Monpa is considered one of the twenty plus major tribes of the state of Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India (the official number cited is usually 26, but this is up for debate). The word Monpa means “Mon people”, with Mon translating to the “south of Tibet”, which historically comprised parts of modern-day Tibet, Eastern Bhutan and Northeastern India. According to the last nationwide census of India in 2011, the population of Monpas in Arunachal Pradesh is 37,714, with a majority of them living in West Kameng and Tawang districts. Both these districts share the international border with Bhutan, and Tawang additionally shares a border with Tibet (under Chinese administration today). Bhutan and China both officially recognize Monpa as an independent ethnic group of their respective nations.
Brokpa home villages and Bordering areas. Source: Google Maps. 2025.
Most Monpas today follow Tibetan Buddhism, which is a form of Buddhism that has co-opted local Bön animism and shamanic practices, and blurred distinctions between them (read more here). However, Monpa is far from being a homogeneous group. Besides the larger Monpa tribe, the district-wise Scheduled Tribe data of Arunachal Pradesh from the 2011 Census also includes different linguistic and regional Monpa groups, such as But Monpa, Dirang Monpa, Lish Monpa, Panchen Monpa, and Tawang Monpa. However, the categorization of some of these groups (such as But and Lish) as Monpa to begin with is contested by some linguistic scholars who point out their clear distinction from Monpa (read more here). Another differentiation that exists within the Monpa identity in Arunachal Pradesh that the Census pays less attention to is on the basis of occupation, as seen in the case of Brokpas. While some scholars attribute pastoralism in Arunachal Pradesh to the entire Monpa tribe, most recognise Brokpas to be the specific pastoralist subgroup of the Monpa tribe. In Tibetan, brok means pasture, and pa means person/people, and hence Brokpa quite literally translates to “pasture person/people”. Such a name can be attributed to the central occupation of most Brokpas, which involves their seasonal migration to high-altitude pastures in order to graze their livestock.
For Brokpas, livestock primarily comprises yaks and hybrid-yaks, and Brokpa livelihood is tied to these animals. The hybrid-yaks are usually cross-breeds between yak and hill-cattle, and called dzo (male) and dzomo (female). Yak and dzomo milk are used by Brokpas to make mar (yak butter, also referred to as ghee), and churpi (yak cheese). There is a huge local demand for these dairy products, and they are often easily sold locally to friends and family. Although yak meat is officially banned today, it is a part of the traditional Monpa diet and still eaten by many people. Yak skin (leather) is used to make bags to store different things, especially ghee and chhurpi, while Brokpas are on the move. Different forms of wool are also derived from pure-bred yaks and used to make woollens for winter, tents for shelter during migration, etc. Additionally, yaks and dzos are sturdy animals that are used by Brokpas to transport heavy goods from one place to another during migration.
Image source: Deepika Chhetri, CfP. 2025
Image source: Deepika Chhetri, CfP. 2025.
According to a 2015 study by Tsewang Dorjee of Rajiv Gandhi University in Itanagar, some of the places where Brokpas have their home villages in West Kameng district are Lhagyala Gompa area, Nyukmadung, Mandala Phudung, Senge, Lubrang and Chander. Similarly in Tawang, Zemithang sub-district, Jang sub-district, Thingbu, Mago and Luguthang are areas where Brokpas have their homes. While some of these villages are only inhabited by Brokpas, many have mixed populations, with agriculturalists (called Unpa/Ungpa by some Monpas, especially in West Kameng) also residing there. Historically, Brokpas were part of an extensive barter system with Unpas, that involved the exchange of chhurpi, butter and other livestock-related products with grains and vegetables grown by the Unpas. Customary grazing taxes for rights to pasture were paid by Brokpas in the form of livestock-produce. Until 1951, these taxes were collected by the Tibetan administration, through Tsorgans (village heads) at the village level and eventually transported to Lhasa by the administrator) locally known as Dzongpons (read more here).
Map of some Brokpa home villages. Source: Google Maps. 2025.
As mentioned earlier, Brokpas practice seasonal migration in accordance with their livestock’s requirements. During winter months of every year, when there is typically very heavy snowfall in the high pastures of West Kameng and Tawang districts, Brokpas stay with their cattle in their permanent villages, which are at altitudes of approximately 2750-3200m (9022-10498 ft). In this time, their livestock graze on pastures closer to their home settlements and also provide them with additional feed.
Yaks are climate-sensitive animals that require temperatures below 10-15°C for survival and as summers set in, Brokpas migrate with them and their other livestock to high-altitude pastures for grazing. This practice of migration according to the altitudinal climate is known as transhumance. While most Brokpas’ summer migration decisions (in terms of date of departure and route taken) are taken at an independent household level, in certain places this decision may be taken collectively amongst many Brokpas. The high-altitude summer pastures typically range from 3600-4300 m (12000-14000 ft) and the journey to them from home villages can happen over a few weeks to a few months. During this migratory period, pastoralists stay in temporary sheds made of wood and stone.
When winter begins to set in, Brokpas begin their migration downward with their herds back to their home villages.
Image source: Deepika Chhetri, CfP. 2025.
Over time, and especially in the decades since independence, there have been many changes occurring with regards to Monpa pastoralism. These changes can be attributed to a combination of factors - political, economic and ecological in nature. For instance, before the Indo-China war of 1962, the border regions between India and Tibet were largely flexible in terms of movement, and Brokpas from present-day Arunachal Pradesh would have access to many more pure yaks in Tibet for breeding and maintaining the gene pool of their yaks. Today, there are strict restrictions on movement across this Border which prevents Brokpas from accessing yaks in Tibet for breeding (read more here). There have also been infrastructural developments in terms of road connectivity and electrification, and an increase in state facilities and presence in terms of education, agricultural support, and militarisation. Such facilities have altered Brokpa lifestyles by making the younger generation of Brokpas pursue higher education and other forms of livelihood. Additionally climate change has made migration for grazing more erratic, making pastoralists’ lives more precarious.
While there is evidence (such as the increase in the number of yaks according to the 2021 Livestock census) that adapting traditional practices to the changing conditions of modernity has sustained Brokpa pastoralism so far in one way or another, it remains to be seen what form Brokpa pastoralism will take in the coming years, and how it will continue with growing developmental projects, changing aspirations of families and youth, and lack of state support.
Image source: Deepika Chhetri, CfP. 2025.
Note from author: This piece has been written using a mix of academic sources, popular writing, and information from CfP’s field based project in Arunachal Pradesh. Deepika Chhetri’s, (CfP’s Project Lead in Arunachal Pradesh) extensive orientation and field-based insights served as the necessary primer towards understanding pastoralism in the region.
This is an occasional blog post written by a member of Centre for Pastoralism (CfP). The views, analysis, and arguments expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of either Sahjeevan or CfP. If you have any comments or suggestions, please reach out to aniruddh@centreforpastoralism.org.
