Chapters

Pastoralist Communities of the Himalayas

There are more than 200 tribes in India engaged in Pastoralism, comprising almost 6 percent of the population. They practice nomadism, agro-pastoralism and transhumance existence, tending their livestock's, from Deccan platues to Alpine meadows of the Himalayas. In the Indian Himalayas, Gaddis Gujjars, Bakarwals, Anwals, Bhotias,Kinnauras,Palsi,Changpas,Brokpas,Drokpas,Monpas and Bhutias are some of the known pastoral communities. Under this section, we aim to contribute by documenting the herding practices, their tradition, challenges they are facing as well as their lifelong experiences in these harsh Himalayan landscape and their indigenous knowledge passed on from their generations with the help of our contributors. With changes in climate, geographic as well as political scenarios, we aim to raise awareness of the imperative issues faced by various pastoralist communities all over the Indian Himalayas.