Bhutanese rope made up of Yak hairs

From the archive record

Yak differs from other domestic cattle. The yak hairs are of economic use. The hair from the yak is a valuable item and has become essential to the life of herder households. Generally, in the traditional use of the hair, the down and the coarse fibers are left mixed together. Uses of mixed fibers depend on the fiber length, on the position of the body from which the hair is derived and on the down content. The long hair that grows on the fore and rear ends of the body and on the legs are used to make rope for tying up the tent. The method of making the rope is as follows: The longer hairs are removed from the coat and hand rolled into a log of hair about 15 cm in diameter. A single spindle fixed into the ground is then used to spin the hair into a yarn of a thickness and length depending