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In Ladakh, in the Indian Himalayas, nomadic herders raise the goats whose fine wool becomes pashmina. Portraits, flocks and high-mountain landscapes.
This photo story shows pashmina herders in Ladakh, in the Indian Himalayas, in July and August 2022. Nomadic families raise the goats whose very fine wool gives the famous cashmere.
Pashmina wool comes from Ladakh, at the northern tip of India. With a diameter of 12 to 14 microns, up to six times finer than a human hair, this fibre is one of the finest in the world. It is then hand-woven in Srinagar, using an ancestral process.
Before it becomes a shawl, the wool passes through the herders’ hands. In the photos, a herder combs a goat to harvest its wool, and another holds one down, smiling. A woman herder holds a kid in the middle of the flock.
Ladakh offers vast landscapes of steppe and mountains. A flock crosses a stone bridge, a nomad camp stands on a hillside, and a yak rests by a stream in front of a tent. These images speak of the harshness of the climate and the simplicity of family life.
Portraits also play a large part: a nomad woman holds a prayer wheel and a rosary, and another poses on the road in pink sunglasses. This photo story continues in Srinagar, where you can discover the next stage of the cashmere route.
Ladakh lies at very high altitude, in northern India. Pashmina herders in Ladakh live from their herds of goats and yaks. The photographs were taken on the spot in July and August 2022, during a journey along the cashmere route.
This story is part of Alexander Bee’s documentary photography portfolio. You can also discover Samburu or Kashmir: Srinagar and the weavers. To buy a print or use a photo, contact me. To learn more: Pashmina on Wikipedia.
Photos © Alexander Bee – all rights reserved. Prints and licensing: contact me.
