G for Goats

During April, I'll be posting daily in the A-Z Blogging Challenge
My theme is the Hunzas
Today is G....... for Goats




Goats provide a vital food source for the Hunza People. Goats are sure-footed animals and lend well to the steep rocky mountains. Not being picky eaters, they are browsers and sample a little of this, a little of that as they walk along a mountain incline.

The goats pictured above are angora goats . Their wool can be spun into a strong, warm yarn that is marvelous for knitting caps and mittens for a cold mountain climate.

The goat milk is made into yoghurt and butter or just served as a drink with their meals. Goat milk is high in silica and makes glorious shiny hair and strong bones and teeth.

Every Hunza family is fortunate to have a small herd of goats.

Below is a short video of Hunza kids playing with a wild Ibex goat.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

F for Food

During April, I'll be posting on the A-Z Blogging Challenge.
My theme is the Hunzas.
Today is F..... for FOOD



Food is the determining factor for the population growth in the Hunza Valley. The population has to remain constant. Visitors are welcome for a short stay but new families never move in.



Dividing up a small farm amongst children would never leave enough land to support a family so the family farm is usually left to the oldest son. Other children in the family leave the valley and settle in larger cities in Pakistan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scenes in the Hunza Valley

E for Efficient

During April, I'll be posting on the A-Z Blogging Challenge.
My theme is the Hunzas.
Today is E.....for Efficient

The Hunzakuts have survived in their small valley for over 2,000 years. All phases of life are well planned and organized so that 40,000 people can live efficiently on a land of crumbling rock.

Housing is limited and newly married couples live with the husband's family. Houses are made of rock and mud and are always 2 or 3 stories tall. Natural birth control is practiced, as after a woman has a baby, she sleeps on the woman's side of the house for 2 or 3 years.



The valley has no real soil, only a silt produced as run off from the glaciers. This silt is carried in buckets up the rocky mountains and deposited on terraced levels for crops.

Farming is thoroughly efficient as a terraced mountain may offer 30 to 50 levels of beautifully terraced gardens.

D is for Diet

During April, I'll be posting on the A-Z Blogging Challenge.
My theme is the Hunzas.
Today is D....... for diet.



Hunza people can't shop at food markets because of their isolation. Their diet consists of what grows in the sheltered valley. One of the reasons they were able to survive in seclusion is because their valley was able to provide all the essentials for a balanced diet




The picture above is an apricot tree in full bloom.
A typical meal may consist of chapatas of wheat, millet or corn
Green leafy salad in summer & root vegetables in the winter.
Goat milk or buttermilk.
Goat butter made into gee and goat cheese.
Wine made from fruit.... apricots, cherries.
Their cooking oil comes from almonds and apricots. .

Very little meat is available. This well balanced diet accounts for the Hunzas cheerful attitude, exceptional health and abundant stamina.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A short video on the Hunza diet and what gives them robust health.

Capitol

During April, I'll be posting on the A-Z Blogging Challenge.
My theme is the Hunzas.
Today is C ....... for Capitol

The Capitol of Hunza was Baltit (no jokes, please :) ). Now Hunza is a part of Pakistan. Long ago, the rugged Himalayas seemed to bring out the aggressive attacks on neighboring states. Hunza and Nager were 2 rival states who were constantly at war with one another. They built forts as strongholds that balanced on the edge of mountains.



The above fort at Baltit eventually became the Capitol of Hunza, making it the prime seat of power. It also became the palace that housed the Hunza ruler or the "Mir."

After years of alternating crumbling and renovations, a new palace was built in 1945 and the old fort was remodeled and turned into the "Baltit Serene Inn."

Burushas

During the month of April, I will be posting on the A-Z Blogging Challenge. My theme is the Hunzas
Today is B for Burushas


The Burushas people are found in 3 daunting mountainous areas of Northern Pakistan..... the Hunza, Nagar and Yasin Valleys.

Most of the people live in the Hunza Valley and the language is known as Burushaski. Hunza shrouds a mystery of the Burusko people as their origin is completely unknown. They cling to a popular myth that 3 generals ran away from Alexander the Great's army, married Persian women and settled in the Hunza Valley.



The rugged elevation of the Himalayas, kept them in isolation for around 2000 years.

Since there has been no written language of the Burushaski, the true historical beginning of the Hunzas will remain forever a mystery.

The picture is of present day Hunza men on the way to work their vegetable gardens in the same manner as they've done for a thousand years.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adventure

During the month of April I will be posting on the A-Z Blogging Challenge. My theme will be the Hunzas.
Today is A...... for Adventure.




Hunza people or Hunzakuts, live in an isolated valley, high in the Himalayas. A 60 mile treacherous road, accessible only by jeep, was their only avenue to the outside world. China, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India surround them by inaccessible mountains.

My dream of a Hunza adventure began in the '40's, after reading about their self-sustaining lifestyle. I wrote a paper on their country when I was in college and thus began my dream to live in mountainous isolation.

But, reality often takes us in a different direction and my dream of adventure took me to other mountains and I now live in the Rockey Mountains of Montana.

I never got to place my feet on the Hunza rocks but the Himalayas will always remain a spell-binding dream. This month, I'll take you on another one of my vicarious adventures to Hunza land.