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Prayer Flag Descriptions & Symbolism: Prayer Flags in Tibet are called Lung Ta (wind horse), which is both literal of the image, and symbolic of the action of the flags. The idea is that by hanging these flags in high places such as from the top of stupas and across mountain paths, the Wind Horse will carry the blessings depicted on the flags to all beings.

Mysterious Buddhist Beads: Few beads are surrounded by as much mystery and myth as the dZi bead (say ‘zee’). These etched agates are found in Tibet, Bhutan, Ladakh, and Nepal, and are believed to be about two thousand years old. Many legends accompany the beads- that they were not made by man but created by the gods (by lightning strikes, or sometimes, goats – I am not making this up), that they bring luck and ward off evil, that they protect the wearer from physical harm by taking the abuse upon themselves, and that the bead itself will choose its’ owner and will not stay with an unlucky person.

Firstly it may be observed that the word “gong” is in fact a case of an onomatopoeia. Their sound resembles their name when struck. The antique, one of a kind gongs that we carry at Tiger Tiger fall into two categories. We have Burmese Temple gongs and Indonesian Gamelan Gongs. Burmese gongs were primarily used at temples as a call to worship and just as likely as a call to alarm the people of a local village or tribe in the event of a threat or attack.

For centuries, the Hill Tribes of Nepal, China and Burma and other regions have been creating these fabrics by hand. Using embroidery, Ikat and supplementary warp weaving, the most noted creators of these fabrics were the Hmong, Akha and Karen peoples.

Many of these textiles are no longer made by hand due to mass production by automated looms. However, some vintage fabrics have been repurposed into Handbags, Shoulder Bags and Pouches.

Tiger Tiger has a large selection of these one of a kind items, personally sourced by Tiger Tiger from these many regions, some made with repurposed vintage cloth that will never be available again.

Remember as kids how we would collect glass beads to make our own bracelets, necklaces or works of art? Or, maybe you liked to collect items for a charm bracelet. Now that we have “grown up” it doesn’t mean that you can’t still enjoy collecting and adorning yourself with bead work pendants and charms.