Frequently Asked Questions

No, Mother Tongue is not about nationalism. It is not a political statement, but a creative expression; concerning the breathtaking diversity of the land of Turkiye. We don’t exclude communities or individuals who don’t identify as ‘Turkish’, because they make up part of the identity of this land just as much as anyone else. Even non-Turkish citizens who are temporarily living in Turkiye form a part of the identity, and so can be included as part of Mother Tongue.

It’s important to note that our collection directly supports the makers of the objects, all of whom have a genuine connection to Turkiye.
Our founder Melis was born and raised in Turkiye. so she feels a personal motivation to represent her culture in a meaningful way. We are a constantly-evolving research-based organisation, working to provide our customers and visitors the resources to ‘appreciate’ cultures of Turkiye rather than ‘appropriate’ it. These resources can be found anywhere we produce content.

Across our Platform - Our whole point is to provide an all-inclusive representation of the cultures of Turkiye, but this is a mammoth of a task with so many communities of ethnic minorities calling it home. So please be sympathetic to the fact that we are constantly learning. If you’d like to tell us about your culture and help us grow, you can email us at hello@thisismothertongue.com, we would really appreciate that.
Our Collection - Our collection does not necessarily represent the whole cultural make-up of Turkiye at all times. Though we aim to offer a diverse selection every month, some months can be more representative of Western regions and some of Eastern regions, for example. The reason for this is because it is not financially viable for us to travel the whole of Turkiye in one go, so we do it in phases, promoting stories of different regions at different times.

Anatolia is the region that is the westernmost section of Asia, covering the most of modern-day Turkiye (%97). It is also the birthplace of countless stories accepted today as to have originated in the West. It is home to the Ancient City of Troy, Santa Claus, and many, many cats!
The remaining 3% of Turkiye’s landmass is situated on the European Continent known as Trakya (Thrace).

Everything we have in our collection is found in Turkiye. 99% is made across Turkiye by Artists & Makers and everyone in between. The other 1% equates for the treasures we find in second hand shops of Turkiye, which may have been made elsewhere, as well as works made by people of Turkiye, who may be living abroad.

We use tools -in addition to our hands- to make most ‘handmade’ things. Of course, there are degrees to how ‘handmade’ something is. Truly hand-made objects are one-of-a-kind, whilst hand-made things can also be not-one-of-a-kind, if the original object is reproduced in some way (i.e. digital printing or use of moulds). There are also objects that are made primarily by hand, but with the help of technology and/or mechanics (i.e. use of sewing machines or computers).
As part of our collection we include all of the above under ‘handmade’, as we feel the approach to its production is more relevant than whether it was exclusively made by hand. In this case the term ‘handmade’ more appropriately refers to non-industrialised production of all kinds.

It’s highly unlikely that we will stop buying things all together. Apart from the essential things we buy to exist, there are also beautiful things that most of us like to decorate our lives with, to build our memories around, to live alongside of... We could certainly buy less of those and consume more meaningfully, at the same time as supporting the people who make those beautiful things. Click here to see how this helps us be more sustainable.

The only people who ride camels in Turkiye are tourists :-) Though there are many nomad and semi-nomad communities who live in Turkiye, some of whom might have been seen on a camel, camels are definitely not the standard way of transit in the country. On the contrary, Turkiye was the second country to build a metro line after Great Britain (est. 1875).

The climate in Turkiye varies considerably from region to region, mainly depending on the distance from the sea and elevation. Although presented as a sunny-all-year-around country in the Western world, temperatures in the Black Sea, Central and Eastern Anatolian regions have been recorded to reach minus 22 degrees Celcius, with some places retaining permanent snow coverage all year around.

Almost all of t he photos used on this website are taken in Turkiye, by different people. We use works from a diverse group of people because we want to offer a diverse perspective of the land.
Any photos not taken by Melis (studio halbuki) or her family were found on the incredible platforms Unsplash or Pexels. Credited to a long list of people, which can be found here.

Our portfolio is made up of collaborators we work with continuously. We invest in each individual/organisation we continuously work with, and they in us. This investment, both financial and emotional, is our duty of care and the backbone of our work, so we make sure not to rush it, but cherish it. Our collection, however, also includes trial pieces and pieces from artists whom we don’t get to build that relationship with because of circumstances outside of our control.

Our site was designed by studio halbuki, which is the artist identity of our Founder Melis.

We accept all major credit & debit cards as well as payments through Paypal or Apple Pay. We also accept payments in instalments through Clearpay.

Feel free to email us with any questions at hello@thisismothertongue.com, and we will do our best to answer!