Monday, July 25th, 2022 - Faces of the Indus Valley - Mirrors to the Past?

 As we continued our journey down the Indus, It always seemed that we were headed into the mountains, so it was odd to realize that we were going downstream. I figured it was a very clever river, to have found its way through the mountains like that!

Indus River Near Lamayuru -Loved the Colors of the Scree

I had learned about the Indus River in my long ago schooling - elementary, middle, high - who knows when! We were taught that the earliest of known city-like civilizations, Mohenjo-Daro, was built on the banks of the Indus River around 2,500BC, which is now in Pakistan. They now have found others like it, but the Indus Valley is still regarded as one of the four oldest known 'civilizations' in the world.

 I was surprised to learn that the Indus River ran through Ladakh, as it seems a long way from those roots of civilization. In fact, the Indus is one of the longest rivers in the world, at 1,980 miles. It starts in Tibet,  and winds its way down through Ladakh, Kashmir and Pakistan. It is the river by which India derived its name. Ladakh has evidence of human settlement going back as far as 9,000BC, no doubt fed by the waters of this river from the snow and glacial melt of the Himalayas.

Indus River at Dah

Our destination for the day, was Dah, a small village about 50 miles to the north-west. It is actually not far from the Pakistan border, but I struggle, even with Google maps to figure out exactly how close to Pakistan we were. When I look at Google maps, the solid border lines become all dotted. Nevertheless, believe me when I say it was remote!

Uh, Oh - Flat Tire!

In spite of it being a rain-shadow dry area, it had rained overnight. This created a hazard for driving, as rain on the very slippery scree slopes easily creates rock falls. It was a worry for the drivers throughout the trip. We were fortunate that we did not encounter any major road blocks, but one of our cars was unable to avoid a sharp rock in the road and got a flat tire. All four drivers got involved in the process of switching it out - I have never see a flat tire repaired so quickly!

Skrubuchan Village

Not long after the tire was repaired, we pulled up to a lovely little village, called Skrubuchan.

School Children Reciting in an Assembly

We heard the school students in the playground reciting together. Our guides said that it was a combination of Buddhist teachings and patriotic messaging - the latter possibly similar to our Pledge of Allegiance.

A Bustling Main Street in Skrubuchan Village

It was an active area, but the bustle was not hectic. People stopped and visited with each other, or were just sitting and visiting.

Fast movement at this altitude doesn't work very well, so generally it seemed the pace of work was steady and conducted at a moderate pace. 

Gotta Get the Hay to The Other Side of the Street!

This woman was moving the stacks of hay from one side of the street to the other. She was very deliberate in her actions - almost lovingly laying each 'sheath' down with the others. I presume her purpose was to then load it for transport somewhere, but I couldn't know for sure. Note her footwear - looks like slides!

The Last Step in the Harvest

She was happy to have her photo taken, especially with the local guides interpreting for us and with Nathan leading the way. Sometimes hesitancy was overcome with tips, but in general, people were generous with their willingness to be photographed.

No Broad Smile Here, But a Beautiful Face.

I loved the colors of the clothing and the dignity with which tasks were accomplished. Her smile was a little reserved. I think I would feel the same with ten DLSR cameras pointing at me!

Selling Apples at the Side of the Road

Nearby, this man and woman sat with their collection of apples - presumably up for sale.

A Face to Beat all Smiles

Zooming in on the woman I found the most winning smile of all. She had a moon-shaped face, that emitted rays of sunshine! I don't doubt that every wrinkle has a story to tell, but her joy was infectious!

An Enviable Headdress 

Another woman in the same group also had a large smile, but it was her headdress that I most admired. I would love to know how these wraps are secured. It certainly saves one from 'bad hair' days!

We had some time to explore the village on our own.......

Carrying Bricks to The Construction Site

.......so I followed the fellow carrying the bricks up the hill. There were no motorable roads off the main street, so everything had to be transported by humans. The load for men was three bricks - for women it was two.

Everything Has to be Carried

The bricks were carried using a rope harness, but a basket woven from willow was used for much of the other loads. I was amused that the huge gas container was shoved in the little basket!

A Backyard Meditator?

As I continued up the hill, I came past this fellow, who was siting under a little tent in his backyard. He looked as if he had all bases covered, with his prayer wheel in one hand and his prayer beads in the other. Around the same time, one of our photography guides, Ash Rah, appeared and started negotiations with him for photographs. Initially he said no - I can appreciate that - if I were in the middle of my prayers, I wouldn't want to be disturbed, either.

He said 'Yes', but Only Just....

However, Ash's offer of money for his photograph persuaded him otherwise, but he kept looking at me askance, wanting me to also pay. Ash's assurances that I was with him, didn't seem to satisfy him. He told us he had two daughters and my efforts to acknowledge the same didn't seem to please him, either. 

Perhaps it was a mistake to not stay, but after a few more attempts at appeasing him, without paying more, I moved on.

Prayer Wheel and Prayer Beads in Action

I was sorry that I wasn't able to do a better job of feeling the peace that his meditation might have brought him, but I moved on and left Ash to work with him without me.

Still Carrying Bricks Through Medieval Alleys.

So back I went to brick carrying man as he stolidly continued his task.

Roof Top Flower Garden

I found a pretty roof top flower garden......

Thermos Prayer Wheels

....Thermos bottles that were turned into prayer wheels.......

Paint Can Prayer Wheels

......and as a final reminder that nothing goes to waste in Ladakh, I rejoiced in finding these prayer wheels made out of old paint cans!

But as always, time runs out so back down to the main road I went .....

Elderly Man Poses for Us

...............to discover there was more Nathan Horton people magic happening there. This elderly man had been persuaded, with the help of a young villager, to move into a doorway that was photogenic for his character-filled face.

A Gentle Expression

We were also drawn to the gentleness of this man's face as he was unloading building supplies from a truck.

Nepalese Woman Carrying Bricks

As if we were having too much fun already, this beautiful woman from Nepal, demonstrates that a heavy load doesn't have to wipe the smile from your face!

A Sturdy beauty!

But wait, we're having too much fun here in Skrubuchan Village  - we must get on to the main attraction, which is Dah - still 32 miles away.

Nepalese Road Workers

As before, we were greeted in Dah, by the strength of women! How easily these two girls seemed to carry their heavy rocks! Much of the road work here was carried out manually, with humans, rather than machines, handling the rocks one piece at a time.

Nathan tries to set up photos.

This pair seemed too beautifully dressed for road work. The girl in blue was happy to be photographed, but the girl in maroon was shy and resistant. Always respectful of the person's decision, Nathan has learned to built rapport with basic phrases from a variety of different languages. He also does not hesitate to offer money for their trouble and in this case, the equivalent of a day's wage persuaded the girl in maroon to overcome her shyness.

A Successful Bubble

One of my favorite characters from the road crew we met, was this young woman, with baby on her hip. She delighted that I had captured her photograph while blowing the bubble with her gum, and we both had a good giggle over her accomplishment!

A Peace Sign?

This child sat apart from the workers, presumably associated with them. He/she had a emote expression, but I presume the hand signal was a peace sign.

A Cacophony of Color

As we finally pulled into the village of Dah itself, we found this woman sitting with some friends.

A Sewing Kit Always Available!

You know what pleasure I derived from seeing that among all the lovely ribbons she was draped with, she had a hidden sewing kit, with safety pins at the ready! You know how much I like that pragmatism!

An Aryan Family in Dah

The core reason for this visit to Dah, was that arrangements had been made to photograph this family.  They represent the Aryans who live in this region and Dah is one of only five villages in which they live. They are the last Aryan population in India. The mother and father sit in the middle, flanked by their two daughters. The daughter, on our right, is also with her husband, next to her. 

Now, the term Aryan is so deeply ingrained as being associated with Hitler, I still struggle to understand precisely what it means, so off to Google I went! 

A Remote Beauty

I learned that the Aryans are people, thought to be of Iranian origin, who speak an ancient Indo-European language. The stature and complexion of this family group was certainly distinct from other Ladakhi people we met - they were taller, had higher cheekbones, sharp noses and almond shaped green-blue eyes. Another name that they go by are the Brokpas.

Husband and Wife - Younger Generation

One explanation I read online, for this small population of 1800 people here, is that they are descendants from Alexander the Great's army, who stayed behind in 325 BC, but it seems that anthropologists disagree with this claim. That's why it's complicated!

Nevertheless, it is clear that they are determined to keep their culture intact and do not allow marriage outside their group. Of course, I immediately wonder how they have maintained this practice without inbreeding. 

One intriguing tidbit I came across was that there has been a small attempt by some German women, since the 1930's, to become impregnated with the 'pure Aryan' seed from this area! Happily, there seem to only have been a handful of such cases! In case you want to check it out, here's a very flowery account from the Indian Tribune

 https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/36-hours-with-the-brokpas-of-ladakh-157340

Back of the Brokpa Headdress

The headdresses are of course, fascinating too. The women kept adjusting theirs, so I was surprised to read in another account that they wear their headdresses when working in the fields! I can give you a link to that article, https://abury.net/blogs/abury-blog/brokpa-community-ladakh, but have to admit skepticism, as they appeared very heavy and awkward. Perhaps there was a time when the flowers were also fresh, but now they appeared to be made of silk.

Beads and Woolen Robes Abound

The family was shy, there was a threat of oncoming rain and the drivers were nervous about getting back to our camp for the night, without having to worry about rock fall. So regrettably, we packed our cameras as the first drops fell, and scurried off. I was sorry we didn't get a chance to ask questions, but definitely appreciated seeing the beauty of their heritage.

They Call This 'Glamping'

Although we were camping, we were comfortable and dry. It was a very pleasant place. As we sat in our tents, we could hear the crash of rocks falling below and were glad be were safely ensconced - literally 'high and dry'!