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Torana Tribal is my (Chris Buckley's) site, selling ethnic minority textiles direct from China, mainly from Guizhou, Guangxi, Yunnan and Hainan Island, but also including tribal textiles, masks and tribal art from other parts of Southeast Asia too.
Click on the links in the menu at left to look at the galleries: new material is added from time to time so please check back.
Most of the ethnic minority costumes and textile shown here are from the mid-20th century. A few are considerably older than that. If an item is contemporary there is a note to that effect in the description. Ages are an estimate, generally based on looking closely at dyes and weaving method. The best workmanship and design tends to be found on older pieces, since as the 20th century progressed the pace of life has increased and there is less time to devote to handmade crafts.
If you'd like to be on my mailing list for occasional updates and a heads-up on items about to be added to the site please drop me a line at chris@toranahouse.com, and if you are looking for something in particular feel free to let me know (I don't bite and welcome inquiries!). I am in regular touch with many traders in tribal arts and textiles in China, travel to western parts of China frequently and can occasionally find what you want.
I have a store selling Tibetan carpets in Beijing, but my Chinese minority textiles are not usually displayed there. However if you are traveling through Beijing and would like to see some pieces and chat about ethnic textiles please get in touch and if I am in town I will be happy to meet you.
If you have a publishing project and you are looking for photographs of tribal items and Chinese ethnic textiles I can also provide images: all the photos on this site (and more) are available in high resolution form.
Chris Buckley