Maldhari Weddings
by Michael Benanav
Shot in: Gujarat, India
The Maldhari are the traditional herding clans of Western India. Mainly hailing from Gujarat, they belong to a number of tribes, most Hindu, some Muslim, each with unique distinctions yet bound by a strong sense of common identity. Raising cows, sheep, goats, camels, and buffaloes, they often migrate far and wide in search of fodder for their animals. Renowned for the quality of their dairy products, they once supplied the rajas of the region with milk, butter, yogurt and mava (an important ingredient in Indian sweets).
Today, most Maldhari communities are poor and politically marginalized. While more young people are now becoming educated, many Maldhari remain illiterate. As their grazing lands shrink due to industrialization, agricultural encroachment, climate change and other factors, and as deeply ingrained elements of their own culture conflict with their contemporary aspirations, many Maldhari struggle to find a way to thrive in modern India without abandoning their traditional lifestyles and pastoralist livelihoods.
This photostory explores some of the marriage practices of the Maldhari - and how they are changing. Click on an image, then scroll over it for captions - or on mobile, click the dot at the bottom right of your screen.
Please help us continue to create photostories and multimedia projects about the world's traditional cultures by donating here: Support TCP
Michael Benanav is an award-winning photojournalist and writer whose work appears in The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor Magazine, Geographical Magazine, Lonely Planet guidebooks, and other publications. He is also the author of three non-fiction books, including Men of Salt: Crossing the Sahara on the Caravan of White Gold; The Luck of the Jews: An Incredible Story of Loss, Love, and Survival in the Holocaust; and Himalaya Bound: One Family’s Quest to Save Their Animals & an Ancient Way of Life. See more at www.michaelbenanav.com.
