Kashmir is the summer home to an ethnic ‘tribe’ known as the the Bakarwals (which means “shepherds” in Gojari). They’re semi-nomadic herders of sheep and goats. In rural areas and around the edge of Srinigar, traffic stopped pretty regularly for a herd to come through.

Small groups live in makeshift tents that look (to Americans) like homeless camps. But being homeless and being a nomad are two very different things. A group we visited (who seemed like one extended family) lived in tents made of tarps and sticks, but they owned and tended a pasture-full of healthy sheep.

Even so, since they’re always on the move, the kids don’t often go to school (or the doctor). It seems like a tough (and odd) life, but they’re living much as their ancestors did for centuries. And they were friendly and open to meeting curious Westerners with tons of cameras (especially after we handed out juice boxes to the kids).

Also: Some images of what farms and ‘agriculture’ looked like in Jammu & Kashmir / Ladakh India, in the shadow of the northern Himalayas. This was September. Oklahoma friends: notice how these folks ‘haul hay’ (via motorcycle or hand-carried!). And imagine harvesting grains by hand.