In Photos: The Everyday Lives of Women Pastoralists of Ladakh's Changthang

Women hold an important position in the Changpa society in Ladakh. Here is a sneak peek into their lives.

The Changpas are transhumance pastoralists originating from the Changthang region of the Tibetan Plateau, which extends into southeastern Ladakh.

(Photo: Ritayan Mukherjee/The Quint)

This picturesque valley – the Hanle Valley – falls in the Changthang region of the Tibetan Plateau, which extends into Southeastern Ladakh. Located near the India-China border, Indians must obtain a special permit from Leh to visit this region.

The Changpas are transhumance pastoralists – who seasonally move with their livestock – originating from the Changthang region. They are among the leading suppliers of the expensive Cashmere wool. Changthang is located 14,600 ft above sea level. In this picture, Dohna is seen pitching her family's tent in a highland summer pasture in Hanle Valley.

Women hold an important position in the Changpa society. They are also keepers of yaks, an animal that plays an integral role in the Himalayan ecology. Many skilled shepherdesses carry out daily tasks with efficiency, despite Changthang's thin air and terrifying heights. Here, Tsiring Chonchum is seen with an orphaned yak cub. She is one of the few women yak owners in Hanle Valley.

Pema (left) and Gephel (right) take a breather while their herd is grazing in an area nearby.

While at work, they need to cover their body and face to protect their skin not just from sunburn, but also from the intruding chilly wind.

Pema is seen taking care of her yaks. 

The Hanle Valley is vast and rugged, with long and harsh winters and short summers.

Changpas journey across  pasturelands in and around the valley, which are allotted to them by the head of their communities. They spend their warmer days combing the feathery pashmina/Cashmere wool. The shepherdesses here are also knitters. 

Kitchens are often significant sources of heat and warmth for the community. It keeps them warm during the winters, when temperatures dip to minus 25 degree Celsius. When a family migrates, the first thing they set up is the kitchen.

Tsiring Chonchum is in search of her yaks, which have not yet arrived from grazing. 

The community is known to practise Buddhism. 

Sonam is on her way back to her tent after gathering stones.

Shepherdesses manage both their households and take up responsibilities such as administrative labour.

Rinchen Angmo picks up a bag full of Cashmere wool.

Shredding and packing of wool needs a tremendous amount of effort and physical strength. 

Elderly women in the region do not indulge in grazing.

They permanently stay in shelters in their respective villages, but lend a helping hand to their families during the summers.

After spending an entire day grazing, shepherdesses return to their tents late in the evening.