A chuba (Tibetan: ཕྱུ་པ, Wylie: phyu pa, THL: Chuwa, ultimately from Arabic: جبّة, romanizedjubba) is a warm ankle-length unisex robe bound around the waist by a long sash worn by many of high-altitude nomadic pastoralists in the Himalayas. Its upper portion becomes a large pocket for everything from money to bowls. It is typically made of thick Tibetan wool, but has historically also been made of sheepskin.[1]

Young woman wearing a chuba.
Elderly pilgrim, Tsurphu, Tibet.

In the past, chubas were made from strips of hand-woven woolen cloth; they were originally the undyed white color of the sheep's wool from Tibet. More recently, black or brown dyes have been used. On trading trips to Tibet, people often wore sheepskin chubas, jackets or pants.

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References

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  1. ^ Yangzom, Dicky (2016-11-01). "Clothing and social movements: Tibet and the politics of dress". Social Movement Studies. 15 (6): 622–633. doi:10.1080/14742837.2016.1213163. ISSN 1474-2837.