Tribal pursuit
As part of a year-long trip around India, author Hong Mei and photographer Tom Carter ventured deep in Gujarat, in search of an elusive caste. This translated excerpt from the book The Farther I Walk, the Closer I Get to Me describes their quest.
For nearly a week we have been tracing the villages along the India-Pakistan border in search of the Dhaneta Jat, an elusive Muslim tribe in the deserts of Gujarat state. Our long, hot journey takes us through a colourful constellation of villages, each home to a different tribe; some welcoming, some unapproachable. But we refuse to leave without photographing the Dhaneta, one of India's most reclusive castes.
Kutch, the northernmost expanse of Gujarat, is inhabited primarily by Muslim tribes who roam as nomadic herders (jats). It was not easy to get here; a 15-hour train journey from Delhi to Ahmedabad then a nine-hour bus ride to the city of Bhuj.
depends on the assistance of locals. We enlist Pramod Jethi, the ticket man at the 18th-century Aina Mahal museum. He is a Kutch tribal expert and author.
We spend the first few days journeying through Banni, austere terrain outside of Bhuj, in an autorickshaw. Our guide is also our driver. Tom and I are huddled uncomfortably in the back as it sputters noisily along unpaved roads.
It is summer and 42 degrees Celsius. Balancing on the heads of passing women are sparkling metal pots of well water. We salivate at the sight but dare not drink. What we wouldn't do for an ice-cold Limca!
Each hamlet in Banni is home to a different tribe: Gharacia, Ahir, Harijan, Rabari, Vadha, Lohar … Like scattered pearls, they are separated by vast expanses of desert. Each tribe is distinguished by their own customs, dress and jewellery. The varying reactions we are met with match each tribe's varying appearance: the cheerful embroidery motifs of the genial Harijan; the unfriendly Rabari, dourly swathed in solid black.