Van Rawats

The Van Rawats (alt., "Ban Raji", "Ban Rawat", Van Rajis, Raji), represent a native endangered ethnic minority group, originating and living in Uttarakhand, India. They are distributed in the districts of Pithoragarh, Champawat and Udham Singh Nagar and in a small area confined to Western Nepal. They are the smallest Himalayan tribal group. They are basically nomadic hunter-gatherers, but also work as agriculture and forest labourers. They are mainly dependent on forests, and also practice shifting cultivation. Their existence is threatened by developmental and wild life related projects. They were placed in forced settlements by the Government of India beginning in the 1980s.Many continue to move in semi-nomadic camps, but most are now settled into villages along the Mahakali (Kali) River area straddling India and Nepal.