Hangai Mountain Textiles prides itself on the authenticity and sustainability of their products. The rare yak down, pure cashmere, and baby camel used to make their exquisite blankets, throws, and other accessories are exclusively sourced and produced in Mongolia. Most of Hangai’s yak down is sourced near the magnificent Mount Otgontenger Mountain in the Altai Mountain Range, where the animals roam freely. The Otgontenger area and the animals inhabiting it are magical. The sheep and goats freckle the foothills like grains of salt and pepper, while the yaks grace the steppe dancing in their skirts of fiber. However, yaks were not originally endemic to Mongolia, they arrived hand in hand with Buddhism about 400 years ago.

Searching for religious inspiration during the 13th century, Mongolians traveled to the high Tibetan plateau where they found Buddhism, along with a strange creature with cloven hooves and a luxurious coat - the majestic yak. As the myth goes….On their journey back to Mongolia, Mongolians brought many yaks as beasts of burden, along with one Himalayan child. Not wanting to leave Tibet and the vertiginous mountains it had called home, the child began to cry.

In order to ease the child, the Mongolian herders tried to feed it yak’s milk, yet the child continued to cry. As the herders and yaks entered Mongolia, they decided the only way to stop the child’s incessant crying was to chop it in half. They buried the child in Mongolian soil and soon an enormous mountain began to rise, reminiscent of a mountain the child had left behind in Tibet. The yaks and herders continued to care for the mountain and it grew high over the surrounding steppe. Today Mt. Otgontenger is home to thousands of the yak herder families that depend on yak products, including textile, dairy, and meat products, and the Mongolians honor Mt. Otgontenger as a holy being.

Mt Otgontenger lies in the Khangai Mountain region where Hangai Mountain Textiles derived its name and much of its yak fiber. The vast, mountainous region filled with tradition, spirit, and authenticity inspires the company to produce sustainable and genuine products in partnership with many Hangai yak herder families, one of which is featured in this video. 

For a better look at the areas and the people we work with at Hangai Mountain Textiles please visit and subscribe to our youtube channel at:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBTG-3U2Oh3Kf-3SS...

Story Written by Annika Furman

Annika Furman is currently a student at Colorado College. She travelled with founders Bill and Betina across Mongolia meeting herders and experiencing the culture of the vast steppe meanwhile gathering stories and insight.

Video by Peter Bittner