Transhumance Pastoralism and Multispecies Mutuality: Analyzing the Embodied Space of Triangulation in Gujjars and Bakerwals

Abstract Transhumance pastoralism, rooted in collective multispecies mobility, is a cultural practice of humans and animals moving together and temporarily creating a habitat. Gujjars and Bakerwals, the transhumant pastoral tribe of Jammu and Kashmir, practice transhumance pastoralism. As a case study, we explore the unique character of this habitat as an embodied space of triangulation co-constituted by coexistence of three distinct ecological beings: humans, nonhumans, and the forest. Based on fieldwork interaction in Rajouri District, we explore embodied spatial vibrancy created by dynamic entanglement of the three actants in this triangulated space. As the unique worldview that underpins this tribal lived reality is represented in their oral narratives, we analyze significant folktales, Mariyan Dheendi and Dharshi , to interpret and highlight their worldview. Drawing on scholarly work on multispecies mutuality, we explicate the meaning of an embodied lived space, characterized by care and sacrifice, which signifies a posthumanist mode of existence.