The nomads of the great bend of the Yellow River, round the sacred mountain Amnye Machen (Machen Pomra), are the people later known as Golog.
Wikipedia's Amdo article names the Golok, Gome and Lutsang peoples as tribes organised in 'tsowa' (tribes), 'sgar' and 'nangso' (larger units), but gives no date. In 1200 we know nothing dated about them: the picture is the general pattern of high-pasture yak herders under camp chiefs, with the mountain as their shrine, no monastery of weight, and tolls only on the caravans that skirt them. The campaign board has nothing here.
Who he is
- Title
- Tribal chiefs (camp-lords) of the nomads of the Amnye Machen country
- Since
- not known
- Born
- not known
- Family
- not known
- Confidence
- low
No chief named; the name 'Golog' is not found in any document of 1200 that we could reach.
What it holds
- Summer and winter pasture round Amnye Machen and the Yellow River bend
- Salt and gold dust washed in the streams (general Kham and Amdo pattern; not documented here)
- The right to guide or rob caravans on the Yushu-Xining and Ngawa-Rebgong tracks
How it was acquired
By custom.
Allies and rivals
Feud between tribes; Tsongkha and Rebgong clans to the north; the Ngawa herders to the east; Yushu to the west.
How things stand that morning
Self-governing; no dated event.
Wealth
Yaks, horses, sheep, wool, butter, hides; gold dust (general pattern).
Military
Mounted herdsmen; no numbers.
Places of note
- Maqen (Dawu), approximate: Heart of the bend.
- Amnye Machen, approximate: The sacred mountain.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The tribal organisation is from Wikipedia (Amdo, undated); the area is inferred.
On the map: Ground is drawn in the province record Golog.
Sources and studies
- Wikipedia, Amdo (read this session)
- Author's recall of the secondary literature (Petech, Tucci, Stein, Davidson, Smith, Kapstein, Dunnell): not re-read this session, so marked 'recalled' in the text
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.