Shepherding among the highland Gurungs of Nepal is examined in its historical and contemporary settings. Change from pastoral nomadism augmented by hunting, swidden agriculture, and trade to sedentary rice agriculture augmented by transhumance and migrant labor (soldiery) is considered in terms of adaptive response to change in cultural and physical environments. A brief examination of adaptive strategies in one village is presented to highlight the interplay of ecological, economic, and social variables. Data from Gurungs studies are compared with recent Magar village studies in the Himalaya by John Hitchcock. Through-out the article, a methodological stance is pursued by which many dynamic adaptations, such as those of the Gurungs, can be understood by comparing past and present ecological-cultural processes .
