Our origins: At a spiritual level, we believe that we were created by Lord Shiva. The camel was shaped
by his wife, Parvati, and it was brought to life by Lord Shiva. But the camel’s playfulness caused a
nuisance, so Lord Shiva created the Raika from his skin and sweat to take care of the camels. Our
spiritual universe is linked to our livestock breeding, and our ethnicity is inextricably intertwined with
our breeds and way of life. We have always considered ourselves a distinct indigenous community, a
fact that is recorded, for example, in the 1891 Marwar census undertaken on behalf of the Maharaja of
Jodhpur.
Our traditional livelihoods: We are indigenous nomadic pastoralists who have developed a variety of
livestock breeds based on our traditional knowledge and have customarily grazed our camels, sheep,
goats and cattle on communal lands and in forests. This means that our livelihoods and the survival of
our particular breeds are based on access to forests, gauchar (village communal grazing lands) and oran
(sacred groves attached to temples). In turn, our animals help conserve the biodiversity of the local
ecosystems in which they graze and we provide assistance to the area’s local communities. In this way,
we see our indigenous pastoralist culture as both using and benefitting from the forests, in a virtuous
cycle.
WE PRESERVE UNIQUE ANIMAL GENETIC RESOURCES AND HAVE
ASSOCIATED TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE
Animal genetic resources: Through our interaction with the forests, gauchar and oran, and through
selective breeding for generations we have created breeds that are particularly hardy, able to forage
and digest rough vegetation, withstand the dry Rajasthani environment and to walk long distances – all
attributes that “high performance” exotic breeds do not have. Local breeds need fewer inputs and are
less susceptible to disease and are well-suited to harsh conditions. The animal genetic diversity they
embody enables us to respond to changes in the natural environment, important attributes in the
context of climate change adaptation and food security. Their genetic traits and our traditional
knowledge associated with them will also be of use in breeding for disease resistance, and may provide
us with other diverse economic opportunities under the forthcoming International Regime on Access
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