There is apparently no absolute rule for the distribution of types of kush motif among the Turkmen groups, except for the Saryk with their special models. We might be able to extract rules if we had great numbers of ensis reliably attributed to known groups. But this is not the case and it is not easy because there are still ensis of unknown tribe and tribes without known ensis.

In the work of Robert Pinner ( Turkoman Studies I) about the "animal tree ensis", some typology seems to exist. Tekke ensis with lateral meander borders usually have a kush motif of the zoomorphic profile type 1 or O1 (with simple or double  top device), while Tekke with gopuz candelabra lateral borders have a less zoomorphic candelabra kush (third type and O2).




In Tekke ensis with other types of borders, the most frequent kush type is the candelabra. One ensi displayed by Pinner shows the two types of kush in the same panel.

When Yomut ensis have kush motifs, they seem to have only a very simple and filiform shape of the third type and without any “head”.




Salor ensis display a very “pure” zoomorphic kush on which the tufted top is quite curvilinear and is more realistic than the square ones.



It is among the Ersari ensis that we can find the most varied typology of the kush motifs. All types except the Saryk are present, but there seems to be a preference for bird’s head rather than candelabras and there are many variations in the way the motifs are displayed (candelabras, W shapes, single or multiple). If we apply the theory that the group which displays the more varied forms of a motif is the inventor, then the Ersaris could be considered as  the originators of the kush motif.

It is also among the Ersaris that we can find a singular interpretation of the kush. In those cases it is not zoomorphic, but has became a flower motif. Perhaps this relates to a more strictly Islamic design that avoids any animal drawing. It can be also related to garden design rugs from Persia (Bakthiari) and Kurdistan.







There is another odd ensi of a type that has been discussed on Turkotek, "Uzbek ensi". In this case the kush design becomes more geometric and less zoomorphic. The detail is of a second, similar Uzbek ensi, added to show the Uzbek form of the kush more clearly.