“Ahhhhh!” I screamed jumping up and pointing at the at the Yak that was charging at us. Startled by my scream it skidded to a stop and then slowly walked away with the air of defeat.
If you don’t know what a Yak is, they are huge fury cow like creatures that are very slow and very friendly and have big heads with horns. I am surprised that this one yak was running towards us! Yaks are common in the Himalayas. Sometimes when you look on the almost vertical hillsides you might make out what looks like a big group of boulders, but if you take a second look, they might turn out to be a herd of Yaks grazing. Even if you don’t see actual Yaks you are sure to spot the pattern of their zig-zaging trails on the mountain hills.
Yaks are the wonder creatures of the Himalayas. They are used for almost everything! Their milk makes amazing cheese and butter; their meat – steaks, burgers, soups and mo-mo filling (momos are potatoes, cheese, meat or vegetables wrapped in a dough pancake that is then steamed or fried); the bones are carved into intricate sculptures or necklace beads; their fur is spun into rugs, hats, wool boots and sweaters; their dung is dried and then burned for heat in the higher elevations where there is no wood; and yaks they themselves are used by farmers to pull the plow. The animals are huge and often they block the narrow trail. After the charging accident my mom was scared to walk by one:)
Yaks are very important for this part of the mountains not only for food and labor. In the Mustang area if a baby is thought to be a bit small, or their talking ability is developing late, people will put the little child into the belly of a freshly slaughtered yak. It’s stomach is still warm and full of fodder. They take out the baby when it starts crying, but wait at least a minute even if it is crying anyway! It’s believed that this ceremony will help the baby’s talking and walking skills to develop faster.
Another strange thing in the area are the yak blood drinking festivals. Unfortunately our visit did not overlap with one. I would love to have witnessed one by myself! Why do the Mustang people drink yak blood? Yak blood is believed to contain herbs’ medicinal properties and other healthful benefits as yaks graze on herbs that villagers believe are good for digestion but aren’t directly digestible by humans. And so once or twice a year, villagers undertake an arduous trek up the hillsides to where the yaks roam. They set up camp for about a week, rustle up the yaks, carefully slit their neck veins and cup the blood that pours forth, drinking it while it’s still hot. Then they let the animals go!
