ABSTRACT
Yarkendi traders are often remembered in Ladakh in highly idealized terms such as those in the kiraiyakash’s account in Chapter 4 – healthy, wealthy, and generous, etc. Yarkendis were also frequently recalled by Ladakhis in relation to the items they owned and goods they carried. For example, when asked about who the Hors were, one older man replied not with a description of the people, but rather with a list of their goods, listing “. . . carpets, rugs, gold, pearls . . .” He went on to explain with delight that Yarkendis were so rich that if you gave one two pieces of bread, they would give you a whole sheep in return.
