Embroidery and Patterned Chia Mats

Embroidery.

This ancient art was the most accessible activity for girls and women. Embroidery adorned many household items (Chepelevetskaya, 1968. p. 78, 79; Antipina, 1962. pp. 97-124; Satybaldieva, 2008).

Many embroidered items were part of the dowry that a mother prepared for her daughter with the help of relatives.

Traditional embroidered items are used in the decoration of modern homes, for example, wall carpets (tush kiyiz), as well as new items: embroidered curtains, decorative towels, underlays, and others (Chepelevetskaya, 1968. p. 79).

Gradually, embroidered items of nomadic life are fading into the past, but some continue to exist; for instance, in the South, traditional embroidered pillowcases for elongated pillows (jazdyk) are still in use.

Chiy.

Patterned mats made of chiy - a tall (up to 1.5-1.7 m), stiff, smooth, and lightweight reed - were used in the felting of felt and patterned wool; they also served as underlays for felt carpets in yurts, as wind and sun barriers in summer rooms, gazebos, and during outdoor work, especially at weaving looms. Chiy was used to make lids for cauldrons, hanging shelves, and drying racks for food. To protect and insulate the walls of the yurt (kerege), they were covered with mats (Makhova, 1968. pp. 31-34; Antipina, 1962. pp. 44-49). In northern regions, a chiy artisan is called chyr-makchy, while in southern regions, they are referred to as cheber or ashkana cheber. Two types of mats are made - patterned (chyrmagan chiy, orogon chiy) and simple (chygshan, boyro, kyshaa). Long mats (chyrmagan chiy or chyrmagan kanat) cover the yurt, while short ones measuring 2.0-2.5 m (chyktan and ashkana chiy) are used as screens to enclose the kitchen area in the yurt to the right of the entrance. They are also called by different names. From the ornamented chiy, a base for the hanging felt door of the yurt (eshik chiy) is made.

Creating patterned mats is a labor-intensive task. Prepared chiy stems are wrapped with dyed wool according to the intended pattern and connected with wool thread on a simple loom (Makhova, 1968. pp. 32, 33). One artisan worked alone, with help only in securing the wrapped stems into the mat. The ornaments of the mats predominantly feature horn-like curls, squares, diamonds, and polygons. Nowadays, the art of wrapping chiy has become a profession for artists and enthusiasts: it is used to make bags, screens, curtains, lampshades, decorative panels, and napkins.

Kyrgyz Non-Pile Artistic Fabrics