The wide wet grasslands at the head of the Min, Fu and Black rivers (Zoige, Hongyuan, Aba, Maqu) are horse and yak country.
Wikipedia's Tangut article says that until the 19th century 'Minjak' (Minyak) meant the area of today's Ngawa prefecture, and that the early Tanguts lived in the highlands of west Sichuan and south-east Qinghai: this was Dangxiang country, and its herders were Tibetanised long before 1200. Kirti (founded 1472) and the Bon and Kagyu houses of the later centuries are not yet. The Song fair at Danchang and the markets at Songpan draw their horses from here.
Who he is
- Title
- Tribal chiefs and camp-lords of the Ngawa grasslands
- Since
- not known
- Born
- not known
- Family
- not known
- Confidence
- low
No chief named.
What it holds
- Grassland pastures and the yak and horse herds
- The upper Min and Fu valleys' summer grass
- Passage over the watershed to the Gyalrong and Songpan valleys
How it was acquired
By custom.
Allies and rivals
The Songpan Fan and the Min Qiang to the east; the Gyalrong to the south; Golog to the north-west.
How things stand that morning
Self-governing; no dated event.
Wealth
Horses, yaks, wool, butter, hides.
Military
Mounted herdsmen; no numbers.
Places of note
- Aba (Ngawa): Grassland centre; not a town in 1200.
- Zoige: Grassland centre.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Geography, the Minyak name and the horse trade only.
On the map: Ground is drawn in the province record Ngawa.
Sources and studies
- Wikipedia, Tangut people (Minyak, Tibetan Buddhism at the Xia court; read this session)
- Wikipedia, Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture (read this session)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.