Fifty years of transhumance

In the early 1970s, I decided to photograph the transhumance on foot of sheep in eastern Provence because it was a question of prohibiting it.

Fifty years later, walking transhumance is still tolerated without being officially allowed. Much fewer than in the past, herds « Make the way » in June and October in the departments of the Alpes de Haute Provence, Alpes Maritimes and Var.
Transhumance is a necessity because there is more grass to eat in the lower country at the entrance of summer while on the pastures it is abundant.
I have done about twenty times the rising transhumance, themontanhage in Provencal, and five times the descendant transhumance, the demontanhage, the first in 1974, the last in 2019.
My most interesting transhumance is that of June 1975, which allowed me, in seven days of walking, to travel from Roquebrune on Argens (83) to the mountain of the Adrech on the commune of Beuil, in Mercantour (06).
I was gone for 3 days walking with Aman and Paul Goujon, Clement and Elie Michel. After a day spent sorting the animals and joining the farm of Bartouille, a commune of Briançonnet, I left the next day before dawn for another 3 days of walking.
Bartouille was the farm of Julien and Raymonde Raynaud whom I had met on this occasion and who had become my friends. We were talking Provencal together. I have about ten hours of recordings of Julien who had a lot of humor and a great knowledge of his profession.
My most dearest transhumance in my heart is that of June 1984. My son François, 10 years old, had walked between Bartouille and the cabin of the Adrech, our destination. During the first three days, he had made part of the trip in Raymonde's van. But on the last day, he had walked about ten hours for the passage of Mount Mounier. Between 1975 and 1984 Julien had to lengthen the walk one day, because of a passage that became too dangerous near Péone.
Julien retired in 1989, then Bernard and Martine Bellini took over. I had the chance to accompany them in transhumance, as in this photo in June 2019. Today their son Nans is ready to take over!
Dear memories, transhumance would make me inexhaustible.
André Abbe