High Frontiers: Dolpo and the Changing World of Himalayan Pastoralists

Kenneth Michael Bauer

Published by Columbia University Press 2004

High Frontiers

Dolpo and the Changing World of Himalayan Pastoralists

Kenneth Michael Bauer

In the series Historical Ecology Series

https://doi.org/10.7312/baue12390

Overview
Contents

About this book

An ethnographic and ecological history of Dolpo, a culturally Tibetan region in western Nepal that is home to some of the highest villages on earth; almost ninety percent of the region lies above 10,000 feet in elevation. Its inhabitants wrest survival from this inhospitable landscape by creatively exploiting agriculture, animal husbandry, and trade.

Dolpo is a culturally Tibetan enclave in one of Nepal's most remote regions. The Dolpo-pa, or people of Dolpo, share language, religious and cultural practices, history, and a way of life. Agro-pastoralists who live in some of the highest villages in the world, the Dolpo-pa wrest survival from this inhospitable landscape through a creative combination of farming, animal husbandry, and trade.

High Frontiers is an ethnography and ecological history of Dolpo tracing the dramatic transformations in the region's socioeconomic patterns. Once these traders passed freely between Tibet and Nepal with their caravans of yak to exchange salt and grains; they relied on winter pastures in Tibet to maintain their herds. After 1959, China assumed full control over Tibet and the border was closed, restricting livestock migrations and sharply curtailing trade. At the same time, increasing supplies of Indian salt reduced the value of Tibetan salt, undermining Dolpo's economic niche. Dolpo's agro-pastoralists were forced to reinvent their lives by changing their migration patterns, adopting new economic partnerships, and adapting to external agents of change. The region has been transformed as a result of the creation of Nepal's largest national park, the making of Himalaya, a major motion picture filmed on location, the increasing presence of nongovernmental organizations, and a booming trade in medicinal products. High Frontiers examines these transformations at the local level and speculates on the future of pastoralism in this region and across the Himalayas.

Author / Editor information

Kenneth M. Bauer founded DROKPA, a nonprofit organization that partners with pastoral communities to implement grassroots development projects in the Himalayas and Central Asia.

Reviews

Christopher Thoms:
A well-written, clear and engaging case study of cultural change in the high Himal.

Lara Deeb:
An antidote to romanticized portrayals of Himalayan landscapes, people, and the interactions between them.

James F. Fisher:
Bauer has his facts straight, and his analysis is compelling. His book is a valuable addition.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Abbreviations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	ix
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xi
A Note on Tibetan and Nepali Terms Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xiii
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Dolpo’s Agro-Pastoral System Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	19
2. Pastoralism, in View and Review Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	43
3. A Sketch of Dolpo’s History Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	60
4. A New World Order in Tibet Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	73
5. Nepal’s Relations with Its Border Populations and the Case of Dolpo Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	95
6. The Wheel Is Broken: A Pastoral Exodus in the Himalayas Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	107
7. Visions of Dolpo: Conservation and Development Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	133
8. A Tsampa Western Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	169
9. Perspectives on Change Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	187
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	205
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	231
Glossary Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	253
Appendix 1: Pasture Toponomy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	257
Appendix 2: Dolpo Plant Species Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	259
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	263

Language: English
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 336
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 81
- Other: 81 illus.

eBook

Published: April 7, 2004
ISBN: 9780231509022