A herd of Yak cross a river towards Zara nomadic settlement. The Kharnak nomads have been herding their animals since early morning, and will bring them back where the tents are set up. Then the owners will recognize their own and take them next to their tents. Ladakh, India.
×Kharnak Nomads
In the high plains of Ladakh, India, lives a community of 16 Kharnak nomadic families, working in the Pashmina wool business for the past generations. Together, they own over 7000 sheep and goat and around 300 yaks, which they graze daily at over 4.700 meters.
To overcome the hardship of daily life in such an isolated place combined with the sacrifices the nomads have to make every year to keep their livestock alive and healthy, this trans-generational community needs to be committed to work closely together. The interdependency of the nomads with their livestock defines their sustainable lifestyle, which is intimately related with nature and forms a perfect but fragile circle that requires a lot of effort and dedication to make it work.
The Pashmina wool trade is undoubtedly an important business in the region. Although sold at very high prices in European markets, the producers only earn a fraction of the end price. Regardless, many families and communities still depend on this practice, being their only income and knowhow.
Government efforts and incentives aiming at fair trade are almost inexistent for these nomadic communities battling to keep their business alive.
For a few years now, younger generations have been leaving behind the highlands in search for a better life in the cities, this generational gap will extinct the nomadic practices of their ancestors.The disappearance of such pure lifestyle is inevitable and might eventually be forgotten. City migration is not a novelty, and the problems faced follow similar patterns globally.
The loss of the Kharnak Nomads’ culture to the modern society has a very important connotation. Their way of living, traditions and rich culture is a true example of a community that lives sustainably, proves respect for nature and embraces a conscious lifestyle; aspects that we as a “modern” society should be craving for.
In a busy afternoon, a Kharnak nomad lady stops shortly for a quick portrait in the Nomadic settlement of Zara. In the afternoon the members of each family are busy gathering their animals from their daly grazing. After their long walk on the pastures, sometimes as long as 25 kms., the animals are taken back home to be milked and some of them shreaded. Nomadic life in this part of India is increasingly disappearing since there is a generational gap of young children who is not learning nomadic traditions, but moving to urban areas and get modern edcation. Zara nomadic settlement, Ladakh, India.
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Goats ready to be sheared at the nomadic settlement of Zara at over 4700 meters over the sea. 7000 sheep and goat live in this Nomadic area. Ladakh, India.
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A modern tent used by a Kharnak Nomadic family. Zara settlement, Ladakh India.
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Kharnak nomads shear the wool of a male yak in the Settlement of Zara in Ladakh.
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Diskist Angmo looks out her tent. Some families have switched to synthetic fabrics for their tents. Traditional tents were made with Yak wool, which take a lot of work to do but are very resistant and waterproof. Zara settlement, Ladakh, India.
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A Kharnak man rests after a hard day of work in his tent at the nomadic settlment of Zara. Ladakh, India.
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A Kharnak nomad woman leads the heard of sheep and goat. She will take them grazing for about 20 km around the Nomadic settlement of Zara. Ladakh, India.
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Khardak men gather in their weekly meeting to discuss who will graze the yak, sheep and goats during that specific week. It's also time to pay the telephone bills, and discuss any issue involving the comunity of16 families in the nomadic settlement of Zara. Ladakh, India.
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A young girl from the Kharnak Nomadic community poses for a portrait inside one of the corrals where goats and sheep are stored every night. Ladakh, India.
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Praying stones and yak skuls in the village of Dat. Kharnak Nomads have very strong traditions and Budhist beliefs. Ladakh, India.
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A Shaman performing on a Buddist ceremony to bring rain to the communities of Zara, a Nomadic settlement - Ladakh, India.
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Black and White goats of the herd owend by the Kharnak nomads in the settlement of Zara. Ladakh, India,
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Sebang (57, on the right) shears a Sheep in a corral in Zara Nomadic settlement next to his brother. Every morning and afternoon during the summer they'll shear their animals. they live on the pashmina business, selling to a cooperative the grade A wool they get from their goats. The wool they get from the different animals they have, is used to make carpets, clothes and even tents (from the yak wool) and ropes. Ladakh, India.
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Diskist talks to her friend outside her tent in the nomadic settlement of Zara. Ladakh, India.
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A Kharnak woman looks at her flock in the settlement of Zara. The sun is harsh at over 4.500 meters in the high plains of Ladakh, India.
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A Kharnak nomad and one of his 400 sheep at the Nomadic settlement of Zara. These nomads live out of the wool business. In this settlement, a total of 16 families live in close community, and work in a trade on its way to extingtion very fast in this region. Ladakh, India.
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A sheep about to be sheard the traditional way in Zara nomadic settlement. During the early morning or after grazing, the sheep and goats will be sheared once a year. The wool is being sold in a cooperative in the city of Leh. The pashmina business is the main income of Kharnak nomads. What is not sold is used to make clothes and ruggs which they either sell later or make for themselves. Ladakh, India.
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A Khanrak nomad throws one of his goats into the river in what is her annual bath after being sheard. They do so to clean the sheep and goat after their wool was sheared. Ladakh, India
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A man carries firewood near the nomadic settlment of Zara. Their fuel comes from small bushes and manure from their animals. During the summer Kharnak nomads will collect as much fuel as they can to prepare for the winter, where temperatures can drop to -40ºC. Ladhak, India.
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A man yawns in a goat corral in the nomadic settlement of Zara in Ladakh, India.
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Yaks waiting to be sheared in the nomadic settlement of Zara in the high plains of Ladakh, India
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Empty corrals in the village of Pang Cheng. This is one of the settlements used by Kharnak nomads in the month of August. Here they will keep their sheep and goats during the night.
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A Kharnak nomad woman poses with a newborn goat while on her way back to the Zara Nomadic settlement. She was half way of her 20 KM grazing walk with her animals. - Ladakh, India.
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Goats in their corral in the nomadic settlement of Zara in the high plains of Ladakh, India.
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Diskist Angmo checks her sheep and goat flock in the corral at the nomadic settlement of Zara. Each day they'll count their animals and give back to their neighbours the animals that have mistakely mixed with her flock. Ladakh, India.
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Diskist Angmo checks her huband's eye inside their tent in the nomadic settlement of Zara, Ladakh, India.
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A Kharnak nomadic lady holds one of her Yaks to be sheared at the nomadic settlement of Zara in Kadakh, India.
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A piece of yak tale hangs from a rope as sign of good fortune and to keep spirits away. Zara nomadic settlement, Ladakh,
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A sheep being sheared in the nomadic settlement of Zara, Ladakh, India.
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A young Kharnak man poses for a picture in the nomadic settlement of Zara. He is part of the generation leaving the nomadic practices to go on a different life in the city. Tenzin, in this case wants to come back to help his comunnity develop business related to nomadic practices. Nomadic settlement of Zara, Ladakh, India.
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A covered jeep with an old tent in the Village of Dat. This village is home for the Kharnak nomads during the months of winter. Ladakh India.
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A mother and his son while counting the sheep and goats in their corral in Zara nomadic settlement after they arrived from a day of grazing in the high plains. Ladakh, India.
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A Kharnak shepherd bringing back female yaks with their calfs back to Zara, one of their settlements in Ladakh, India.
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A heard of sheep and goat graze back to Zara, a Kharnak Nomadic settlement. 16 families live in this area, where they own over 7000 sheep and goat that are used on the wool business. This area produces one of the finest wools available in the world. This is the Pashmina wool taken from the goats. Ladakh, India.
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A tent from a Kharnak family and the milky way in the nomadic settlement of Zara. Ladakh, India,
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