Bhotiyas
Also called: Bhotia · Topic: Primary Activities: Gathering, Pastoralism, Agriculture and Mining · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "Primary Activities"
Meaning
Bhotiyas are a Himalayan community of Uttarakhand and Sikkim. In the past they were trans-Himalayan traders who carried goods across the passes to Tibet. They practise transhumance. In summer they move with their sheep and goats up to high alpine meadows called bugyals. In winter they come down to lower valleys. Their way of life shows how people in mountains use different heights in different seasons.
Example
In the Kumaon and Garhwal Himalaya of Uttarakhand, Bhotiya herders graze their flocks on the high bugyals in summer. They come down to the lower valleys before winter.
Don't confuse with
- Gujjars: they are mainly buffalo herders found in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. They are not trans-Himalayan traders.
Related concepts
- Pastoralism
- Nomadic herding
- Regions of pastoral nomadism
- Transhumance
- Gujjars
- Bakarwals
- Commercial livestock rearing
- Carrying capacity of pasture