Bishnoi Village

When we were in Jodhpur last May, I (Aaron) returned to a Bishnoi village to meet with some families, observe daily life and ask questions for my research. The temperature was 49 C / 119 F so Melanie stayed at the hotel while I went to the village with a friend. Melanie went later that evening after dark so that we could eat dinner with our friend. It is much cooler in the desert at night and we sat out under the stars. The food and company was a real treat.

This metal contraption which looks like a cage was what food and milk was kept under in the courtyard; this was so the animals would not eat or drink it. It is common to see one of these in the courtyards of many villagers homes. The ground in the picture is a mixture of cow dung and mud; it is mixed, dried and smoothed out on the ground. It remains cool even in the intense heat and it is said to have an ayurvedic quality. Everyone walks on it in their bare feet since it is considered part of the house and nobody wears shoes in their homes.


This is a traditional Bishnoi home. Inside was a large storage urn for grain as well as farming tools. The inside as well as the outside were painted white and were decorated with red paintings of peacocks and other scenes from village life. The natural materials used for the roof keep the inside of the building very cool in the summer.


This is a picture of their main staple- millet (inside the bowl on the lower right). They harvest it and then they put it into a hole on the top center of the grinder (top left). The wooden handle is then turned and the millet is ground between the top and bottom stones. The ground product is then released into the trough running around the side and scooped from the section where the side is very low (lower left side of grinder).


This is a picture of the lady of the home. She is standing in the doorway leading to the courtyard and the house.


Here is one of the daughters preparing food inside the courtyard. They have a kitchen but it is much cooler to cook outside in the summer. They do not burn wood so everything is cooked over burning cow and buffalo dung (formed into patties and dried in the sun). I was able to have chai (tea) which was prepared over a dung fire. It was very tasty and for once I was grateful for cow poop.