Our Life on the Summer Pastures of Pamir
Description
A day before we leave the village [Shimshal] to go to Pamir [the summer pasture], we bake bread putok and chamurki [crushed freshly baked flatbread mixed with apricot oil] for the road. At the end of the village yaks are loaded with supplies, mothers carry their babies on their back , and walk for 3-4 days [spending nights in travel shelters built along the trail]. When we reach Shuwurt (the largest pastural settlement in Shimshal Valley) we first of all celebrate mirgechigh, yaks, goat and sheep are adorned with colorful cloths and milk and curd sprayed on them (as offering to the nature). After the festival, we start producing dairy products like milk, butter and cheese for the family. As everyday routine women (rotationally) graze livestock in the meadows and [surrounding] hills. We worked even in bad weather like; rain and snowfall, often helping our mothers-in-law, our aunts, and our mothers. Together we overcame all difficulties in Pamir and enjoyed the peace that we had.
Sometimes, our husbands and brothers [male family members] came up binging supplies, and to shear and clean [sheep] wool, [yak and Goat] hair, which we cleaned and sat together happily. Our husbands carried the dairy products we produced back to the village where carpets were made [of yak and goat hair sheared in Pamir]. [in Pamir] women often set together all night to protect the animals [from predators] and slept on the roof of the animal shelters. When there were sounds of snow leopards, we went out and made noise to scare them off. If our eyes did not open, they would come and eat the goats, [even] inside the animal shelter. We used to walk around barefoot inside the animal shelter which made our feet get completely dirty. To wash them we, went to the [Pamir] river, washed our feet there, then we went back home to prepare tea for ourselves and get back to work. We played with each other, made butter and did all other work together.
Life is difficult in Pamir, but the area is also very beautiful with many colourful flowers blooming and much greenery. We also used to sit around in small groups with our belongings and enjoyed taking turns in going to Pamir and taking care of the cattle.
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2.1.4.1
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