The Rabari herders, keepers of the camels and the old grazing roads

The people who walk with the animals

• The animals: camels made the community's name, but most families today keep more sheep and goats than camels, with a few cows and buffaloes at home.
• The old bargain: for centuries rulers granted herders grazing rights, and the herders supplied camels, milk and wool to the courts and armies of the Rajput states.
• Settled and moving: many families now live in villages and graze nearby. Others still walk their flocks long distances for part of the year, following the grass.
• Wealth on the hoof: a family's standing, a girl's dowry and its savings are still often counted in animals rather than in money.
• Not one tribe: there are many clans and sub-groups, each with its own dress details, marriage rules and gods. A herder from Kutch and one from Pali will spot each other's differences at once.
• Changing lives: today many Rabari children go to school, and some families have moved into farming, dairying, driving and shopkeeping. Herding is still the identity, even when it is no longer the only income.

How to recognise a Rabari herder

• The staff: a long wooden stick that is walking stick, goat hook and defence against village dogs all at once.
• The women's black: dark skirts and long veils of wool or cotton, in striking contrast to the bright colours of the farming castes around them.
• The silver: women wear heavy silver anklets, bangles, necklaces and earrings. A family's savings often travel on a woman's arms.
• The tattoos: many older women have tattoos on hands, arms, neck and chin, in patterns that carry meaning within the clan. Younger women are far less likely to have them.
• In Kutch: across the border, Rabari women are renowned embroiderers of mirror work and chain stitch. In Rajasthan the stitching is plainer, but look for a beautiful bag or a camel's saddle cloth.
• The shoes: heavy leather jootis, often hand-stitched by village cobblers, made to survive thorns, stone and hot sand.

A herder's year, season by season

Pabuji, the goddess and the gods of the herd

• The phad: his story is sung by bhopas, singer-priests, in front of a phad, a long cloth painted with the scenes of the epic, lit one scene at a time by a lamp.
• A vow fulfilled: families commission a performance to give thanks or to bring luck to the herds. A full telling can run over several nights.
• Other folk gods: herders also honour local heroes such as Ramdev Pir and Tejaji, whose shrines dot the villages. Each protects a different part of a family's life.
• The goddess on the hill: around Jawai almost every granite hill has a shrine to a form of the goddess. Herders see the leopard as her vehicle.
• What that means: a herder may lose a goat to a leopard and speak of it with sorrow but without anger. It is one reason the leopards survive here.
• Read more: our piece on the bhopa and the phad tells how the scrolls are painted and sung.

What a herder knows that a vet doesn't

• The camel in rut: a bull camel that froths at the mouth and blows out a pink sac from its mouth is in rut. Herders give it a wide berth, and so should you.
• Every animal by name: watch the flock respond to a whistle or a call. Many herders can name every goat in a herd of a hundred.
• The land: where the water lies after rain, which village will let a flock onto its stubble, and where a leopard has been walking.
• Breeding lines: the Raika keep careful memory of camel bloodlines, and a good female camel's line is spoken of the way Rajputs speak of horses.
• Weather: herders read clouds, wind and the behaviour of birds for the coming rain. After a lifetime outdoors, their forecasts are worth hearing.

Why the camel herds are shrinking

• The law of 2015: a state law banned camel slaughter and restricted taking camels out of Rajasthan. It was meant to protect them, but made it harder for herders to sell young males.
• Young people leave: with less income from camels, many sons take jobs in the towns or in Gujarat's cities.
• New hope: camel milk, camel-wool weaving and camel-dung paper are giving some herds a new value, and the herders' groups are pushing for grazing rights.
• Camel milk: slightly salty and lighter than cow's milk, drunk fresh by herding families for generations. It is now sold in some cities, and herders hope demand will grow.
• Sadri: near Kumbhalgarh, the Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan has worked with Raika herders for decades on camel health and herders' rights, and runs a camel dairy.
• Our part: when we arrange a camel safari we choose owners who rest and feed their animals well and are paid fairly. Our piece on the camels of Rajasthan tells the wider story.

Where we meet herders with our guests

What a morning with a herder is really like

• The tea: at some point the herder makes tea over a few twigs, with goat's milk and plenty of sugar, in a small blackened pan.
• The talk: rain, grass, children, prices at the last fair, and the leopard who has lived above the village for years.
• The ending: if the family invites you, the walk may finish at their home, where you might see ghee being made or wool spun.
• The ground: uneven, stony and sandy, with little shade. Closed shoes, a hat and water are essential.
• More detail: our page on walking with Rabari herders explains exactly how we arrange it.

How to be a good guest

• Hands off: don't touch animals or pick up a kid or lamb unless invited. The mother may follow you.
• Accept the tea: at least a sip. Refusing hospitality is far ruder than leaving a cup half full. Take it with your right hand.
• Dress modestly: muted colours, covered shoulders and knees, closed shoes.
• Leave dogs alone: herding dogs work, and they are wary of strangers. Let the herder call his dog before you walk close to the flock.
• Never wander the hills alone: around Jawai, leopards are active at dawn and dusk. Always go with a local guide.
• Say thank you by buying: if the family offers ghee, a woven blanket or a bag, buying it is the best thank you there is.
• Our wider approach: our page on travelling responsibly explains how we work with communities.

The Rabari beyond Rajasthan

• The migrations: some families still walk long distances with sheep in the dry months, into Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
• Combine the two: our Rajasthan and Kutch journey crosses the herders' country from Jawai to the Rann.
• What to compare: the women's veils, the cut of the men's jackets and the jewellery. A guide who knows both regions makes it a lesson in reading people.
• Mount Abu and the south: herding families also graze the Aravalli slopes towards Mount Abu, where the hills meet Gujarat.

Who will love time with the herders

• Families: children love the kids, the lambs and the baby camels, and herders love children.
• Wildlife lovers: at Jawai, the herders know the leopards better than anyone. Our Wild Rajasthan guide shows how it fits a safari journey.
• Less suited to: anyone wanting a performance or a shopping stop, or guests who find uneven ground hard. We can arrange a short visit near the road instead.
• Pair it with: the Marwari horses of Rohet, the Bishnoi villages and the temple at Ranakpur.