Category: Info
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Nomadic culture: Shagai (knucklebone games)
Knucklebones, known in Mongolian as “shagai”, are six-pointed bones from the ankle of a sheep or goat. They are used, similarly to dice, in traditional games of dexterity and chance, as well as in fortune-telling. The four uneven sides of the bone are known as horse, camel, sheep, and goat.
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Nomadic culture: Milking goats and making goat cheese
Goats are economically important to Mongolian nomads as sources of cashmere wool, but they also provide a reliable supply of milk. In the Gobi, goat milk is processed into curds, fermented drinks, or hard cheese to prevent spoilage. Each family’s hard goat cheese has a unique flavour, and will be presented to visitors as an…
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Nomadic culture: Setting up the yurt
The Mongolian yurt (ger) is an all-natural, all-season, mobile dwelling. It is made of a wood framework covered in felt, which herders themselves have traditionally made from the wool of their own sheep. The yurt allows nomads to move their herds from season to season, making sustainable use of grasslands. This video sequence shows a…
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Nomadic culture and intangible heritage
The vibrancy of nomadic culture depends on herders not simply being goat producers, but also dairy producers, airag (fermented mare’s milk) producers, felt producers, harvesters of natural resources, custodians of natural sacred sites, horse trainers, and so on. By sharing information about these traditions, we hope to provide an understanding of the importance of nomadic…
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Cashmere, culture, and sustainability
Our personal clothing choices can have major social and environmental impacts in other parts of the world. But how can you know if your clothing is sustainably produced?
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What goes into the price of an ethically traded cashmere scarf?
We have tried to break down the pricing of a fair trade cashmere scarf for our customers in this infographic.
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For our customers in Winnipeg…
Winnipeg typically has 193 days a year with sub-zero temperatures. That makes us one of the best places in the world to enjoy the luxurious comfort of a premium cashmere scarf!