Gilgit Baltistan, situated in the north of Pakistan and surrounded by the Hindu-Kush, Himalayas, and Karakorum ranges, is home to world-renowned glaciers such as Siachen and Biafo. The people of Gilgit Baltistan, whose lives are intricately intertwined with these glaciers, rely on glacier water for their needs.

However, due to global warming, glaciers are melting at a very high rate, causing floods in the summer and water scarcity in the winter. This is not just an environmental issue, but a matter of survival for the local population. To address this water scarcity, the indigenous people of Gilgit Baltistan have been practicing a conventional method of glacier growing in different villages.

Glaciers are viewed as animate; therefore, to grow a glacier, one needs to marry a female and a male glacier.

Glacier growing techniques encourage the growth of ice patches in the northern areas of Pakistan. Gilgit Baltistan is mainly inhabited by two major ethnic groups, Balti and Gilgiti, who speak the Balti and Shina languages. Balti language is primarily spoken by the people living in Baltistan, while the Shina language is mainly spoken by those living in Gilgit. Both Balti and Gilgiti growers have practiced the conventional method of glacier grafting. These indigenous people believe that glaciers are endowed with life. Glacier growth is also mentioned in several local stories and anecdotes. There is no written document on this method of glacier growing. Instead, stories are the vehicles for transmitting knowledge on how to carry out glacier growing.

A verb in Balti called “Gang Xso” refers to glacier growing. In the Balti language, “Gang” means “ice”, while “Xso” means “growing.” The Gang is also referred to as “filling up,” which depicts the filling-up nature of ice. In the Shina language, “Gamok Sanoke” refers to glacier growing. Where “Gamok” means “glacier” and “Sanoke” means “making.”

The local population believes glaciers are living entities; therefore, they differentiate them into female and male glaciers. The Balti people use the term “mo gang” for female glaciers and “pho gang” for male glaciers. Similarly, the Shina people use “sonche gamok” for female glaciers and “beero game” for male glaciers. This gender categorization of glaciers is not a grammatical phenomenon but rather exhibits a view of glaciers as having an intrinsic or natural gender.

“Glaciers are viewed as animate; therefore, to grow a glacier, one needs to marry a female and a male glacier”.

The locals use their own techniques to distinguish female and male glaciers. According to locals, a “female glacier” is a glacier that grows and gives much water. Some also added that a female glacier has a white or bluish colour. A “male glacier” is a glacier that gives little water, moves slowly, has a black colour, and is covered in soil and rocks. According to the glacier growers, there are two types of glaciers in Shigar Valley.

1. First, Nallah (a side valley carrying a stream in Balti) has a big glacier, but little water comes from it. So, they called it “po glacier”.”
2. Second, Nallah has a smaller glacier but produces much water, which is called a “mo glacier”.

The glacier growers believe that to impregnate a female glacier, one has to combine it with a male glacier, which they also call glacier marriage. Hence, the growers initially select an appropriate place to breed a male glacier with a female glacier. Then, they look for the availability of glaciers in their mountains or neighboring ones. It is not necessary to have any glaciers present in the selected place. They can bring glaciers from different mountains to proceed with the process.

According to the locals, there were no glaciers on the selected side in Kwardo village. Therefore, they sent out two parties, one for the male glacier and the other for the female glacier. A party of 12 people went to Shigar to collect female glaciers, while the second party went to Gang Singhe in Chunda Valley to collect male glaciers. The growers used baskets to carry ice weighing 30kg. Once they collected ice from the glaciers, they all walked 12 hours back to Kwardo village.

Glacier-growing men are called ‘brave men’ or ‘hardworking men’ for carrying 30kg of ice and walking 12 hours nonstop.

It is also worth noting that the people carrying the ice were not allowed to rest or put their baskets down, even though they were not allowed to talk to each other. Because they believe that these actions might affect the glacier-growing process, which they consider a living entity. It is also important to notice that this ice movement is mainly preferred in October and November. Once both parties reached Kwardo village, the third-party carried the ice to the selected side, where they had already dug out a cave. Then, the process of breeding started. They placed the male and female glaciers in the cave with other ingredients and closed the cave entrance by a stone wall.

Water is also important for glacier growth, and other than male and female glaciers. Some other ingredients include.

• Charcoal covers the ice after it has been brought to its place because charcoal provides insulation, preventing ice from melting.
• Sawdust or wheat husk is also used for insulation purposes.
• Pieces of cloth are also put on top of the ice.
• Salt is also used to prevent ice from being contaminated.
• Kafoor (good smell powder) also prevents insects and other impurities from landing on the ice.

Glacier growers are highly concerned about selecting an appropriate place for successful glacier grafting. The following are some factors they consider when selecting a proper side.

• Aspect
• Relief
• Shadowing
• Altitude
• Presence of permafrost

Glacier-growing men are called ” brave men” or “hardworking men.” Because carrying 30kg of ice and walking for 12 hours requires a lot of strength.

The Balti and Shina people believe in the natural gender of glaciers, differentiating them into ‘mo’ (female) and ‘pho’ (male) glaciers.

Many small villages are settled in the mountains of Gilgit Baltistan. These villages depend on glacier water to meet their needs. The local population also prefers farming, which consumes a lot of water. However, due to global warming, the glaciers are melting at a very high rate, causing floods in summer and scarcity in winter. Therefore, the locals believe restarting this conventional glacier grafting technique can address their water issues.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.