Yak leather
Yak is composed of the skins of yaks made leather . It only plays a minor role in leather processing in the western world. For a long time it was given a lower value than the leather of cattle. In the meantime, the manufacturing processes in industrial leather processing are so mature that yak leather can also be processed satisfactorily. The Chinese region of Qinghai is the center of yak leather production . Up to 650,000 yak hides were processed there annually in the 1980s. In Tibet , the Lhasa Leather Factory is a leader in the processing of yak leather.
features
.jpg)
Yak hides are usually smaller than cattle hides. Yak hides usually have a surface area between 2.5 and 4 square meters, while the surface of the skins of domestic cattle is over five square meters. As the animal ages, the skin becomes thicker, coarser and more uneven. The skin of yak cows generally remains thinner and more elastic than that of yak bulls.
Yaks are usually not slaughtered in slaughterhouses, but in the open. This happens in winter even under frost conditions. The hides are often not properly peeled off or are damaged by the slaughtering conditions. The transport routes to the tanneries are also long, so that further damage often occurs during transport. Yaks also have a relatively high infestation of parasites, which can damage the skin to a greater extent. Botflies in particular pierce the skin, so that the quality of many skins is impaired by botfly holes. Because of the hump-like back muscles, yak hides are not processed as a whole, but rather divided for tanning.
Traditional processing
Among the yak-holding countries, Tibet in particular has a centuries-old tradition of processing yak hides into leather. There are different processing methods, whereby traditional leather processing is usually limited to a few steps. The fresh hides are often first placed in buttermilk and then milled with a stick . Alternatively, they are first soaked in water and then the fat and meat residues are removed. Hides stretched out to dry are rubbed with a mixture of yak butter , yak or sheep brain. After drying, they are tightly rolled up, wrapped with string and walked with the feet over a period of three to four days. During this period, the roller is opened again and again and the skin is stretched again. Finished hides are treated with fat again to make them soft and supple.
The leather is hard-wearing and Central Asian peoples use it to make straps, suspension lines, belts and various containers. It is also made into saddles and saddlebags . The traditional Tibetan boots are also made with yak leather soles.
supporting documents
literature
- Jürgen Lensch, Peter Schley and Rong-Chang Zhang (eds.): The Yak (Bos grunniens) in Central Asia , Gießen Treatises on Agricultural and Economic Research in the European East, Volume 205, Berlin 1996, ISBN 3-428-08443-8 .
Footnotes
- ↑ Lensch et al., P. 209