'I am Nepal' is a series showcasing some of Nepal's most extreme cultures. Each group of people live challenging and unique lives, stark in comparison to that of the western world.
To kickstart our series we are creating a pilot that follows a Shepard who lives a unique and difficult lifestyle. For 10 months of the year, he becomes encompassed by his work, with hundreds of families back in the village relying upon him being successful with their livestock.
Our team plans to take the viewer on a journey to parts of Nepal that are usually overlooked. We will make our way to some of the most remote parts of the small country that sits at the foothills of the Himalayas and explore the land and people that live there.
THE SHEPHERD: The Pilot Episode
Being a shepherd is a long-standing tradition within many of Nepal's remote villages, having been passed down from generation to generation.
On paper the job of the shepherd is a simple one, look after the herd of sheep and goats. In reality, it is a harsh and treacherous existence with risks at every turn.
Within the villages, most families own a small number of goats or sheep and for a few months of the year these animals do just fine living in the village with their owners.
However, when the food runs low in the village, the animals need to be moved to find good grazing. In February the shepherd collects all of the goats and sheep from the surrounding villages and with a herd anywhere between 200-300 strong, he heads into the mountains with them, not to return until the following December.
The shepherd and his herd will travel through the jungle, tiered farmlands, valleys, river beds, cliff faces and end up at 4000 meters on a mountainside. With no permanent home throughout the journey, the shepehrd will build makeshift camps from bamboo, sticks, and woven mats for shelter. Special blankets made out of sheep wool will keep them warm and act as a rain cover for monsoon weather. The heard will have a similar shelter made to protect them from the elements.
With him, the shepherd will have a pack of dogs and possibly two or three other men to help him with his task. The dogs will help to protect the herd from predators such as bears, leopards, and wolves that are prevalent in the areas.
If the year goes well for the shepherd he will grow the herd, fatten them up and manage to scrape together enough food to sustain himself, his men, and the dogs. This task gets harder the higher up they move and eventually he will send all but one other of his men home to ensure that the rations last them.
The shepherd will rely upon the knowledge passed down to him by his father and his experience thus far to ensure the heard survives. The hardship of a shepherd's life is not as luring to the younger generation as it once was due to opportunities arising in the far off cities. Without any youngsters willing to step into the Shepherd's shoes once he is gone, not only is this tradition at risk of dying out but what will happen to the villagers who rely so heavily on their livestock for food and income?
THE NOMAD: Episode 1
As one of the last truly nomadic people in Nepal, the Raute hunt and gather from the forests located in Surkhet District. They live in a region of dense forest, rich and teeming with fauna and flora. The forest can be a dangerous and challenging place to live but it is a seemingly endless resource to the native people who have passed down the knowledge from each generation to harness its full potential.
The Raute move their camps regularly through the jungle, staying in one area for no longer than a month. Moving regularly means they have access to an abundance of organic resources. They build their camps from the jungle's natural materials and carve utensils from the wood of the forest.
This nomadic lifestyle is central to the Raute's existence but as a small group, they are threatened by more popular Nepalese lifestyles and by the growing western world ideologies that lurk in the cities.
This first episode will be filmed in the Spring. This is a cooler time when the forest is blooming and begins to burst with new life. The Raute people focus on collecting berries and fruit in this season.
Overall, we want to showcase the relationship between this group of people and the forest in an attempt to shed light upon the remoteness of their lives and vanishing traditions.
THE COLLECTOR: Episode 2
The Collectors live in the Rapla Villages in Darchula District. For over six months of the year, these people live a traditional Nepali village lifestyle, cultivating the land around them. Due to the typography and lack of rainfall in this area, the people of Rapla struggle to grow crops year-round.
They have had no choice but to find an opportunity to supplement their lack of crops. The collectors trek high into the mountains in search of a particular type of fungus that is highly valuable to the world of Chinese medicine. The fungus, known as Yarsagumba, occurs when parasitic mushroom spores infect and mummify the larva of the ghost moth. The fungus grows a stem that protrudes from the soil, leading the careful eye of the collectors to their treasure.
On the Chinese market, Yarsagumba is worth more than gold, gram for gram. Unfortunately, the Collectors receive a fraction of the sale price for the gathering of the fungus but the extra income is essential for sustaining this group of people who must survive in such a remote location.
The fungus only occurs between 3,000 and 5,000 meters in the Himalayas. The Collectors must ready the basic necessities like cooking and camping equipment for the expedition to go high into one of the harshest natural environments in the world. This alpine environment can be extremely challenging as the mountains have their own weather system and can be highly unpredictable. There are many things to contend with on top of this, including altitude sickness and sub 0° nighttime temperatures.
With a roughly 45-day window to collect the fungus, everyone is called to help and the whole community goes to work except for the elderly and sick. Many people die each year in search of this fungus due to being underprepared in these harsh conditions. In this episode, we want to document the incredible journey that the Collectors make to gather this natural resource and investigate how they overcome their environment to sustain themselves and their way of life.
THE FARMER: Episode 3
All across Nepal, there are remote villages where the people's main occupation is farming and cultivating the land around the village. Throughout many generations, the land has been sectioned and divided, sculpted into tiered paddy fields.
The farmers must be in tune with the weather and each seasonal change, preparing to plant, grow and harvest at particular points each year.
The most dramatic of all seasons for the farmer is the monsoon. This spectacular annual rainfall rejuvenates the natural world of Nepal, the flora and fauna of the country burst into life. The monsoon season is such an important time, all hands are needed in the village and the community comes together. The farmers take advantage of the rainfall by planting their rice by hand in June and July. They plow the fields with bulls using traditional techniques and harvest the rice to sustain them throughout the rest of the year.
The farmers of the Thulo Kapre village in Lamjung District stay stationary, rarely ever leaving the village they were born in, spending all of their time producing food for the villagers.
This episode looks at a more common lifestyle across Nepal yet this way of life is still very different from the western world and far from many people's comfort zones. We believe the farmer, being a typical village occupation, is important to showcase, to reveal the beautiful and harmonious lives that they lead.
THE YAK HERDER: Episode 4
In the high region of Upper Mustang yaks were originally wild beasts that roamed the Tibetan Plateau. Eventually, the local people crossbred the mighty animals and harnessed them as livestock. The taming of these animals created a rich and unique culture and as the community developed it became a tradition that is still deeply rooted in certain settlements today. Yak herding is a family business, passed down from generation to generation.
Yak herders dedicate all of their time to the yaks, making sure that the animals are healthy throughout the year and tending to their needs. The Yak herders are semi-nomadic, making temporary camps along the way known as 'Goath' (aka Pen). The herder utilizes every opportunity that the animals provide, including growing the size of the herd, raising newborns, and producing dairy products. Even the yak wool is used for making garments such as coats and rugs.
In the winter season, yak herding is no easy task. The herders have to carry their rations for the trip as they will be spending the entire winter up in the mountains. Natural predators like the Snow Leopard and Tibetan wolf are always on the hunt for the herd. These predators usually focus on the newborn calfs that are the most vulnerable. The group tries to counteract the predators with a pack of dogs but often these have little effect. The Herders also have to contend with natural disasters such as avalanches and landslides that can strike at any time.
THE JHAKRI: Episode 5
Jhakri is the Nepalese word for a Sharman or a witch doctor. The word refers to a practitioner of an ancient religion who delves into the world of healing through interaction with the spiritual world.
A Jhakri will often be called upon in Nepal's rural villages in preference to seeking out modern medicine. Regardless of how far they would have to travel to see a modern doctor, many villagers have strong faith in the work of the Jhakri and throughout their lives have witnessed their healing firsthand.
Nepal's Jhakri make a sacred pilgrimage to pay homage to their beliefs and strengthen their healing abilities. Each year there are festivals all over Nepal to celebrate the Jhakri. Villagers will travel to experience the festivals and seek a healer.
Aside from the yearly gathering at the festival, many villages will have a local Jhakri who will travel between a few close villages helping any sick or injured people. The trust of the Jhakri and their religion runs deep through many cultures in Nepal however as the main cities grow and modern medicine is readily available to anyone who travels there, the younger generation is beginning to be torn away from the traditional beliefs of their parents.