Yak: The Animal Not Native to Thailand but Native in Its Ancient Royal Tradition
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Abstract
The yak is not an animal indigenous to Thailand, living in the areas of the Himalaya Range in the southern part of Middle Asia and the Tibetan Plateau, including India, Nepal, Mongolia, Bhutan to Russia. However, Thai people have had some knowledge about this animal at from the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya, until the early Rattanakosin period. This knowledge is assumed to have derived from the dissemination of Brahmanism, Sikhism and Buddhism by Indians, or from trade done by Indian, Arabian or Chinese merchants who produced yak wool. Yak wool has been used in Thai royal traditions for many occasions and in diverse manners. For example, it is the main part of “Yak Tail Fan”, a part of the royal regalia as a symbol of the monarch, showing the influence of Indian culture. Royal elephants are decorated with tassels made from white yak tail that hang down in front of their ears. The royal barges Suphannahong and Anekkachatphutchong in the grand royal barge procession have yak tail tassels in their bows. In addition, yak tail serves as a main component of the royal ploughing ceremony as a decoration on the hat worn by royal guards while marching in the color ceremony. As well, yak hair is used as ornaments for windows and gates and adorns spears and lances according to the treatise on war strategy. However, despite its extensive use, little research has been done on yak wool by Thai scholars. This paper aims to investigate the appearance of this exotic material in Thai royal tradition.
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