Kalispell, Montana 406-257-7021
Tibet Photo Album

Yak bells hanging in a Tibetan house in Kham (Sichuan, China)
The clappers are made of yak horn and have a really mellow, soothing tone.

A Tibetan grandmother using a drop spindle to spin yak fiber.
Several generations live together. Kham (Sichuan)

Inside a Tibetan home in Kham. This area is heavily forested and the houses are big. They typically are three stories; ground floor for livestock, second floor for family and third or loft for storage. This photo is of the large living area with wood stove for heat and cooking. There is a bench around the wall which is the gathering area. In the lowlands yak butter is blended or emulsified into the tea making it creamy and rich. We really liked it but had to be moderate because of the richness.

Dzo, a male yak/cow hybrid. These first cross males (F1) are naturally sterile and are used as work animals. They are really strong.

decorated yak skull

yak herder in summer mountain pasture

Tibetan woman milking a Dzomo, a female yak/cow hybrid. Dzomo are thought to be hardy like yaks but produce more milk. In the remote mountains the milk is made into butter and cheese.

A "long-hair-forehead yak" as referenced in The Yak. This is probably the genetic base that Super and Extreme Wooly Yaks in the US are derived from. This cow has had her belly or skirt hair sheared. It is used for making heavy duty bags and cordage.

Imperial Trim yak cow

Prayer flags and the Himalaya

Tibetan man milking a yak cow. This man was living in a traditional yak hair tent. The bag on his belt is filled with salt for the yak cows.

Hand harvesting wheat with scythes

Protector deities in a Buddhist Temple. We visited many temples. When asked how old the temple was the response would be some ancient date and then the reply that it had recently been rebuilt. Virtually all of the temples of all religions were destroyed during the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

I wanted to bring this bull home with me

Tibetan nomads looking at pictures of our yaks. The greatest complement we got was that we were just like them, American Nomads. Amdo, Tibet. The Qinghai Plateau of China is where yaks evolved. We saw the best and most yaks in this sparsely populated region.

Tibetan nomad girl. This family invited us into their yak hair tent for butter tea and tsampa cooked over a yak dung fire.

The ribbon marks that this yak cow has been "blessed".

spotted yak cow

Tibetan woman milking a yak cow. These women were milking 80 cows twice a day and then making butter and cheese

A pile of dried yak dung. There are no trees on the Tibetan Plateau so yak dung is the only fuel.

drying curd cheese

Prayer flags and stupa

bringing dried yak dung to market

yak calf on stake rope while cow is being milked

yak cows on tether rope for milking

Mongolian nomad herding Dzo

Mongolian nomads

Tibetan nomad. This man rode into town on a horse early one foggy morning. I think I was the first westerner he had ever seen

Traditional Tibetan black tent made of hand spun and hand woven yak hair.

I may have been the first westerner that this yak bull had ever seen

Tibetan Mastiff. These dogs guard the camp and will bite you.

Moving Camp by yak