याक ऊन (Yak Wool)
Sherpa yak wool textile weaving of the Khumbu district (home of Mount Everest) produces the thick, dense blankets (radi) and floor mats used in high-altitude Sherpa households. The technical foundation is the processing of yak fiber: yak wool (the coarse outer fiber) and yak down (the fine inner fiber, khullu) are separated before spinning, with khullu used for finer garments and coarse yak wool for radi blankets. The defining Khumbu technical knowledge is the high-altitude drying calibration: at 3,500-4,000m elevation, the low air pressure and UV intensity affect the natural dye mordanting process — traditional Sherpa dyers know that at altitude mordant fixation requires longer immersion than at lower elevations, and that the mordant-to-dye ratio must be adjusted for altitude.
Risk level: Endangered · Nepal national ICH list
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