Faced with the burgeoning challenges such as deforestation and urbanisation, the Bakarwal community—a nomadic sub-group of the Gujjar tribe, primarily found in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions of Pakistan known for herding goats and sheep—is struggling to preserve its ancient way of life.
The members of this endangered community are faced with obstacles like deforestation and rapid urban growth, which restrict their access to natural grazing lands, especially in the regions around Islamabad.
Seeking better pastures
While some members of the community have settled permanently in some newly-inhabited dwellings, the majority still practice the centuries-old nomadic lifestyle. They travel with hundreds of goats, sheep, and a few mules, maintaining traditions that have been passed down through generations.
With their profound knowledge of herbs, they rarely require veterinary assistance to care for their livestock.
The community also possesses a rich tradition of crafting handmade woollen shawls and mattresses, which, unfortunately, is gradually fading due to declining market demand.
The roads less travelled
Nomads while pursuing their ancient tradition continue to travel to warmer areas of Pakistan from areas of the Karakoram region in the summer season. They inhabit their temporary dwellings in surrounding hilly areas of Islamabad along with hundreds of sheep and goats.
After spending the entire winter season here, they start their journey back to the areas in Gilgit-Baltistan which span over 40 days.
Currently, they are on their approximately six-month seasonal journey in the hills of Kotli Sattian in the surroundings of Simly Dam in Murree district. The dam is one of the major sources of water supply to the residents of Islamabad.
The uninhabited hills in the area serve as pastures for the Bakarwal community to graze cattle, mostly sheep and goats. They have tented residential arrangements in the area, commonly known as Jhugian.
These huts give them shelter for themselves and for their cattle for the night. Generally, they take the cattle early in the morning to the distant jungles where their livestock graze in the open field, and before the advent of the evening, they start their journey back to their tented homes.
In this process, they try to avoid confronting the staff of the forest department for which they wander around the hard-to-reach areas. There is no official ban on cattle grazing in Kotli Sattian, as almost all the plantations in the area consist of wild plants mostly bushes.
Continuing legacy
Thirty-year-old Chaudhry Nazakat, with a medium build and a short beard, is continuing the nomadic legacy of his ancestors. His frequent travels across the various regions of Pakistan have made him fluent in Hindko, Gojri and Urdu languages. Sitting amidst his grazing herd in Dhok Chaudhry, he shares that the surrounding areas of Simly Dam serve as seasonal camping site for hundreds of Bakarwals.
The Bakarwals, as Chaudhry puts it, are basically of Kashmiri origin. They start their journey from the pastures of Astore—a district of Gilgit-Baltistan which shares boundaries with Bandipore district of Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir—to Kotli Sattian, Murree in October before onset of the harsh winter season there.
He said they take 40 days to get to Kotli Sattian along with around 350-500 goats and sheep.
“Earlier in the past, the entire community used to travel on foot along with their livestock but modern transportation system has changed our life-pattern a bit.
“Now, females, older members of the family and the children ride on the buses, trucks etc., to get to their destinations; and others take responsibility to herd the cattle on the long route on foot. The rest of the practices remain the same, which have been in practice for the past many centuries,” he states.
Adapting to modern life
The Bakarwal community, comprising around 250-300 families, lives in areas such as Simly Pand, Maucha, Mauwa in the winter months. In April every year, before the start of summer season in the area, they pack-up their belongings and start the upward journey to the areas of Gilgit-Baltistan.
They live in makeshift huts in the areas of Kotli Sattian while they generally reside in tents when they happen to be in the jungles of Gilgit-Baltistan, particularly in the expansive natural pastures of Astore district.
They have a low tendency to enrol their children in schools. However, a few of them have got their children admitted to the schools in Kotli Sattian. The summer vacations enable them to take their seasonal tour to Gilgit-Baltistan with their parents.
The guarding dogs, commonly called Bakarwal dogs—who keep close eye on all the herd and secure the cattle from any untoward happenings—and at least seven mules are usually part of the cattle herding caravan.
“Necessary items, edibles and other daily-use items are loaded on the mules when the shepherds are on their way during the long route to accomplish their seasonal tour,” Nazakat says.
Passing the torch
The ancient nomadic traditions passed down through generations continue to enrich the Bakarwals, teaching them the benefits of herbs in daily life. They rarely need any veterinary to treat goats or sheep if they fall ill.
“They are well-experienced veterinarians themselves in a sense that they know what herb can be used for the livestock if there is medical problem with it,” Nazakat claims.
Fleeing traditional strains
Around two decades ago, Bakarwals established a separate settlement named as Dhok Chaudhry in ‘Karor Gaoun’. Today, the village is home to 35 Bakarwal households, including those who abandoned their ancestral profession.
They are stated to have left the profession due to severity of the challenges that the community faces while travelling to the distant regions of Pakistan, spanning over hundreds of miles.
Moreover, urbanisation and deforestation continue to shrink the grazing fields, posing another major challenge to the community.
“Those who have left the profession of herding the cattle now have adopted other professions predominantly doing labour work for earning a livelihood,” he maintains.
Interestingly, besides herding their own livestock, the community also takes the goats and sheep of other persons, outside of the community, on a contract. They charge appropriate fee for six months for this purpose which may vary from case to case.
Instead of accepting cash as the reward for rearing the goats of others, they may also ask their share from offspring of the goats. Generally, they make bulk deal of goats with the individuals who want their goats or sheep reared by them.
Murtaza Chaudhry, 35, resides near Chakri, Rawalpindi. His father Kora Khan left nomadic life, revolving around herding cattle and roaming between the regions of Potohar and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Murtaza’s father was fed up with the hard nomadic lifestyle, which is why, he chose to settle in the area. He sold his goats
“Generally, they [Bakarwals] marry within the community as fewer outside the community can endure the hardships associated with the nomadic lifestyle,” Murtaza contends.
Art of crafting handicrafts
There are certain handicrafts uniquely associated with the community, including Lohi and Katori
Lohi is a half-an-inch thick handmade mattress made of pure lamb wool. While, Katori is a handmade woollen shawl mostly worn by men.
knitting Lohi and Katori is a time-consuming process, taking months to complete and perfect. The women of the tribe first clean the wool, then spin it using a Charkha (spinning wheel).
“When enough thread is accumulated, it is weaved on handloom. The desired colours are also applied to the fabric according to one’s preference,” Murtaza Chaudhry says.
Lohi or Katori generally have a very long lifespan and, in most cases, are passed down from one generation to the next. The Bakarwal community used to sell these products, mostly Katori, in the market. However, with the decline in demand, the art gradually fading away and now it is knitted mainly for their own use.
Chaudhry says Lohi may be priced at Rs12,000 while a Katori may cost Rs. 7,000.
Pure desi ghee from grazing goats is another unique product that the Bakarwal community produces. They sell it at Rs. 4,500 per kilogram. “This is a rare product, not easily available in the market. One has to approach the community to get it,” Chaudhry says.
The Bakarwal community is an alive example of resilience and endurance, continuing to pursue its centuries-old tradition of nomadic life. This lifestyle is full of challenges and hardships but it continues to uphold its unique identity despite facing all odds.
