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The article focuses on the role of barley among the Shuni in the Tibetan cultural area of the Eastern Himalayas in China. The Shuni are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group. Barley, or Hordeum vulgare, belongs to the wild species of Hordeum spontaneum. It was first cultivated around 6000 B.C. Barley is a domesticated grain having adaptability to rough climates and short vegetation period. The cultivation, processing, and ritual uses of barley among the Shuni in the Tibetan area are discussed here. This information was gathered on the basis of observations and eight months fieldwork, conducted in 1996, 2004 and 2005. The Shuni practice subsistence agriculture with crop rotations, cultivating barley and wheat during the winter, and wet rice and corn during summer. Like in other Tibetan areas, barley is processed into tsampa, barley wine and spirit. Both tsampa and barley wine play an important role as food offerings and libation. Every morning the Shuni worship the gods by burning incense on the flat roofs of their houses.