Transformation Processes In Nomadic Pastoralism In Ladakh

Transformation Processes In Nomadic Pastoralism In Ladakh Today, Ladakh, a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of India, is home to only 1,200 nomadic pastoralists, representing less than 0,5 per cent of the total population. Three distinct communities – Kharnak, Rupshu (or Samad) and Korzok – live near each other, but own their own territory. Changes have always occurred, but over recent decades, they have been particularly dramatic and fast moving. Our aim in this paper is to briefly outline the history of nomadic pastoralism in Ladakh, and then to examine in more depth the transformation processes which have taken place over the last fifty or sixty years, taking as a case-study the nomadic community of Kharnak where I have been working for the past 20 years