Tus kiis are traditional, handcrafted wall hangings found only among the Kazakh nomads in the windswept mountains of western Mongolia. Hung inside nomadic yurts, tus kiis provide bright backgrounds for beds and sitting areas. Often given as marriage gifts from mother to daughter, they are unfinished on the bottom as a symbol of the bride’s departure into a world of unbounded opportunity, and as an open invitation back to the family yurt. The one shown above was made for a child's bed, and is smaller than most; it measures approximately five feet by three feet. Most tus kiis are larger, measuring up to six feet by four feet. Each one is a unique creation, requiring months of painstaking, hand-stitched embroidery. The old ones represent a disappearing art, as sewing machines and modern lifestyles change the traditional nomadic crafts.
Conservation Ink has acquired a small collection of tus kiis. We offer them as part of our fundraising effort. All proceeds go toward the continuation of our work in Mongolia. Please visit the Tus Kii Gallery to see more of these unusual wall hangings. For information on displaying tus kiis, please click here to download a pdf file. For prices, more detailed photographs, or any other information, please contact us by email or phone.
