Yak  Bos Grunniens (The Grunting Ox)

The yak is a herd animal found in the mountainous regions of central Asia, thought to have been domesticated by the Qiang herdsmen of the Tibetan (Qinghai) Plateau around 4,500 years ago. The Tibetan culture of the Himalayan Plateau is heavily interwoven with yak, much like the Native American Plains Indian culture was interlaced with the American Bison; utilizing not only their meat, hair, hides, and bones, but also their milk and pack animal skills. Domesticated yaks are still used in many parts of central Asia, for pulling heavy farm machines and packing large loads through the mountain passes. Domesticated yak here in the states are raised for; meat, milk, and fiber. We at Stormsteg Alpacas & Fiber Farm raise yak solely for their fiber, and we utilize their dung in our gardens and on our lawn.

 

The average male yak can grow to about 6.5-7ft tall at their shoulder hump and weigh-in at 1200-1500 pounds. The female yak is slightly smaller, growing to around 4.5ft tall at their shoulder hump, and weighing in at around 600-800 pounds. Yaks have handlebar horns, shoulder humps, horse-like tails and long-hanging shaggy skirts that nearly touch the ground. The yak belongs to the same cow family as the Asian water buffalo, the African buffalo and the American bison. When yaks shed their downy undercoat in the spring, the hair can be combed out, collected, and processed.  This soft yak fiber (or down) is comparable to cashmere, angora or qiviut. The coarser outer hair (or guard hair) is traditionally used to weave ropes, belts, rugs, and bags. It is also used for wigs in traditional Japanese theater.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Yak Fiber

 

The properties of yak fiber place it among the finest of exotic fibers. It is extremely durable, hard wearing, does not attract static electricity and is water resistant- yet remains strong even when wet.

 

The scale structure of individual fibers on yaks are small and angled close to the shaft. This makes the fibers smooth and reflective and the hair exhibits more sheen and luster.

 

Yaks have three distinct fiber coat-type characteristics. Each of these fiber types has independent uses. The most visible fiber is the long, outer, coarse hair. This hair gives the yak their hairy appearance and is cut or trimmed off of the animal, not shed. These fibers are very long, averaging 5” in length, are straight not crimped, and have a greater than 50-micron grade. This coarser outer hair (or guard hair) is traditionally used to weave ropes, belts, rugs, and bags. It is also used for wigs in traditional Japanese theater. Once the fiber is parted, a downy-undercoat, interspersed with a mid-type fiber and very different from the down and outer hair, can be found. The down (fiber), has the same characteristics and fineness as cashmere. They are very short at roughly 1 ½” in length, and are less than 18-micron. Yaks start shedding their down in the early spring. We harvest this fiber by combing it off the yaks as it is shed and process it for use in our product. The mid-fiber is interspersed among the down fibers. These fibers are longer, at around 2 ½” in length, and stronger, with a micron range of between 25 and 35 microns. The mid-fiber also has more luster and a light crimp. We leave the mid fiber, untouched- combing the yaks to keep the coat healthy and tangle-free.