Both Sonam Wangchuk and Tashi Putit have spent much of their lives in Stok, working the fields and tending to livestock. Sonam recalls that he was around 20 years old when he first travelled to the Sakti–Chemrey salt market, where he bartered barley for salt. The exchange rate varied from year to year, sometimes requiring twice the quantity of salt for an equal amount of barley, while at other times, the trade was on equal terms.
Tashi Putit remembers the saddlebag known as lugal, which the Changpa traders used to load salt onto sheep. In Stok, these lugals were highly prized, as wool was scarce in the village and the bags served as durable carriers for essentials. There were two distinct types of salt available at Sakti:
1. Tsamar (red), considered the more premium variety, and
2. Tsakar (white), the standard kind.
In addition to bartering salt, some for household use and some for resale in Stok, Sonam Wangchuk also engaged in the trade of phating, a product he purchased from Shamma traders and sold further east in Durbuk, in the Changthang region.
Seasonal Livestock Agreements and Migrations:
One of the major seasonal events in their lives, as in many Stokpa households, was the annual migration of livestock to highland pastures near Stok Kangri. These pastures were not used solely by Stok residents. Each year, around the fourth month of the lunar calendar, families from Chushot entered into formal agreements with Stokpas, entrusting their livestock to them for a period of three to four months.
Sonam recalls taking a day-long trek to Rumbak to bring additional cattle under similar agreements. Sometimes, even relatives from villages like Thiksey would request the Stokpas to keep their animals for the summer grazing season. By the eighth lunar month, the Chushot families would return to retrieve their animals.
This arrangement was long considered a mutually beneficial tradition:
The animals received rich nourishment in the meadows. A fee of 1 Pao ( 250 grams) of butter called Shemar and a plate of Churpee was paid to the owners by the at the end of the season. The Stokpas benefited from animal dung, and a share of the milk. When firewood was scarce in Ladakh, animal waste served as a crucial fuel source. Two types were especially important:
1. Cattle dung, which was dried and stored directly for use.
2. Rilmang, the droppings of goats and sheep, which required further processing.
The Rilmang was spread in the open and left to break down into a sticky material called Rikpa. To this, villagers added a locally found plant known as Nyalo. The ideal time for mixing was during light drizzle, which helped bind the materials. The resulting paste was then shaped into fuel cakes, dried, and carried back on donkeys to the village along with the cattle dung, both considered valuable fuel stock.
The summer pastures were divided among families. Popular grazing and camping sites included:
Changma, Chortenchan, Makkarmo, Zurler, Yarley, and Phan.Toward the east, near Martho Phu, additional grazing grounds included: Kungkungmar and Chatkangchan.
