saddle bags

TIBETAN NOMAD LIFE relies on horses for transportation of both goods and people. Kham in particular is known for its horses, its horse races, and its crazy horse stunts. Tibetan horses are pony-sized, and yet biologically they are not ponies, but real horses. They are also unusually strong, and adapted for life at high altitudes.

Nomad saddle bags are completely handmade -- carded, spun, woven, and sewn; some completely of yak-hair, some of a yak/wool combination, and some add varying amounts of brightly colored cotton string. The yak-hair and wool bags are sometimes hand-dyed to beautiful natural colors, and sometimes left in their natural state.

Saddle Bags for People... One of the most unusual things Tibetans have come up with is a bag, identical to a saddle bag in every way except for being much smaller, which nomads carry over their left shoulder. These bags are most often used to carry food -- tsampa flour in one side, and dried yak buttermilk cheese and a tin of butter in the other.

LHAGANG SADDLE BAG: yak hair/wool