Women of Himalayan Dolpo

Abstract

In 2008, in the Himalayan region of Dolpo (Karnali Zone, Western Nepal), I carried out a study on the subject of pilgrims and pilgrimage routes to Mount Kailash. In addition, I collected material on the lives of women in the Himalayas. In Dolpo society, there is a clear division between the worlds of females and males, and these worlds do not overlap. Being a woman myself, I spent most of my leisure time with women. I focused on “women’s” themes with my respondents, and much of the information contained in this article I received while engaging in open conversations, mostly in the village of Ringmo on Lake Phoksundo, and in Dunai.  One of the most remote regions of Nepal, Dolpo is an enclave of Tibetan culture. The people of Dolpo (Dolpo-pa) share a common religion, language, customs, and lifestyle. They inhabit some of the highest villages in the world, supporting themselves through animal husbandry, agriculture and trade. The ethnographic and ecological history of Dolpo trace the dramatic transformations that have taken place in the socioeconomic patterns of the region.