Pastoralists of the Himalayas (original) (raw)
Related papers
Gaddi Tribe of Himachal Pradesh: A Sociological Context of Pastoralist
NCM Publishing House , 2023
India is home to the world's tribal communities, which are distributed throughout 28 states and 8 union territories. Article 342 of the Indian Constitution addresses the subject of tribal groups. Himachal Pradesh has a significant proportion of tribes within the state. Various types of tribes like kinners or kinnaure, Lahuels, Spitians, Pangwalas, and Gujjars etc. can be found in the state. One of them, Gaddi, resides in the Himachal Pradeshi districts of Mandi, Kangra, and Chamba.. Tradiional livelihood systems of many tribal communities in India directly depend on their symbiotic relationships with the surrounding natural resources and the local socioeconomic and cultural dynamics. However, in the light of globalization and westernization activities resulting in drastic socioeconomic changes, these communities are often found to mobilize themselves for economic aspects. This paper presents the ongoing evolution in the traditional livelihoods of the Gaddis and their land use pattern that cause a significant transition in their economy and livelihood. These studies is conducted through the interview, observation and live recording secession in the area of Bharmour village, Brahmaur tehsil, Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh, as the results shown that the centre-state government and tribal development in India emphasizes on the development of their socioeconomic status.
2024
Nomadic pastoralism is an ancient way of life that has been practised for centuries by various tribes and ethnic groups across the world. It is characterized by the movement of herders and their livestock between different regions in search of fresh pastures, water and other resources. Despite its longstanding history, this way of life is now on the brink of extinction in many parts of the world, facing various challenges including modern politics and infrastructural development. One such group of pastoralists that have been affected by these changes are the Gaddi pastoralists of the western Himalayas. The Gaddi tribe is one of the oldest ethnic groups that have lived in this region for hundreds of years, and they have developed their own distinct culture and traditions. They have played a signi cant role in sustaining the ecosystem of the region by herding sheep and goats, moving between the highaltitude pastures of the middle Himalayas and the Shiwalik ranges of the lower Himalayas. However, the present dynamics have changed the scenario for the Gaddi pastoralists. The growth of physical infrastructure like dams, canals, and roads, and the expansion of social infrastructure like healthcare, education, and banking, as well as the diversi cation of employment opportunities in the region, has prompted the Gaddi pastoralists to shift away from their traditional profession. Additionally, the politics of the state has also played a signi cant role in shaping the fate of the Gaddi pastoralists. The policies of the government, along with the in uence of powerful interest groups, have led to the restriction of traditional grazing practices, and the Gaddi pastoralists are now facing challenges in their pursuit of maintaining their traditional ways of life. As a result of these challenges, many Gaddi pastoralists are now shifting towards sedentary occupations, leaving behind their traditional profession. Therefore, this research aims to explore the complex history, politics, development and challenges encountered by the Gaddi pastoralists in the pursuit of maintaining their traditional ways of life in an ever-changing world.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS OF GADDI TRIBE IN HIMACHAL PRADESH: A STUDY.
Tribal community in India has been most vulnerable community with respect to dominance and exploitation ridden society. Tribes are on the breadline of their socio-economic and political rights. Over the years, displacement and rapid acculturation of this population has led to dramatic changes in their socio-cultural and value systems. Even after years of freedom, the unchanged condition of Tribal communities is leading in India. Though some of them are on the verge of extinction, still there are other tribal communities in India that fiercely protect their identity and culture. Industrialization in the country has devastated the lives and culture of the tribes. The present paper gives an overview about the Gaddis who are semi-nomadic, semi-agricultural and a semi-pastoral tribe. The paper explores the domestic lives, socio- economic profile, and occupational problems of the Gaddi tribe of Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.
Pastoralism in India: A Case Study of Shepherd's Community of Kullu District in Himachal Pradesh
International Research Journal of Commerce , Arts and Science, 2023
Abstract: Pastoral activities have been an integral part of human life throughout the generations. Pastoral groups and their pastoral management system have received renewed interest among researchers. Pastoralism is a substance pattern in which domestic animals are raised by exploiting pastureland. It is important to note that the Indian government does not consider pastoralism as an official category but pastoralist makes a significant contribution to the Indian economy. In India, there are many big pastoral communities which include Rebari/Raika, Gujjar, Gaddi, Dhangars, Gollas, Kurumas, Monpa, Bhutia, Changpa, bakrwal, etc. Their pastoral management system and mobility have been studied very deeply by anthropologists and sociologists. But besides these major pastoral communities, some other small pastoral groups are associated with this livestock-rearing occupation and it plays an important part in their socio-economic and cultural life. Therefore, this study deals with one such pastoral group situated in the Kullu District of Himachal Pradesh, which mainly rears sheep and goats. But like the global trend of decreasing pastoral subsistence economy, it is also experiencing the same trend. In this paper, the authors describe the pastoral management system of herders (locally known as Phuhal) of Kullu and the major challenges they are facing in the sustainability of this occupation. Since the Indian constitution is committed to the rights of the communities (articles 29 and 30) and various other articles of the Indian constitution provisions have been made to protect and promote the rights of marginalized sections. Phuhal community does not have any special status besides its vulnerable conditions. This study is mainly evaluative to understand the challenges and issues of the community and to put forward them in front of the academia and the policymakers, some suggestions, and strategy measures are also given to improve their plight. India is committed to ‘the Human Rights movement’, hence community rights that fall in the third-generation rights have to be protected and promoted.
The Gaddi Scheduled Tribe of Jammu & Kashmir : A Socio- Cultural Overview
This paper seeks to highlight the socio-cultural and religious practices among the Gaddi Scheduled Tribe of Jammu and Kashmir. This present study is based on field work carried out in area of concentration of Gaddi people in Jammu region and some secondary data from books and printing material on Gaddi Tribe. A variety of methods i.e. observations, interview, discussion etc have been used while conducting field work to document current practices of the people of Gaddi Scheduled Tribe. Efforts have also been made to document their lesser known ritual performances. About 17 villages from two Community Development Blocks of Doda district of Jammu and Kashmirr state were consulted. These villages are Haddal Block. India is known for its cultural and religious diversity. Gaddi Scheduled Tribe is a semi-nomadic Tribe situated in high Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. Gaddi Scheduled Tribe constitute a sizeable population of Tribal habituating in Himachal Pradesh. These Tribal people mainly dwell around Dhauladhar mountain range, Chamba, Bharmaur and the areas near to Dharamshala. In Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) these are in Doda, Bhaderwah, kathua, Udhumpar and Ramban. They have their temporary seasonal houses known as Hadwari. They speak a dialect known as Gaddi. Their main occupation is just grazing their sheep & goats and preparing khadi clothes from them. They made blanket from wool after spinning it on charkha. Female member spin charkha and after male member makes blanket from it on an instrument known as Khhade, made of wood. They made it in all season but mostly during winter. This is perhaps the only source of their livelihood. In 1990 there was peek militancy in J&K. Due to killing of various Gaddis by terrorists this profession of grazing decreased. To uplift this Tribe they have been given the status of Scheduled Tribe in 1990-91. Various cultural and religious practices are listed and finally some suggestions are provided to save the cultural as well as religious practices among these Tribal people. INTRODUCTION: The 'Gaddi' is a Sanskrit word which means 'Seat'. During the region of Mughal king Aurengzeb, some Hindu nomadic people fled from his region to avoid his cruel policy against Hindu and got settled in a hilly place known as Brahmaur in Dhouladhar region of Himachal Pradesh. They established a kingdom i.e. Gaddi (seat of king). All the people falling under its sovereignty were know by the name 'Gaddi'. As this Tribe is a semi-nomadic they used to graze their folks in hill area during summer and in plans during
Himalayan Studies Journal, 2016
The western Himalayan region is full of village deities and the local people have their firm faith in them. The article discusses religious narratives about the village deity Nar Singh Veer of Mandi region of Indian state of Himachal Pradesh that can be found in the form of myths, legends, and folklore. These narratives are a proof of the power of Nar Singh Veer which provides relief to people from their hardships and also warns them in a supernatural form. Village priests (pujaris) and Gurs are the religious authorities who control both the deity and oral tradition on Him. There is a widespread belief in this region that the deity roams around his territory at night to protect it from evils. People talk about their experiences and encounters with the deity and these are also narrated both in legend and oral tradition. Religious folklore genres thus merge the social world of humans and mythical realm of deity. The aim of this article is to explore narratives related to this deity in the Mandiyali(Local Dialect) folklore in their socio-religious context. Our aim here is to research on the tradition related to Nar Singh Veer in Mandi region and how this tradition affected the society.
International Journal For Science And Advance Research in Technology, 2020
This paper is written on the experience of an in-depth study of two community viz. Nandagawli and MelghatGawli of eastern Maharashtra. Information are collected through semi-structured interview, narratives, focused group discussion and case study. It has a goal to bring the pastoralism into the limelight as a livelihood. It mainly focuses on the origin of this community, their past practices and the transformation over time. In earlier times (25-35 years ago), Nandagawlis had the access to the forest lands and they could take their animals (cows and buffalows) to the forest for grazing. As the bulls of gawlao cow are very good for agricultural purpose (like hoeing, tilling etc). After the implementation of 'Bor Tiger Reserve Project', these communities lost the access of forest land and were rehabilitated to the plains. Due to these, these pastoralists had to buy fodder and also had to pay for those needs which they usually fulfilled before from different forest products like they used different plants for medicinal purpose, different weeds as food, woods as fuel etc. This paper also include the present shocks, seasonality and trends in the livelihood.
Pastoralism in Northwest Himalayas an Ethnoarchaeological perspective
National Trust For Promotion of Knowledge: Indian Journal of Archaeology, 2021
This article by Ubaid Ahmad Dar explores the initial findings that could be utilized to link the still persistent crucial cultural elements of the Bakarwal pastoral tribe based in Kashmir Himalayas with those of excavated Neolithic sites of Kashmir valley i.e. Burzahom Srinagar, Gufkral Anantnag and Kanispura J & K, through the study of continuity and change. The aim is to draw a general comparative analogy between the two cultural periods and give groundwork for the forthcoming Ethnoarchaeological study in the region.
STATE, PASTURES AND RICE-FIELDS: THE GADDI SHEPHERDS OF HIMACHAL HIMALAYAS
This paper documents the transformations taking place in the process of mobility, both in terms of structure and attitudes, deliberating upon the linkages between the seasonally mobile shepherds on the one hand and the sedentary peasants on the other over a time frame of a century. We argue that the shepherds bring into economic equation the resources that are beyond the revenue demand and marketing strategies that are beyond fixed markets and bazaars. We therefore consider shepherding not only as a constituent of the larger economic and social system but also as a competing economy in it-self. As a result, an attempt has been made to understand the process of interaction within different ecological zones and how the state, particularly colonial rule, intervened to control the pastorals in their attempt to ‘Hinduize’ by ritualizing and locating them in a caste hierarchy. In the process the dynamics of herding—alpine-temperate migratory cycle; the rights and obligations in relation to herding practice; the evolution of herding tax structure; and the socio-economic basis of herding—has been analyzed.