Thangka painting in the Potala Palace: metallurgical skills in early times. [Photo/Tibetan History by Chen Qingying]

In the 6th century, after thousands of years of migration, development, disintegration and combination, a large number of tribal unions of different scale had been established in ancient Tibet. Among them there were the so-called "forty small kingdoms", which later became grouped as the "twelve small kingdoms". Tubo Historical Documents of the Dunhuang Edition lists the "twelve small kingdoms" as follows:

"Zhangzhuang" was located in the area of Ngari and Ladakh of western Tibet. Historical sources in Chinese call it "small and big Yangtong", one of tribes of western Qiang; "Nyamrochegar", "Norbo", and "Nyamroshambo", distributed in Jamze in the Shigatse area; "Chomonamsung" in the area from Yadong to Sikkim; "Gyirojamen", "Yanbochasung", and "Lhongmoroyasung", which were distributed along the Lhasa River; "Yaroyuxi", "Eryubamgar", and "Eiyuchuxi", which were distributed in the Lhoka area; "Gongbozhena", located at Gongbo; "Nyamyudasung" in Nyambo; "Tabozhuxi", situated in Tagung; "Shenyuguyu" in the Samye area; "Sobiyasung", stretching from the North Tibet Plateau to the Yushu and Gamze areas, also known as a big tribe of western Qiang in Chinese historical records. In addition, the tribe of "Sheboye", the ancestor of the Tubo Kingdom, which inhabited Qoingye in the Lhoka area, was one of the "twelve small kingdoms".

We have little information about the small tribes above except "Sheboye", for which there are more detailed historical legends. Legends have it that the first leader of the Tubo kingdom, came from heaven. Nyatri Tsampo descended upon a moutaintop called Sacred Montain Yalashangbo, where he was greeted by a group of Tibetans. Rejoicing in their good fortune, these people raised him upon their shoulders and carried him off to be their ruler.

And thus he became known as Nyatri Tsampo, which means Neck-Enthroned King in Tibetan. Records from the Bon religion upheld the belief that Nyatri Tsampo migrated from Bormi to Qoingye, and later became the leader of the tribe. As he was from Bormi, hence the name of the tribe he took control of was called "Sheboye" (Chabeicetanpingcho: Tibetan History, Tibetan Ancient Books Publishing, 1989). In the time of Nyatri Tsampo, the Palace of Yarlung River, which showed that, at that time, relative advanced agriculture and animal husbandry had developed there. Later, Zhigum Tsampo succeeded Nyatri Tsampo, but Armodaze, the chief of a sub-tribe, later killed him during tribal struggles. The two sons of Zhigum Tsampo were expelled to Gongbo. One son, Nyaqi, later became the king of Gongbo. The other, Shaqi, raised an army and took revenge on Armodaze, capturing the throne and changing his title to Pude Gungyal. He also built a mausoleum for his father and constructed the castle of Qoingye, which was called Qoinwadaze.