No creature exemplifies the uniqueness of the
Tibetan plateau like the yak. From whichever of the gateway
cities you approach Tibet: kathmandu, Chengdu, Kunming, or
Kashgar, the initial appearance of the yak at altitudes of
8,000-9,000 feet indicates that you have arrived within the
ethnic Tibetan area. For the tibetan people and tha yak are
inseparable. Hardy, stubborn, frisky, and apparently clumsy
though deceptively agile on precipitous rugged terrain, this
'grunting ox' comes in many shapes and sizes: the male of
the species is known as the yak, and the female as the dri.
These animals have been domesticated and tended by Tibetan
nomads for thousands of years, giving rise also to the hybrid
dzo, which has become an ideal ploughing animal in Tibetan
farming villages. By contrast, the wild yak, llike the American
bison, once roamed the grasslands of Northern and Eastern
Tibet, in large herds, but their numbers have been severely
depleted within the last few decades, falling prey to Chinese
hunters and modern weaponry. Since antiquity, the yak has
been used as a pack animal and is rarely ridden in the manner
of a horse. Prior to the construction of motorable roads,
yak caravans were the principal means for the transportation
of freight, and they still are in many remote parts of the
county. Though slow, they are untiringly capable of carrying
loads of over 50 kilos across 5,000 m passes, and they withstand
temperatures of -30 C. For the nomads who rear the yak, this
creature is the source of their wealth and livelihood. The
flesh provides meat, which may be cooked or freeze dried;
the milk of the dri provides butter and cheese. Some Amdo
towns now have meat and dairy processing factories supplied
by the local namadic communties. The hide is used for high-calved
tibetan boots, clothing, and traditional coracle construction.
The soft inner hair is now used for the production of high
quality sweaters, particularly in the Repkong area of Amdo,
and these are exported worldwide. The coarse outer hair is
spun by the nomads themsleves and used for making their black
yak wool tent dwellings, known in Tibetan as "ba".
