“We sustained collectively”: indigenous group work practices among the Bakarwal pastoral nomads

ABSTRACT

From time immemorial, the traditional practice of group work has contributed to the harmonious existence of various indigenous peoples. The Bakarwal pastoral nomads, who live in the Pir Panjal Range of the Great Himalayas in Jammu and Kashmir, India, sustain their pastoral nomadic way of life by living and working in groups. They demonstrate the principles and values of social group work as they perform the transhumance or biannual seasonal migration, distribute tasks, reside in their summer and winter pastures, resolve conflicts, and provide reciprocal support and mutual aid. Available literature highlights the obstacles and challenges encountered by Bakarwal pastoral nomads, however, there is a dearth of literature that documents the self-sustaining practices that they use to overcome such complexities. This paper attempts to bridge this gap by comparing the traditional group work of the Bakarwals with professional social work with groups.

KEYWORDS:

• Bakarwal
• group work
• Dera
• Kafila
• Jammu and Kashmir
• mutual aid
• pastoralism
• sustenance
• transhumance

Acknowledgments

Priya Rajput is a recipient of the Indian Council of Social Science Research Doctoral Fellowship. This article is largely an outcome of her doctoral work sponsored by ICSSR. However, the responsibility for the facts stated, opinions expressed, and conclusions drawn is entirely that of the authors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.