In former times women were responsible for the household and embroidery works, what were the men doing?
At that time men would not travel so frequently. They would travel to Hunza, Gulmit twice or thrice in a year. Firstly they would transport the sufra (literally, gifts; refers to some of the taxes paid by Shimshalis to the Mir) load, secondly yeelban (taxes) of the Mir and thirdly before the spring season, they would go as far as Gulmit to bring dried apricots and other dried fruits. In addition, they would do all the agriculture works such as delivery of fertiliser, watering of the fields, fetching firewood, making fertiliser [from dung], constructing a boundary wall around the fields, men were responsible for all these works. Customarily women did not carry out these works but today women fetch firewood, prepare fertiliser and deliver the fertiliser to the field. Men are engaged in other works such as working with tourists as porters in summer.
