We trekked a good 3 hours to this one and wild nature is definitely not my preferred environment. I just wanted to kill myself on the steep hike and was almost about to faint when the small village emerged in the distance. This place, tucked away in the valley next to a flowing river, was like a secret oasis deep in the mountain ranges. I was told that no one really knows how long this tribe has been around but it was obvious now that the population of this community has decreased quite a bit. I was able to make out about 8-10 wooden huts from where I was standing.
The closer we got, the more beautiful the place became. Children were playing on the beach while some women were washing and drying on a boulder.
There were patches of seeds spread out on rocky surfaces. These white bits are root vegetable chips, crisping in the sun.
We had our lunch here, and washed our hands in the flowing water.
Raj's dad had hooked us up with a permission to enter the tribe's village, I felt very lucky and privileged, but I also felt like a trespasser. All the adults had set off for the main town area to sell their goods, which would have involved fire wood, and some crops. Only the children and elders remained during our visit.
When we first entered, I was just trying to take it all in, capturing everything without thinking too much about what I was shooting. But pretty quickly, I got a really strong urge to just leave these people alone. Our guide was enthusiastically showing us around, and even invited us into some of the homes, but none of the invitations came from the people who actually lived there. I was quite uncomfortable to barge into their homes, especially since the adults were away.
After some persistent coercing from our guides, I decided to just go in for a little bit, and out after a quick peek. We took off our shoes at the gate of one lovely home, where an elderly women was squatting in the veranda area, pealing potatoes.
All of the houses were planned in the same way and this one was no exception. Covered veranda in front, where most of daily activities take place, this was also where the inhabitants sleep. Enclosed in the back of the building, is the kitchen area. An attic-like space in the roof space is left for storage and drying vegetables. These layouts are all very open-concept and have their most private functions (sleeping, living) completely exposed. Ironically, the cattle is kept in nicely enclosed huts next to the homes. Behind each plot, is of course, some farmland.
It appeared to me that this tribe, was living in quite modern conditions. They had pots and pans, even pressure cookers; there was no electricity or plumbing, but some of the homes had tin roofs, material they probably brought from town.
Even more surprising, are the little solar panels set up on each of the homes' roofs. The municipality had them set up to feed the 4 street lights that dotted the main path through the village. These lights replaced the torches that the tribe once used to ward off wild boar from their farmland.
Slowly this tribe was transitioning towards a very contemporary lifestyle. With so few families remaining on this little secret land in the valley, it looks like this village won't be around for too much longer.
Beautiful Pictures!
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