The relationship between camels and their rearers continues to be pronounced by centuries-old customs
It wouldn’t be erroneous to say that animal rearing is an art passed down from one generation to another. It has helped build a repository of unique culture and knowledge systems.
From Sufiyana Qalam to costumes and jewelries — pastoralism is not only a way of making a living, it is also a way of living.
A relationship defined by love and care
Camel pastoralists in western Rajasthan and Gujarat maintain the century-old customs to manage their herds. Their ethno-veterinary practices and their lives revolve around the camels.
They never sell the camel milk for livelihood, and the thought of selling camels for meat is considered diabolical.
Once in a while male camels are sold during the regional livestock festivals, but only after taking the consent of the elderly. For them, camels are like their children.
This relationship has sewn a literature of livestock management practices.
Camels and ceremonies
During a wedding of a member of the camel-rearing community, the groom’s family ensures that the departure commences with a ride on a camel. This is called Nikasi. It is obligatory for the groom to remain seated on the camel and mark his entry into the bride’s village.
In western part of Rajasthan, the elderly camel rearers claim they “try to marry their sons in families that offer camels”.
A joint initiative
During monsoons, communities assemble the camels grazing near their villages. The collective efforts by the community members ensure that the animals do not destroy the crop.
The community intimates the camel rearers if their camels cross the borders or go to some faraway grazing lands in nearby districts.
Kheng, or the markings on a camel’s body, not only serve as the camel’s identity but attaches it to that of the community members and their villages. The practice carries a socio-cultural significance; even when a camel is sold, Kheng of the original owner is not removed and no new marking is done.
Kheng, also locally known as Dam, is mostly carried out on a younger camel. A shape is created by iron to fix the mark on the camel’s body.
The Kheng coin is of various shapes. It comes in round-like shapes known as Mudra Kheng; flower like is Phulari Kheng; hook-shaped are called Akora Kheng; and line-inspired Kheng are called Liri Kheng or dodi-liri Kheng.
Gena Ram, a camel rearer, said: “The most prominent forms of Khengs are the symbol of God [Kuldevta] and that of village”.
Several herders claimed that soon after the practice, the camel’s mother’s milk, along with turmeric, is applied to that area.
The art of healing
Camel rearing revolves around the bond between the rearer and camel. Rearers use alum (Phitkari) to treat basic wounds; they mix it with aloe vera extracts in case of bleeding.
Much of the other practices of healing or care has been derived from oral knowledge from other places. Other practices such as the use of cotton threads “to save the camel from snake or scorpion bite” is said to be borrowed from the pastoralists who did the same in case of small ruminants.
The first milk of the camel after parturition is used to make kheer, a sweet dish, and is offered to local deities as a wish to keep the animals healthy.
On the brink
These customs and traditional practices do highlight the close association of the community with its livestock. Unfortunately, the camel population is on decline, and so are many such practices.
Suraj Singh, field coordinator, Urmul Trust, said: “There would be bigger herds earlier. Herders would keep record of all camels. But with their population shrinking, some rearers are giving them away.”
The relationship between the camel and its owner is changing. This calls for intervention by the state and developmental agencies to take up the issues. Camel-based livelihood option is the need of hour.
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