DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.22456#0014
Twelve
Himalayan Timas
Decomber 25, ! 949
WOOL
FROM TIBET TO KALIMPONG
BY
RUDRAMANI PRADHAN
( Tin- wrlrer Is grateful for informations to Sri- Hameshwnr Agrawalla.
Kusho S. Yugal & Jyoti Katna ).
Tibet occupies a space of about 4,63,200
sqV miles with approximately 20,00,000 people.
The land across the mighty Himalayas is a
vast table land with but occassional chains of
mountains and the average height of the country
is 16,000 ft. This Mystic land of the Lamas
is ornamented with amply watered rivers and
laxes and the general climate all throughout is
dry and cold thus making the country very ideal
for Sheep Farming.
Of the- many Gol’s Gifts sheep played
and plays perhaps the greatest part in the econo-
mic of the present day '1'ibet. Sheep, virtually,
has been the national wealth of Tibet. Sheep
feeds the Tibetans. Sheep clothes them. Sheep
brings them wealth If a proper statistic of the
entire Tibetan economic crops were taken,
perhaps, it would be found that sheep had been
the best economic crop — quite above furs, skins,
hides, musks or Yak tails.
It might be estimated roughly that the
entire ' production of ‘fay'—Tibetan word for
wool —should be well above 2.\ lac mds. grease
Weight)' or 20.5 million lbs. And the following
might be the distribution of the entire production:
30% for Home consumption in Tibet 75000 mds.
10% for export to China in the east 25,000 mds.
15g for export to India via. Leh. 37,500 mds.
43*° for export through. Kalimpong ',12,500. mds.
10.0% . _ Total ... 2,50,000 mds:
The above figures have been worked out
on the basis of the w eight received by Kalimpong
which is estimated to be above 1 lac mds.
annually on the average.
We might, with the above figure, work
out the number of sheep in Tibet. On the
average, for uncultured farming, 5- lbs. of wool
is obtained from one sheep per annum. With
the above probable figure of annual production
of wool in Tibet the number of sheep works
out to 4. 1 million.
Zealand measures about 1,04,000 sq. miles. But
the number of sheep in New Zealand is 33. 1
millions with 330 million lbs. of wool ( as men-
tioned in my last article ‘ Tibet Wool and
Kalimpong’ ). This, therefore, leads us to reflect
that Tibet ought to diave a; great deal more
sheep and wool than that of our figures we
have woiked out above.
Tsang Thang — the plains of the north—is
the best sheep and wool producing area in 'Tibet
and the north Last Tibet also produces, a great
deal ‘ Dokpas ' are the clan of Tibetan nomads
of the north whose entire wealth is sheep. It
is customary to |u Ige the wealth of many such
people by the number of sheep they possess.
They bring down ♦heir surplus wool to Lhasa_
sometimes after a tracking of more than a
month—and' they get other essentials in exchange,
of wool.
China gets some supply of wool from the
HI.am province of eastern T ibet and the product
is transported to China by ferries on the Yamdse-
Kiang river. Through Leh in Ladak on the
western Tibet soijie wO>l come down to India
and of late people of Almora1, Ludhiana and
Kangra valley have improved the c ottage indus-
tries on 'Tibetan wool''greatly. Due to natural
difficulties no wool appears to pass on to Russia
on the North.'
A considerable number of sheep along with
other animals are slaughtered for meat annually
during the month of December for stock for the
whole coming year. This reduces the flock
greatly. It is also the practice with the Tibetans
to kill the new born ‘charoo—'lamb—;for. it* shoft
skin with short fleece for making one of the
best and warmest Tibetan wear out of the skin.
The Tibetans call this great coat—Pakcha. Such
indescriminate' slaughter of the sheep reduces
the flock greatly and consequently the production
of wool is reduced considerably. It is learnt
that no special effort is made to increase (he
flock of the sheep.
c • 1 . Shearing is d ne on the seventh month—dawa
The above figures are very rough estimate ,1 irvic. , • f , .
, v. -7 11 c .1 " ,, . , d imba—which coi responds our warm months of
onlv. New Zealand, one of the smallest but .... . ,. p, ■ 1 ,, . , , ..
- . • . , 1 , • . . a ..-July-August. I harizong is -the central stocking
promising sheep and wool producing countries^'J ° h »
r_ 'r:u- = - Newjf ' (Continued on page 13)
is ab.out one fouth the size of Tibet,
Himalayan Timas
Decomber 25, ! 949
WOOL
FROM TIBET TO KALIMPONG
BY
RUDRAMANI PRADHAN
( Tin- wrlrer Is grateful for informations to Sri- Hameshwnr Agrawalla.
Kusho S. Yugal & Jyoti Katna ).
Tibet occupies a space of about 4,63,200
sqV miles with approximately 20,00,000 people.
The land across the mighty Himalayas is a
vast table land with but occassional chains of
mountains and the average height of the country
is 16,000 ft. This Mystic land of the Lamas
is ornamented with amply watered rivers and
laxes and the general climate all throughout is
dry and cold thus making the country very ideal
for Sheep Farming.
Of the- many Gol’s Gifts sheep played
and plays perhaps the greatest part in the econo-
mic of the present day '1'ibet. Sheep, virtually,
has been the national wealth of Tibet. Sheep
feeds the Tibetans. Sheep clothes them. Sheep
brings them wealth If a proper statistic of the
entire Tibetan economic crops were taken,
perhaps, it would be found that sheep had been
the best economic crop — quite above furs, skins,
hides, musks or Yak tails.
It might be estimated roughly that the
entire ' production of ‘fay'—Tibetan word for
wool —should be well above 2.\ lac mds. grease
Weight)' or 20.5 million lbs. And the following
might be the distribution of the entire production:
30% for Home consumption in Tibet 75000 mds.
10% for export to China in the east 25,000 mds.
15g for export to India via. Leh. 37,500 mds.
43*° for export through. Kalimpong ',12,500. mds.
10.0% . _ Total ... 2,50,000 mds:
The above figures have been worked out
on the basis of the w eight received by Kalimpong
which is estimated to be above 1 lac mds.
annually on the average.
We might, with the above figure, work
out the number of sheep in Tibet. On the
average, for uncultured farming, 5- lbs. of wool
is obtained from one sheep per annum. With
the above probable figure of annual production
of wool in Tibet the number of sheep works
out to 4. 1 million.
Zealand measures about 1,04,000 sq. miles. But
the number of sheep in New Zealand is 33. 1
millions with 330 million lbs. of wool ( as men-
tioned in my last article ‘ Tibet Wool and
Kalimpong’ ). This, therefore, leads us to reflect
that Tibet ought to diave a; great deal more
sheep and wool than that of our figures we
have woiked out above.
Tsang Thang — the plains of the north—is
the best sheep and wool producing area in 'Tibet
and the north Last Tibet also produces, a great
deal ‘ Dokpas ' are the clan of Tibetan nomads
of the north whose entire wealth is sheep. It
is customary to |u Ige the wealth of many such
people by the number of sheep they possess.
They bring down ♦heir surplus wool to Lhasa_
sometimes after a tracking of more than a
month—and' they get other essentials in exchange,
of wool.
China gets some supply of wool from the
HI.am province of eastern T ibet and the product
is transported to China by ferries on the Yamdse-
Kiang river. Through Leh in Ladak on the
western Tibet soijie wO>l come down to India
and of late people of Almora1, Ludhiana and
Kangra valley have improved the c ottage indus-
tries on 'Tibetan wool''greatly. Due to natural
difficulties no wool appears to pass on to Russia
on the North.'
A considerable number of sheep along with
other animals are slaughtered for meat annually
during the month of December for stock for the
whole coming year. This reduces the flock
greatly. It is also the practice with the Tibetans
to kill the new born ‘charoo—'lamb—;for. it* shoft
skin with short fleece for making one of the
best and warmest Tibetan wear out of the skin.
The Tibetans call this great coat—Pakcha. Such
indescriminate' slaughter of the sheep reduces
the flock greatly and consequently the production
of wool is reduced considerably. It is learnt
that no special effort is made to increase (he
flock of the sheep.
c • 1 . Shearing is d ne on the seventh month—dawa
The above figures are very rough estimate ,1 irvic. , • f , .
, v. -7 11 c .1 " ,, . , d imba—which coi responds our warm months of
onlv. New Zealand, one of the smallest but .... . ,. p, ■ 1 ,, . , , ..
- . • . , 1 , • . . a ..-July-August. I harizong is -the central stocking
promising sheep and wool producing countries^'J ° h »
r_ 'r:u- = - Newjf ' (Continued on page 13)
is ab.out one fouth the size of Tibet,