Gujarat, India 2009
The Rabari raise goats and camels and are always in search of good grazing. No doubt that is why these women are on the move. Their men have taken the herds and will meet the women at a designated point. Grazing privileges are getting scarcer. Many landowners do not welcome the Rabari herds and the resulting deposits of animal manure on their fields as they once did. Like the Mursi I showed yesterday, the future of the Rabari as nomadic shepherds is not bright.
My friend, Torie Olson, wrote an in-depth story on the Rabari that was published in “Wild Fiber” magazine. (Summer of 2010 issue: if you can get your hands on a copy, you will be fascinated)