The Life of the Raute people of Nepal in picture

The Raute are the last nomadic people of Nepal that live in the forests of Accham's middle hills. according to BBC NEWS  they are now fewer than  150 in number.

The photographer Andrew Newey captured their activities in picture.

The Raute people live in temporary camps, hidden away from the villages, in remote parts of the forest. Their dwellings are basic tents made from wooden branches covered with leaves and cloth.

 

Women mostly carry out daily tasks such as cooking, washing, collecting water and firewood and beating the grains.

 

A scene in the Raute camp, with the whole family gathered around a fire. Despite immense pressure from the Nepalese government to conform, the Raute remain a secretive community deeply suspicious of outsiders.

 

 A pot of leaves from the forest boils on the fire. The Raute have a strong attachment to the forest and shun agriculture because they believe it is a sin to sow seeds. 

 

 Raute girls grind corn with the use of heavy wooden poles, while the infants help to tidy up.

 

Due to bear attacks that took the life of a member and injured another, the children are warned not to venture too deep into the forest 

 

 

The area has lost much of its forest. The remaining areas are protected by government legislation and the loss of this habitat along with many of the animals and plants on which the Raute depended for survival has pushed them into direct contact with their settled counterparts.

photographer: Andrew Newey