Yak Polo Draws Tourists to Remote Pakistan Village
October 20, 2015 - In Pakistan's remote and scenic Broghil Valley, locals have come up with an unusual sporting event to attract tourists. Each year, they hold a polo tournament, but rather than using horses, they play the game with yaks, which resemble shaggy, short-legged oxen. Located at about 13,000 feet (3,962 meters) above sea level and in "the last edge of Pakistan," the area is without electricity and has limited road access. Thousands of yaks are grazed here, providing a source of food in the winter.
Transcript
JUMAA BAIG, CAPTAIN OF YAK POLO TEAM:
Yak polo is famous here in the Baroghil Valley. People play polo on horseback everywhere in Shandur, Chitral. But that’s not what we’re famous for.
There are about four yak polo teams from Lashkargarz to Kishmanja. At tournament time, people bring many yaks here. The name of my team is the Shakarwars Baroghil Team. We call our yaks by their colors, like Daffodil, or Green.
Whatever its color is is its name.
TYAB MIR, MANAGER TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE, PAKISTAN TOURISM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION:
Broghil Valley is situated at an altitude of 12 to 13 thousand feet
above sea level. There are high mountains with the snow kept peaks. So In order
to attract tourists these local people organize this event annual basis in
spring specially in the month of July.
In total they
have about 4 to 5 thousand yaks available for grazing and they are using it off
course for their food specially in winter when they don't have any access to
food. They just burry the meat of this animal into snow and then they keep on
using it during the winter.
JUMAA BAIG, CAPTAIN OF YAK POLO TEAM:
We don’t have good road access here. There’s no electricity, no good school, no hospital. We’re living at the last edge of Pakistan, on the border. We are a left-behind people. We can’t grow good crops. I cut grass as fodder for my yaks, and my family takes care of feeding them, watering them, etc. My kids all love them.
About its history: We started playing yak polo in 2000. This
year we couldn’t arrange a tournament because of flooding and because access
to this area isn’t good these days. We play yak polo to attract the world to our valley. When people see that we’re playing a unique sport in this farthest valley, they will come to see it. When tourists come here, I earn goomoney. Because the road isn’t good. I can offer them my horse to carry their luggage and earn a good profit.
