Friday, December 16, 2011

Changpa: The Nomads

Sham S. Misri
The Changthang is a high altitude vast flat land  surrounded by mountains, valleys, and big lakes. The people of the Changthang are nomadic, and are known as 'Changpa' (northern people, the Tibetians,  and the Ladakhi). For centuries they have lived in this high altitude landscape. Their live stock consists of yak, horses,  sheep, and pashmina goats locally known as Changra goats.
The climate of Changthang is harsh. The summers are warm but short and thunder storms can occur at any time of year, often with hail. The winters are cold. Unlike many other nomadic pastoralists, the Changpa do not move from one climatic region to another. They move shorter distances in the range of about 10–40 miles. Migratory routes are established and followed year after year, staying in the same encampments each year, often in camps that have stone walls. The Changpa camps at altitudes ranging 3600-4500 meters. In this extreme environment the winter temperatures can drop as low as minus 50 0 C. The “Changpa” are not a single homogeneous community. Groups are divided by their places of origin, each having its own chief and its specific grazing areas. While local variations exist, essentially all groups share the same way of life. Ladakh is a part of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is the Ladakhi Changpa who is the main suppliers of raw Pashm to Kashmir. Here I am talking of Ladakh Changpa.
    The Ladakhi Changpa, have their own rich store of oral history, myth, and legend. Many rock carvings have been found throughout the region, and the wall paintings in Ladakh monasteries, are valuable source of information. The Changpa are followers of Tibetan  Buddhism, most belonging to Red Hat (Drupka) sect. Traditionally each family sends one son to monastery to become a monk.
The Changpa believe that their livestock are sacred animals bestowed upon them by the gods. They gently comb the Pashm from their goats, taking care not to hurt the animals. Among the Changpa the wealth is defined in terms of sheep, goats, yak, and horses. Those who have more than 1000 animals are considered rich.  Among the Changpa, yak used to have the highest status of any livestock, but with their decreasing number, the sheep are considered animals of high status.
Sheep, along with yak , have always held a positive ritual value among the Changpa, but goats, which were regarded as inferior, even inauspicious, were not so favored. It was rare for goats to be dedicated to gods, demons, and spirits. Further, it is said that shepherds preferred sheep to goats. Sheep move slowly and so the shepherds are able to keep pace with them, but goats tread quickly and are therefore, difficult to tend. It is claimed that while the shepherds talk gently to the sheep, they are always relentlessly swearing  at their goats, because they have to run to keep up with them. Goats also feature in verbal insults and when the Changpa abuse each other, they say, ”may your goat fall sick”, or “may all your goats die.”  Changpa groups move camp about eight to ten times in a year. There are no hard and fast rules as to how long they should stay at one place; each move, the Changpa say, takes place when the resources of a particular area are exhausted. The journey to a  new campsite starts early in the morning, before sunrise. Personal belongings, household utensils, are packed in saddle bags or steel trunks the day before. A little before sunrise the tents are taken down and folded. As the shepherds leave with the sheep and goats for day’s grazing, the yak are rounded up and loaded. The beddings, carpets, and blankets are laid across their backs, followed by saddlebags, steel trunks, tent poles, and  kitchenware, for making tea. Then the horses are readied in their leather saddles over which bright, colorful hand woven saddle covers are draped. It is customary for Changpa to be well dressed for the occasion, the men wear their felted cowboy or brocade hats; the women their turquoise-studded head dress. It takes a few hours before the  Changpa    are ready to move. The caravan extends over one or two kilometers, and within it the pack animals of each tent are kept close together. The yaks are driven in the front, followed by the women and children. Dogs dart moving. The men take up the rear, leading the horses. They leave behind them a flat stretch of land, a few stone walls, and smoke rising from the embers of hastily doused fires.
Usually ,each nuclear family lives in one large tent. Close to this, is a small tent for the elderly parents. At some encampments the tent sites are hereditary, at others they are allotted by a system of lottery. Areas higher up in the campsite, and closer to the stream are more in demand . The tents are strung in a line along the valley, and always positioned with their doors facing east. The Changpa say the doors must open towards the rising sun. At some campsites there are stone pens beside the tents. At some other campsites the animals are kept in the open a short distance away.
The livestock usually sleep in a circle, with the goats in the centre and sheep on the outside. The Changpa claim that in this way the sheep keep the goats warm.
Ladakhi Changthang has many monasteries. In the past it was in the vicinity of these monasteries that Changpa would store the extra goods they did not require when on the move. Initially they used small caves, or dug pits in the ground, but over the years a few two room mud or stone structures have been built. It is here where the aged and infirm Changpa live.
The Changpa’s day starts early. The women are the first to rise. They prepare the fire, make the tea, and recite their prayers as they rhythmically shake the goatskin bag to churn the butter inside. Then, the shepherds take the sheep and goats to graze in the valleys and mountains. They return a short while before the sunset. The shepherds are usually young boys and girls  who start herding from the age of eight or nine. While herding they spend most of their time in prayers and spinning wool, or making rope. One shepherd accompanied by a dog, herds a flock of 200 animals, often walking 8-10 kilometers a day. Changpa’s have specific areas demarcated for grazing, and the herders are forbidden to take their livestock beyond the boundaries. Sometimes, the boundary of each grazing area is marked by stones piled up to height of two to three feet. The chief makes periodic visits to check or restack them. Other boundaries follow natural landmarks such as streams, rivers, and ridges. Most Changpa communities have a system of penalties and fines in case grazing rules are violated.

1 comment:

Sarabjeet Singh said...

i too had been to Changthang area along with my team. I had one of the amazing experiences of my life. Thanks for posting useful information.