Around the smoky hearths of Van Gujjar families, mornings begin with more than tea. Buffalo milk simmers over twigs and dried dung, while elders fold blankets…
Articles
Inside the smoke: health realities of cooking fires in nomadic tents
Buffaloes as Bonds in Van Gujjar Marriage Negotiations
The Van Gujjar community, spread across the lower Himalayan foothills of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, has long viewed buffaloes as more…
SOPHIA Empowers Young Voices Through Leadership and Advocacy Training
Across the lower Himalayas, young people from the Van Gujjar and other forest-dependent communities are stepping into roles their grandparents could not have…
Building with the forest: Van Gujjar shelter construction traditions
In the lower and middle Himalayas, the Van Gujjars have refined a shelter tradition that bends with the seasons rather than fighting them. For centuries, these…
Preserving Van Gujjar Lineages Through Community Oral History
Van Gujjar families move with their buffalo herds between Himalayan meadows and the lower forests of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, carrying…
How Covid-19 reshaped buffalo milk supply chains in the hills
Across the pine-clad slopes of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, the daily rhythm of Van Gujjar pastoralists has long revolved around their buffaloes. Families…
Understanding Van Gujjar kinship and clan networks
Tucked into the foothills where the Shivaliks meet the upper Gangetic plains, the Van Gujjar community has moved buffalo herds between winter lowlands and…
What Land Titling Means for a Van Gujjar Settlement
For a Van Gujjar settlement, land titling is far more than a government formality. It can determine whether families are recognised as legitimate residents,…
From Milk to Ghee and Curd: Diversifying Pastoral Incomes
For Van Gujjar families across the forested slopes of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, the buffalo is more than a source of milk. It functions…
SOPHIA backs Van Gujjar grazing rights in Indian wildlife sanctuaries
In the mist-laden foothills of the Himalayas, the Van Gujjar community has practised transhumance for generations, moving their buffaloes between alpine…