The Yeti in Himalayan culture, and Society

The official Webpage of the Abominable Snowman Internet Resource Study Group. Reams of facts, views, history & fun on the elusive creature,

Where you need to go, if you are interested in the Yeti

The way how the regions of the Yeti lands claim the Yeti for themselves is aplenty.

Tibet - This massive land, twice the size of Europe's third largest country, France, sees most of itself higher than 4000 metres above sea level. Tibet is filled by mentions of the Yeti. Many Tibetans claim that a 4th Century poem, called Rama and Sita mentions the Yeti. Belief in the Yeti existing is said to be very strong among Tibetans. In Tibetan the term yeti means magical creature. The creatures are mentioned in many Tibetan scrolls, sometimes with descriptions. It is noted how they are regarded as different to bears and other similar creatures. Thangtong Gyalpo a Tibetan road builder and engineer, and mahasiddha, of the 14th Century is said to have had bags carried for him by the Yeti. Plus a 16th Century high priest of Khumbu, master Lama Sangwa Dorje is said to have been helped into meditation by one. Khumbu is in Nepal, and many give him much of the credit for bringing much of his beliefs to here.

The Tibetan folktale said hairy wild men lived up in higher peaks, on eternal snows, as did mythical white lions. roaring in great storms. One Tibetan lama said to a Westerner that the hairy savages, were speechless and naked, seeming animal - like, not human, with tangled locks all around it. Mongolians called them geresun bamburshe, "wild men"; Prejevalsky the man who found a rare species of wild horse, in 1871 reported another creature, calling them kung guressu or "man beast" in Mongolia, from accounts of locals. Mongolia has been traditionally connected with Tibet on many occasions. British explorers were convinced these accounts stemmed from bear worship in the folk history of Central Asia; that the yeti was a mountain bear. There have been many many sightings of the Yeti in Southern Tibet. That is the name of the 3rd highest mountain in the world, it sits in Sikkim.

Bhutan - This much smaller nation sits on the eastern side of the Himalayas,

This country sees a large proportion of it's inhabitants believing in the Yeti according to a tourist authority anyhow. Many yak herders have either seen the creature or it's footprints. The claim is less Snowmen are seen by the modern generation though as of maybe they are becoming endangered or maybe people are now more embarrassed to say they saw them, or less connected to the beliefs which claim the Yeti exists.

The Snowmen are drawn on the old Tibetan plus Bhutanese scrolls, manuscripts plus murals, with these are added details on the animal; habits, appearance, plus mentions of attacks on humans & Yaks.

The Post & Telegraph department made Snowmen postage stamps in 5 designs and 15 denominations in 1996.

As Bhutan is still 70% forested, with much of the rest being snow highs, the country is said by some to be a good location for a Yeti that lives both in the Jungles and snows. The nation even had a official Yeti hunter, and Yeti posts for members of the establishment. Like Nepal it has at least one hotel called the Yak and the Yeti. Being a land the size of Switzerland, and more remote and steep, and with a population of a sixth of that land, this makes it seem a possible snowman land.

In 2003, the Yeti sometimes known as the Migoi, or strongman, would have been astounded to have been awarded in some sense part of a national park. The park Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary is for wildlife in the area including, some say, undiscovered species. There is also a post of Yeti spotter in the nation. Officially people said it was for normal wildlife like snow leopards, red pandas and barking deer, but somebody spun this into being just for the Yeti. There were big denials that it was just for the Yeti, but in the end even WWF representatives said if the Yeti is there it is for it too.

Sikkim - This land sits between Nepal and Bhutan, it was once independent but was taken by India. It has many peoples, such as Nepalis, and Lepchas.

It has seen many sightings of the Yeti.

It has a company called the Yak and the Yeti Tour Operator

It is rectangle, 70 miles south to north, 40 west to east. The north is bordered by the Tibetan plateau, the its east is Bhutan and Chumbi valley of Tibet, the southern side is by West Bengal. It has 2 passes in east bordered with Tibet Nathula pass 4700 metres, Jelepla 4016 metres. To the west is the Singalila range a land of boundaries with Nepal, with the Chiwabhangjangpass 3400 metres. Sikkim has 2 major rivers the Teesta, starting from a Tashidrag Glacier in north and Rangit a tribuatary of the tributaries Teesta.

People here have very similar views of the Yeti to neighbouring mountain area people. Some people like to call Sikkim the land of the Yeti, sometimes to attract tourism. Sikkim has plenty of good wildlife, for instance it places the red panda, as the symbol of Sikkim.

Nepal - Though just the second largest geographically of the lands where the Yeti is said to reside, this land is by far the most populous.

There is a famous and large hotel in Nepal's capital called the Yak and the Yeti.

This area has like Tibet many many claims of remains of Yetis in monasteries.

Yeti is a Sherpa word Yah means rock and Teh animal. "a rock living animal". The Sherpas have the strongest links to the idea of the Yeti in many ways with many Western sightings being influenced by their culture.

Some Sherpa tales say they were more plentiful were yetis in the past.

In one myth village elders decided to eliminate attacking Yetis. Villagers went to a high area, with a large kettle of maize beer, and weapons. They pretended to get drunk on these to get drunk, and pretend fought. They left the beer and weapons. Yetis had hidden in mountains watching so went to where the events were, got dunk, and fought, and killed many of eachother. The few that survived swore revenge but had to go to the mountain highs. It is a Sherpa tale that the Yeti can appear and disappear at will.

Many Nepalis use a term that means Demon to describe the Yeti.

Thyangboche Gompa has old paintings of the Yeti, it is a monastery, that has paintings of many scenes of the land.

According to some sources, in 1961 Nepal stated that the Yeti did exist, but apparently this proclamation was not a major declaration. Some claim it was declared illegal to kill the Yeti in 1957, but attempts to verify this have failed, and some doubt if this really occurred.

So in a sense not only Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet can claim the Yeti. In some senses Chin and India too the 2 most populous lands in the world have claims to the Yeti.

The official Homepage of the Abominable Snowman Internet Resource Study Group.