12 Yaks, yak Dung, and prehistoric human habitation of the Tibetan Plateau David Rhode1,*, David B. Madsen2, P. Jeffrey Brantingham3 and Tsultrim Dargye4 1 Division of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV, USA 2 Texas Archeological Research Laboratory, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA 3 Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles 4 GTZ Qinghai New Energy Research Institute, Xining, Qinghai Province, P.R. China *Corresponding author: David Rhode, Desert Research Institute, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV 89512 USA; Tel: 775-673-7310; Fax: 775-673-7397, E-mail address:
[email protected] Abstract human hair extenders). The yak’s fine wooly underfur is made into yarn, felt, clothing, and blankets. Yak leather This paper explores the importance of yak dung as a source goes into bags, belts, boots, bundles, binding, bridles, of fuel for early human inhabitants of the Tibetan Plateau. bellows, boat hulls, breastplates, and beyond. Pastoralists The wild and domestic yak is introduced, followed by a trade yaks and yak products with neighboring farmers, discussion of yak dung production, collection, and energetic merchants, and lamaseries for the essentials and luxuries return. Yak dung is compared with other products such as not available locally – tea and oil, barley and peas, spices milk, pack energy, and meat, demonstrating its high ener- and snuff, pots and pans, tea bowls and prayer wheels, tent getic value while emphasizing that various yak products poles and needles, silk brocade and silver plate, rifles and serve different, complementary, and nonfungible purposes. binoculars. In the spiritual realm, the yak is godly, its Following this review of yak dung energetics, issues related skulls and horns and butter fashioned into icons to be to the early peopling of the Tibetan Plateau become the revered.