Thinking about the current state of the world and what may be coming from somewhere over the horizon the answer struck me, Yak!
Like other indigenous peoples, the Maasai with their cattle or the North American plains Indians with their bison, the folks in Tibet have found the yak to be the big critter that gives sustenance. Although I was disappointed to find there were no how-to guides, no "1001 Things To Do With Your Yak."
Instead we find writing like:
"In the heart of the awe-inspiring Tibetan landscapes, where the mighty Himalayas caress the sky, a golden elixir is forged through a delicate alchemy. It is the essence of sustenance and the lifeblood of a revered culinary tradition. This delicacy is none other than yak butter – a majestic ingredient that holds a sacred place in Tibetan cuisine."
Which is fine as far as it goes but seems a bit wordy for my current interest. Plus a bit hyper-focused on the lipids whereas I want to know more about this:
Assuming that saddle-looking thing is really a saddle, can I ride my yak?
Can I dress my yak in festive colors?
Does this yak give milk? I would be disappointed and a bit troubled to find the dangly bits were of the wrong sort.
So many questions. Is there a demand for yak wool?
We've looked at some of the history of the wool trade:
- "Maken Engelond Gret Ayeyn"
- "The World’s Most Valuable Wool – Astino" (plus premium facemasks—coronavirus chic)
- Bard Finance, LLC: Dirty Deeds in the Wool Trade
- "Australia’s Lesser Known Commodities Booms"
- New Zealand Farmers Plan Wool Cartel
- "How reliable is a millennium of macroeconomic data?"
- British Imports and Exports Pre-EU
- Disney and Carnegie-Mellon University Develop a 3D Printer That Prints With Yarn
- Slovak President Sports a Stylish Ensemble: Boatneck Dress with Matching Pumps and Fabric Mask
- "Canicule, fraîcheurs, vendanges (France, XVe–XIXe siècles)" Dog-days, cold periods, grape-harvests (France, 15-19th centuries)
You may also want to dip into the big daddy of price series:
"A History Of Agriculture And Prices In England, From The Year After The Oxford Parliament (1259) To The Commencement Of The Continental War (1793)"
by J. E. Thorold‐Rogers, 7 volumes, 1866-1887 which probably influenced Jevons.
It appears most of the upstream plays involve sheep.
And being something of a neo-Luddite the midstream with the looms and the other textile machinery doesn't entice.
So perhaps wholesale and retail are beckoning Marketing and market differentiation.
Leading to the next question: How risky is yak ownership? Can the risk be mitigated?The Strange Business of Subsidized Yak Insurance
Originally posted in October 2017, an odd corner of the insurance business.
If there was a euro/renminbi to be made, the Dutch re/insurers would already be on it:
...the herverzekering crowd in Amsterdam, they're tough bastards.*But they aren't, so this reads a bit like Death of a Salesman, Tibet-style.
From Pacific Standard:
On the northeast corner of the Tibetan Plateau, in central China's Gansu Province, nomads can buy insurance policies for their sheep and yaks. The Chinese government subsidizes the plans, and on highways cutting across Gannan, a Tibetan prefecture in Gansu, billboards advertising the insurance programs share the roadside with signs promoting family planning. Behind the billboards lie vast expanses of grassland—rolling canvases of deep green that stretch into oblivion—where sheep and yaks graze, as if Chinese Communist Party officials have placed them there for a photo shoot.
In Langmusi, a small monastery town, I found a local insurance administrator in a café, slumped over a table and mumbling to himself. He stared vacantly at four empty beer cans and then spotted me across the room.
"Meiguo pengyou! Lai!" "American friend! Come!" The day was young—1 p.m. on a Thursday—and I asked why he'd already begun drinking.
"I took a day off today. There's nothing to do."
"Why?"
"My job has no meaning."
"Business isn't good?"
"It's bad," he said. "This insurance thing, it doesn't have any meaning." He looked into his beer glass, sniffled, and shook his head.
I offered, optimistically, that insurance could help a lot of people. There were lots of nomadic shepherds in Tibet—wasn't there demand? He shook his head again.
"Nobody buys the insurance. Nomads don't understand insurance."
This statement perfectly encapsulated the Chinese government's struggle in Tibet. Since the 1950s, when the CCP first occupied Tibet, assimilation by force had brought little beyond resentment. After decades of failure, the Party had begun to try a new strategy; instead of coercing Tibetans for their loyalty, it would try to buy it. The Chinese government invested in infrastructure, provided generous subsidies and tax incentives across various industries, and attempted to bring modern finance—like insurance—to the Plateau. The economic strategy has, so far, been far more successful than the military one, but it is an ongoing project, and one with limits.
"They just don't understand this stuff," he said again, referring to the nomads.
He explained the pricing. The payoffs, he said, were far too low.
"It doesn't matter anyway. No one buys the insurance. The job doesn't mean anything."
As the afternoon wore on, his depression grew more personal. Middle-aged and far from his home village, he worried about his aging parents. At one point, he began to sob, imagining them dying alone while he failed to sell yak and sheep insurance.
Later, at dinner, he ate slowly, the way a sick person does when he's not hungry, and then sauntered out of the café. I expected his exit would mark the last time I ever discussed yak insurance with anyone....MORE
And is there a difference in pricing for the different colors?
So many questions but at the core, I need a yak.
And maybe a yurt.
