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The last shepherdesses of Pamir

by Camille DELBOS

Pakistan

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Eagles view of the Pamir plateau, nestled in the Karakoram Mountains, Pakistan. A handful of women and a few men move for five months to summer pastures and settle an isolated hamlet over 4600 meters high, a three-day walk from the nearest village.
Eagles view of the Pamir plateau, nestled in the Karakoram Mountains, Pakistan. A handful of women and a few men move for five months to summer pastures and settle an isolated hamlet over 4600 meters high, a three-day walk from the nearest village.
In harsh and inclement weather conditions, subject to the whims of the sun, wind and snow, shepherdesses take care of over one thousand cattle; sheep, goats and yaks.
In harsh and inclement weather conditions, subject to the whims of the sun, wind and snow, shepherdesses take care of over one thousand cattle; sheep, goats and yaks.
The days flow monotonously by, punctuated by milking and the tedious making of traditional cheese. The shepherdesses are conscious of being the custodians of an ancestral knowledge.
The days flow monotonously by, punctuated by milking and the tedious making of traditional cheese. The shepherdesses are conscious of being the custodians of an ancestral knowledge.
Inayat Bakht dries a thick paste made out of boiled milk. This sun-dried cheese 'qurut' represents the local way to put the abundant milk to good use. It offers an additional source of income, along with the sale of livestock.
Inayat Bakht dries a thick paste made out of boiled milk. This sun-dried cheese 'qurut' represents the local way to put the abundant milk to good use. It offers an additional source of income, along with the sale of livestock.
Among forty shepherd's huts, this year only seventeen are occupied. The gradual desertion results from the development of education, the aging of the shepherdesses and few replacements. The end of this singular feminine pastoralism seems inevitable.
Among forty shepherd's huts, this year only seventeen are occupied. The gradual desertion results from the development of education, the aging of the shepherdesses and few replacements. The end of this singular feminine pastoralism seems inevitable.

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