Michel Peissel
Encyclopedia
Michel Georges Francois Peissel (February 11, 1937 – October 7, 2011) was a French ethnologist, explorer and author. He wrote twenty books mostly on his Himalayan and Tibetan expeditions. Michel Peissel was an emeritus member of the Explorers Club and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
.
and obtained a Doctorate in Tibetan Ethnology from the Sorbonne
, Paris.
, Mexico
,— he walked 200 miles down the coast to Belize
discovering, on the way, 14 yet unrecorded Mayan archeological sites. This journey changed his life, leaving the Harvard Business School after a year, he decided to study ethnology and explore the last unknown regions of Tibet and the Himalayas.
In 1964 he set out across the Himalayas to explore Mustang
, a minute Tibetan speaking kingdom whose identity had escaped the attention of both scholars and the general public. His written account of the expedition, Mustang: A Lost Tibetan Kingdom, an international best seller, was published in 1967.
This himalayan expedition was followed by 28 others to the remotest regions of the Tibetan speaking world. In 1968 he became one of the first foreigners to cross Bhutan
and study its little known Eastern districts. He then performed the first detailed study of the Kingdom of Zanskar
in Kashmir
, later studying the Minaro (Dards) of Baltistan
and Ladakh
while attempting to locate precisely the "land of the gold digging ants" of Herodotus
.
In 1973, he crossed the Himalayas by hovercraft, between Mt. Annapurna
and Mt. Dhaulaghiri. Later he traveled by hovercraft up the Ganges and down the eastern coast of Yucatan, after having invented and patented the first single fan hovercraft. (patent). He enjoyed saying he had "pioneered the sport of shooting up rapids".
In 1986 he became one of the very first foreigners to penetrate Tsari and the gorges of the Brahmaputra in tropical Tibet
.
In 1994 he led an expedition to locate the elusive source of the Mekong
River following the Dza Nak (the black Mekong, the historical main branch of the river) thus believing to discover the historical source of Asia's third longest river. Ten years later a Sinojapanese expedition Chinese proved that the geographical source (the farthest from the sea) lies at the headwaters of the white Mekong, Dza Kar, which satellite photos show to be 4500 meters longer than what Peissel called the historical branch. Thus like the Mississippi
, the Yellow river and countless other rivers the Mekong is considered to have a geographical source and a historical source.
In 1995 subsequent to previous investigations and research on Tibetan breeds of horses he organised an expedition with the veterinary scholar Dr Ignasi Casas which led to the identification of a yet unknown archaic breed of horses; the Riwoche horse
. (See note below.)
coast and that of Belize
to demonstrate the role of maritime commerce by the Chontal Itzas in the 10th century collapse of the Mayan lowland cities.
and down the Dnieper 2400 km across the Soviet Union
, from the Baltic
to the Black Sea
; an expedition meant to recreate that of the Varangians
, the founding fathers of the Russian monarchy in the 8th century.
4 part series in 1980 by the BBC on "Zanskar, the Last Place on Earth"
Smithsonian exploration special for the Arts and Entertainment Channel on the source of the Mekong
Other films and videos are visible on the French National Archives website, (INA)
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
.
Biography
Raised in England Peissel later studied a year at Oxford University and the Harvard Business SchoolHarvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
and obtained a Doctorate in Tibetan Ethnology from the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
, Paris.
First journey
In 1958, at the age of 21 — stranded on the coast of Quintana RooQuintana Roo
Quintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
,— he walked 200 miles down the coast to Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
discovering, on the way, 14 yet unrecorded Mayan archeological sites. This journey changed his life, leaving the Harvard Business School after a year, he decided to study ethnology and explore the last unknown regions of Tibet and the Himalayas.
Himalayan expeditions
In 1959, Peissel organised his first Himalayan expedition out of Harvard to study the Sherpas of the Everest district.In 1964 he set out across the Himalayas to explore Mustang
Mustang (kingdom)
Mustang is the former Kingdom of Lo and now part of Nepal, in the north-central part of that country, bordering the People's Republic of China on the Tibetan plateau between the Nepalese provinces of Dolpo and Manang...
, a minute Tibetan speaking kingdom whose identity had escaped the attention of both scholars and the general public. His written account of the expedition, Mustang: A Lost Tibetan Kingdom, an international best seller, was published in 1967.
This himalayan expedition was followed by 28 others to the remotest regions of the Tibetan speaking world. In 1968 he became one of the first foreigners to cross Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
and study its little known Eastern districts. He then performed the first detailed study of the Kingdom of Zanskar
Zanskar
Zanskar is a subdistrict or tehsil of the Kargil district, which lies in the eastern half of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The administrative centre is Padum...
in Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
, later studying the Minaro (Dards) of Baltistan
Baltistan
Baltistan , also known as بلتیول བལིུལ་ in the Balti language, is a region in northern Pakistan which forms Gilgit-Baltistan, bordering the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China. In addition, a part of Baltistan also falls into Jammu and Kashmir of India. It is situated in the Karakoram mountains...
and Ladakh
Ladakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
while attempting to locate precisely the "land of the gold digging ants" of Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
.
In 1973, he crossed the Himalayas by hovercraft, between Mt. Annapurna
Annapurna
Annapurna is a section of the Himalayas in north-central Nepal that includes Annapurna I, thirteen additional peaks over and 16 more over ....
and Mt. Dhaulaghiri. Later he traveled by hovercraft up the Ganges and down the eastern coast of Yucatan, after having invented and patented the first single fan hovercraft. (patent). He enjoyed saying he had "pioneered the sport of shooting up rapids".
In 1986 he became one of the very first foreigners to penetrate Tsari and the gorges of the Brahmaputra in tropical Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
.
In 1994 he led an expedition to locate the elusive source of the Mekong
Mekong
The Mekong is a river that runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annually....
River following the Dza Nak (the black Mekong, the historical main branch of the river) thus believing to discover the historical source of Asia's third longest river. Ten years later a Sinojapanese expedition Chinese proved that the geographical source (the farthest from the sea) lies at the headwaters of the white Mekong, Dza Kar, which satellite photos show to be 4500 meters longer than what Peissel called the historical branch. Thus like the Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, the Yellow river and countless other rivers the Mekong is considered to have a geographical source and a historical source.
In 1995 subsequent to previous investigations and research on Tibetan breeds of horses he organised an expedition with the veterinary scholar Dr Ignasi Casas which led to the identification of a yet unknown archaic breed of horses; the Riwoche horse
Riwoche horse
The Riwoche horse is a very small horse, discovered in an isolated region of Tibet in 1995. Previously unknown to science, these small animals may be an evolutionary link between the prehistoric wild horse and the modern domestic horse, though it could also be a domesticated variety that reverted...
. (See note below.)
From Yucatan to Belize
In 1987 in relation with Mexican archeologists Peissel built a giant sea going Mayan dugout canoe and paddled and sailed 500 miles down the YucatanYucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
coast and that of Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
to demonstrate the role of maritime commerce by the Chontal Itzas in the 10th century collapse of the Mayan lowland cities.
In the wake of the Varangians
In 1988, having built a replica of a Viking long boat, Peissel and a crew of six rowed and sailed up the river DvinaDvina
Dvina may refer to:* Daugava river, also known as "Western Dvina", a river in Russia, Belarus, and Latvia.* Northern Dvina, a river in northern Russia.* R-12 Dvina, a theatre ballistic missile from the Soviet Union....
and down the Dnieper 2400 km across the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, from the Baltic
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
to the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
; an expedition meant to recreate that of the Varangians
Varangians
The Varangians or Varyags , sometimes referred to as Variagians, were people from the Baltic region, most often associated with Vikings, who from the 9th to 11th centuries ventured eastwards and southwards along the rivers of Eastern Europe, through what is now Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.According...
, the founding fathers of the Russian monarchy in the 8th century.
Marriages and children
Michel Peissel was married three times and has five children, Olivier Peissel and Jocelyn Peissel, from his marriage to Marie-Claire de Montaignac, Octavia Peissel and Morgan Peissel, from his marriage to Mildred (Missy) Allen and Valentin Peissel from his Marriage to Roselyne LeBrisBooks
- "The Lost World of Quintana Roo". New York E.P. Dutton,1962 and Hodder and Stoughton,1964
- "Tiger for Breakfast:the story of Boris of Katmandu": E.P. Dutton, 1966 and Hodder and Stoughton 1967
- "Mustang a Lost Tibetan Kingdom".New York: E.P. Dutton 1967 and London Collins-Harvill,1968
- "The Cavaliers of Kham, the secret war in Tibet" London: Heinemann 1972, and Boston: Little, Brown & Co. 1973
- "The Great Himalayan Passage" Collins 1974, and Boston: Little, Brown & Co. 1975
- "Himalaya, continent Secret" Paris, Flammarion 1975
- "Les Portes de l'Or" Paris, Robert Laffont 1978
- "Zanskar the Hidden Kingdom". New York E.P. Dutton 1979 and London: Collins-Harvill 1980
- "The Ant's Gold, discovering the Greek Eldorado" London: Collins-Harvill 1984
- "Royaumes de l'Himalaya". Paris: Bordas & Fils 1986
- "Itza, le mystere du Naufrage Maya". Paris: Robert Laffont 1989
- "La Route de l'Ambre". Paris: Robert Laffont 1992
- "The Last Barbarians, the discovery of the source of the Mekong". New York: Henry Holt & Company 1997, and London Souvenir Press 1998
- "Le Dernier Horizon". Paris: Robert Laffont 2001
- "Tibet, the Secret Continent". London Cassell Illustrated, 2002, and New York: St Martin's Press 2003
- "Tibetan Pilgrimage" New York: Abrams 2005
Films
Peissel has produced, directed or initiated 22 documentary films on his expeditions.4 part series in 1980 by the BBC on "Zanskar, the Last Place on Earth"
Smithsonian exploration special for the Arts and Entertainment Channel on the source of the Mekong
Other films and videos are visible on the French National Archives website, (INA)
See also
- Riwoche horseRiwoche horseThe Riwoche horse is a very small horse, discovered in an isolated region of Tibet in 1995. Previously unknown to science, these small animals may be an evolutionary link between the prehistoric wild horse and the modern domestic horse, though it could also be a domesticated variety that reverted...