In Ladakh, India, we can find the Changpa Nomads (meaning Eastern people) living in the beautiful Himalaya mountain range. The Changpa Nomads live in tents and travel along the valleys more than four times per year. They have a sustainable lifestyle relying on their animals (goats, sheep, yacs, horses and dogs) to survive. Nomads travel in search of pasture for their animals. In the winter time, during the coldest months, they move to the village called Sumdu, near Tsokar Lake, where they have small houses made of rocks, and where they can escape the harshness of the winter winds and snow.

Families

This community is divided in two major groups: Ladaky and Tibetano. Within this groups there are several families, around thirty families in total. Having more than ten thousand sheep and goats in total. With the years the community is getting smaller and smaller. Young people go to the city for education and end up not returning to the community. When youngsters go to the city it is really hard for them because they are discriminated by other people, because they are nomads.

Also, there were many families who sold their animals and went to Leh in search of a better life.

The Nomad families don’t see themselves as poor or unfortunated. The feel they live in a very strong community, in harmony and supporting each other.

Animals

Around 6 o’clock in the morning they start preparing the animals. Before taking them to graze they milk the goats and sheep. One member of the family is responsible for taking the sheep and goats to graze. They then spend the day round the valley and return before the sun goes down. At the end of they day they milk the animals again. Goats and sheep must be registered in the local agriculture department. Dogs are used for protection of the livestock as it´s common for wolves, snow leopards or foxes to attack the animals.

Other Activities

Besides grazing, Changpa nomads have other activities. Women weave carpets, called “Tsoktul” and one of these carpets can take between 20 to 30 days to finish. They use these carpets to warm themselves and they are not for sale. Men make tents of thick canvas, and each tent can take up to 3 days to complete, and with a size of about 15 ft. One of the most important activities of this community is to soften the sheepskin. It can take 3 to 4 hours a day, but the gains are tremendous, for example if the nomads sell sell the skin without this process being completed they will have an income of about 200 to 300 rupees a skin, if they complete the process (it can take 1 month to complete) they can earn up to 17.000 rupees.

Income

Their main source of income is their stock. From the goats and sheep they extract the wool and produce the famous cashmere. In average, one family can have an income 100K rupees per year.

Climate Changes

The nomads are very concerned with climate change. This is one of their major concerns since their survival depends on the the health and well being of their animals. They feel the winters are dryer, with less snow and therefor with less water. This has a huge impact on their lifestyle. Temperatures that used to reach -35c, are now -20c.