Patterned Weaving
Alongside the production of simple solid-colored or striped fabrics used for making clothing and some household items, patterned weaving was widespread in southern Kyrgyzstan in the 19th and early 20th centuries. There are three types of patterned fabrics distinguished by their weaving technique: terme, kajary, and besh kashté. Patterned fabrics not only met practical needs but were also intended to satisfy the aesthetic tastes of the Kyrgyz population.
It should be noted that while the fabric made at home for sewing clothes was gradually being replaced by fabrics produced by artisans and factories, patterned Kyrgyz weaving had no competition. Up until the last days, Kyrgyz people adorned their yurts only with fabrics of their own production. The only exception was the curtain, which separated the left side of the yurt where the newlyweds' bed was located. In settled-type dwellings, large wall-hanging embroidered panels of Uzbek machine production began to be used for this purpose.
The stripes of patterned fabrics among the Kyrgyz are called boo. Their width is determined by their practical purpose (ranging from 4 to 70 cm). The length of the woven strips averages 20-25 m.
In large quantities, strips approximately 4 to 12 cm wide were woven in the past and are still used today to fasten parts of the wooden frame of the yurt and the felt coverings. The narrowest strips (tizgich boo) are used to secure the dome poles and tie the edges of the lattice walls of the yurt when it is set up. Wider strips (zhel boo) are used to reinforce the yurt; strips called tuurdook boo, uzuk boo, and eshik boo are used to fasten the felt coverings; narrow strips (bokcho boo) are used to tie bundles of belongings and to trim the edges of horse blankets. Wider strips — chalgych (10-12 cm) are used to secure the top of the lattice walls of the yurt.
From strips of various widths, mats (shalcha) are sewn, which serve different practical purposes: they are used to wrap valuable carrying items, cover a horse when setting off on a journey, cover the stand on which bedding is placed, lay on the floor, and hang on the walls (mainly in the house). It is also customary to sew together strips made using different techniques, alternating them: one strip "besh keshte," another — "kajary," or one strip "besh keshte," another — "terme," and so on. This results in a festive, colorful mat. Household and everyday bags, as well as carrying bags, are sewn from patterned fabrics.
The colorful wide stripes (made as wide as 70 cm in patterned fabric) called kerege tanuu, which are placed behind the lattice wall of the yurt, and the strips used as a frieze ("tegirich") and laid behind the dome poles below the bend, add great decorativeness to the Kyrgyz yurt.
Such is the purpose of patterned fabrics. One can also speak of the predominant use of a certain type of fabric. For horse blankets and their edge trimming, southern Kyrgyz people prefer to use "kajary" strips. For "koro tanuu," "terme" is commonly used, for the frieze — "kajary" and "besh keshte" strips, and for decorating the outside of the yurt's dome, a narrow fabric "besh keshte" is prepared.
The technique of patterned weaving is predominantly mastered by older craftswomen. The traditions associated with patterned weaving are still being passed down to the younger generation.
