RAM PAUDEL is a Nepalese photographer based
in Germany. He has a degree in photography and
media from Bielefeld University, and specialises
in documentary photography. His work has been
exhibited six times, and he has been featured in
numerous publications and media websites. In 2015,
he was shortlisted as a finalist for the Photographer’s
Forum photography contest.The Raute have always been nomadic, and
environmental knowledge is passed down
orally – one open secret is how monkeys at
the end of the rainy season have fat, delicious
meat – but this primitive culture is now
suffering a food crisis. Climate change has
affected the rains that once watered the forest
yams, berries and mushrooms with which they
supplement their diet, and the monkeys they
hunt are at risk of extinction.
Within the tribe, infant mortality and
physical disability rates have climbed
rapidly in recent years. Mothers often die in
childbirth, and many Raute lack key vitamins
“We say no to settlement,
education and agriculture.
We would rather die than
give up our nomadic way
of life”
Mahin Bahadur Shahi, Raute leader
AbovE Kapil Shahi
prepares a meal for her
family at homeand proteins; the fact that using medicines
violates the tribe’s ancient beliefs prevents
modern help from reaching them.
The Nepalese government and human
rights organisations have tried to offer the
Raute plots of land on which to live and farm,
and free education for their children. But
the people resist assimilation, preferring to
preserve their culture than be a part of a world
they do not understand.
“We say no to settlement, education and
agriculture. We would rather die than give up
our nomadic way of life,” says leader Mahin.
Adds a hunter, Bir Bahadur: “God gives us
all the monkeys that come into our nets.” ag