Smoke from a Brokpa yak herder's fire drifts into the early morning air. It is a 4-5 hour hike to the nearest road and the Brokpa rely heavily on their yak.
The tranquil peace of the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary is shattered by the sound of heavy machinery, as diggers cut a new road into the mountainside. As Bhutan's development accelerates, its government and people have engaged in a new battle to preserve its culture and keep its unique identity alive.
A Brokpa Yak herder in traditional dress. The Brokpa tribe are ethnically distinct from other Bhutanese, having migrated from Tshoona region of southern Tibet a few centuries ago.
During the summer months the Brokpa Yak herders live a semi-nomadic life, as they search for fresh pasture land for their yak.
A herder wearing a jerkin made of yak hide for extra warmth.
A Brokpa women in tradition clothes made from Yak hair and sheep's wool. Their distinctive hat known as 'tsipee cham' is made of yak felt with long twisted tufts, said to prevent the rain from running into their faces.
Wealth within the Brokpa society is assessed on the heads of livestock. For example, a wealthy Brokpa may have 150 to 180 yaks in addition to other animals such as horses and sheep. The middle class Brokpa may own 20 to 50 yaks, while the poorest may own as few as two or none.
A Brokpa family enjoys a drinks break during their migration to their summer pastures with their 'zhomo' (male yak and female cow cross).
In search of fresh pasture land. The herders are constantly on the move.
Each night the yak calfs are caught and tethered in a makeshift pen.
Yak calfs being tethered for the night.
Women command a high degree of respect from their husbands and children and often function as the head of the family. They are pivotal in deciding such matters as marriage of their children, when to migrate and in taking charge of the family finance.
Yak are tethered at night near the campsite to protect them from attack by predators and to have the cows ready for milking in the morning.
Yaks have a great craving for salt. This habit has been used by the Brokpa herders to attract their animal and to prevent them from straying too far away from the main heard.
A reluctant yak is dragged towards its annual hair cut.
Drinking butter tea is a regular part of Brokpa life and is always served to guests. Since yak butter is the main ingredient, it provides plenty of calories and the herders are said to often drink up to 30 cups of it a day.
Fresh yak milk.
Harvesting of yak hair takes place in May and June. Only castrates and females are sheared while the breeding bull retains its coat to look more dominant in front of other bulls.
A family collects the cuttings from a recent shear.
A man spins yak hair using a drop spindle called a Yoekpa.
The use of traditional hand woven yak wool tents are declining rapidly, as plastic becomes more readily available.
A recently made batch of yak butter, rapped in rhododendron leaves. Having been semi-nomads for centuries the barter system still exists. They exchange their yak products-for foodgrains, oil, salt, sugar, and chillies-in the neighbouring gewogs and Arunachal Pradesh, in India.
The nearest road currently ends a couple of hours hike from the village, so all commodities have to be transported by yak.
Merak village which lies at 3,500m above sea level, has a population of 1,908 and 213 dwellings. Electricity to the village was only introduced in 2012.
During the winter months the Brokpa retreat to their homes in the villages of Merak and Sakten to escape the freezing conditions. As virtually nothing grows at this altitude, the Brokpa trade their butter, cheese and yak meet with neighbouring villages.
The Brokpa way of life hasn't changed in centres, but with the introduction of the first road, will they continue to rely on their yak as much as they have in the past?
Tshewang Choden (45 yrs) drys sheep's wool outside her home in Merak.
Like many developing countries, Bhutan is going through a massive rural - urban migration, with thousands of people leaving the villages in search of better lives in the cities. In 2014 a World Bank report found that only 37% of rural households said they were happy, compared with half of households in cities.
A woman sits on her porch weaving a traditional sheep wool blanket on a back strap loom.
Sonam carefully weaves the yak yarn into a blanket for the winter months.
Polyandry is often practiced in these communities. A woman can be married to more than one man at the same time. Sometimes the co-husbands are brothers to prevent their ancestral land being partitioned overtime. By using this system a family can pool its resources - one husband can be away on a trading mission whilst the other is able to help tend to the yaks at home.
Dawa spends hours dying the wool red, so that it can be tailored into the traditional red jackets that the men wear during the winter months and at festivals.
A Brokpa man wearing a sleeveless deer skin vest over his 'gho' a traditional long sleeved woollen tunic made from yak wool.
Inside a typical Brokpa kitchen. Cooking used to be done on clay ovens within the house, but now most households have a metal wood burning bokhari, which also helps to heat the room.
An elderly couple weighing dried yak cheese before heading off to market.
Low living standards, lack of alternative job opportunities, and unhappiness is contributing to increased urban migration. This is particularly seen in the younger generations and results in the loss of the communities vitality and values.
Changing times - Prayer flags now compete for position with mobile phone masts.
A 21st Century problem -A young boy hangs out of a window searching for better mobile phone reception.
Within the last few years shops have started to appear, bringing with it the added issue on non bio-degradable packaging. Rubbish disposal is now a growing problem for the village.
As the road slowly encroaches on the village, more and more goods become readily available, which has a great impact on their lifestyle and diet. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), primarily heart and lung diseases, cancers and diabetes, now account for 56% of all deaths in Bhutan.
Non-biodegradable rubbish litters the hillside on the outskirt of the village. Bhutan banned plastic bags in 1999, but sadly this has not reduced the growing problem of waste disposal and the harmful effect on the environment.
A small shrine in a shop dedicated to Lord Buddha and the 4th & 5th Kings of Bhutan. Religion is another important aspect of life in Sakten with the Brokpas belonging to the Gelugpa sect of Buddhism. As with the whole of Bhutan, the Royal Family are reveard in almost a godly fashion.
For a long time, Bhutan was the only nation in the world to ban television. TV and internet were only introduced into Bhutan in 1999, but there are still some isolated communities that do not have access.
Pages from their children English school book are plastered over the crack to try and block the cold draft entering the home. Due to the lack of infrastructure in the village, children have to leave home in order to get their secondary education in other areas of Bhutan..