adopted. Some families were unable to take care of their children and turned them over to the orphanage, Alves said. The original two-story building, paid for with donated funds from philanthropist Henry Rosenberg and designed by architect (Left) Tony Alves, creative director at The Bryan Museum, points out a portrait of George Dealey, the founder of the Galveston Orphans’ Home, at the mu- seum in Galveston. The Bryan Museum is now housed in the historic building that was once the orphanage, which is the subject the museum’s new exhibit.86 COASTMONTHLY.COM | SepTeMber 2024 FEATURE Alfred Muller, was heavily damaged in the 1900 Storm. Children, house managers and some locals sought refuge in the building during that monumental storm, which killed about 6,000 Galveston residents. There were no injuries to the people inside. Newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst hosted a charity bazaar at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City to raise funds for rebuilding. Architect George B. Stowe redesigned the building in the Renaissance Revival style and added strength to the structure. It was rededicated on March 30, 1902. The orphanage existed in the current structure until 1984, when it moved to an adjacent building. “People are always asking us about the children,” Alves said. “It is a big part of the city’s history. This exhibit tells our story.” The exhibit includes photos, testimonials, artifacts and documents relating to the orphanage. Unfortunately, during Hurricane Ike in 2008, (From top) A child’s metal-framed bed is displayed in an exhibit at The Bryan Museum in Galveston; a child’s shoe and marbles. COASTMONTHLY.COM | SepTeMber 2024 87 many of the organization’s records were destroyed when flood waters enveloped the basement. Some were retrieved and are on display, giving some insight into the rules, regulations and schedules at the or- phanage. And the new exhibit also displays toys and trinkets belong- ing to children found on the property during the 2015 renovation. “We are still finding marbles out there,” Alves said. With assistance from the Rosenberg Library archives, Alves and curator Eric Broussard were able to pull together many pictures that visually told the orphanage’s story. In doing research, it was discov- ered the Galveston Orphans’ Home was the first registered charitable institution in the state, Alves said. But since the mid-1970s, the Texas Department of Human Services has phased out orphanages in the state in favor of placing children in foster care. This permanent exhibit, in the basement of the museum, also has (From top) Artifacts from the Galveston Orphans’ Home are displayed in an exhibit; children’s toys rest in a preserved crawlspace.88 COASTMONTHLY.COM | SepTeMber 2024 FEATURE iPads in five upper galleries, describing each room’s use when the building was an orphan- age: girls’ dorm, boys’ dorm, dining area and play/study room. The exhibit also displays two love stories: Children who grew up in the orphanage, later married another orphan whom they met there and opted to have their weddings in the building. Their dresses and photos are displayed on mannequins. Daniel Kempner, the former chairman of the board at the orphanage, gave away both brides. Broussard and Alves found documents thanking local businesses and family for supporting the orphanage and its residents, for the donations of food, gifts, event tickets and outings for the children. “This place would not have existed except for the contributions and support of the community,” Alves said. “So much of the history of the city is here, too.” The exhibit is just the beginning of an expansive display planned in the future, including an interactive augmented reality experience of life inside the orphanage as encountered by the children, Alves said. “This was a very special and unique place,” said Alves. “There is so much to learn from it.” (From top) Architect George B. Stowe designed the Renaissance Revival-style building that once housed the Galveston Orphans’ Home. The original structure was damaged in the 1900 Storm; a historical marker dedicated to the orphanage hangs next to the front door. It was renamed the Galveston Children’s Home in the 1970s to reflect the change of its residents from orphans to unwanted and neglected children, according to the Texas State Historical Association. COASTMONTHLY.COM | SepTeMber 2024 89 KARENFLOWERS-(409)789-7377 DAVEBRIDGWATER-(409)392-5655 JOETRAMONTEREALTY (409)765-9837 EVIAMAIN7 BeautifulcustomhomeinprestigiousEvia withunobstructedlakeviews.Two-storyentry withbrickarchestothelivingareawith fireplaceandbuilt-insopentothekitchen, withlargeisland,granitecountertops,custom cabinets,doubledoorrefrigerator, convectionoven,andwalk-inpantry.You won’twanttomissthisone! OFFEREDAT $998,000 Matt Hawkes | Branch Manager matt.hawkes@nflp.com | (713) 521-0413 Apply at nflp.com/matthawkes 1009 Broadway St., Galveston, TX 77550 MLO NMLS# 201887 Apply for a mortgage with Matt! 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