Kanika Sharan University of Delhi, Department of Anthropology
dx.doi.org/10.12835/ve2023.1-124
Abstract
While on field research in the Gaddi villages of the Himala
yas, I was wonderstruck by the women’s various roles. This community
is patriarchal, but there has been a culture of women taking on many
responsibilities of running the family, community, and village. Gad
di women, thus, from politics to agriculture, can be seen doing many
tasks. As I explored more profoundly, most men of the hills appeared
absent. They migrated to plain areas due to their jobs; some were in
the army. The main reason behind this migration is the ecological con
ditions of the hills, where the lack of natural resources, especially ag
ricultural lands and the domestication of sheep and goats, could not
provide a livelihood for the entire population. In this visual research
article of photographs, I will explore how the Gaddi women identify
themselves, how they spend their daily lives in the Himalayas, and how
their sense of personhood and selfhood is influenced by various spaces
and their culture and ritual constructions.
Keywords
Himalayan, Gaddi tribe, Gender, Anthropology, Identity, Pastoralism, Public/Private Space.
