Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (SEWING, EMBROIDERY AND FELT MAKING): Recent Episodes
Cambridge University
In Kalmykia, sewing, embroidery and felt-making have been regarded as women’s crafts. Traditionally, women sewed and decorated clothes, hats, bedding, bags and cushions for domestic use. Materials that were used varied, ranging from silk and textiles to skin, felt and furs. Aside from cotton, silk and woolen threads, Kalmyks also used threads made from various animal fibers, including tendon and intestines. End products that were intended to reflect the status and craftsmanship of the family and its female members such as festive dresses, hats, bags, and cushions were decorated with ornaments painstakingly sewed using gold, silver and vividly coloured threads. Products made of felt were particularly popular. Felt of various widths and refinement was widely used for all kinds of coverings and containers, including the outer cover of the nomadic tent, rugs, mats and bags. For example, the outer cover of the tent was made of thick and dense felt layers, whereas those used for clothes were finer and lighter. Often, felt products were decorated with traditional embroidery, zeg ornaments in particular. Felt-making is a long and labor-intensive process. Firstly, sheep wool has to be sorted according to colour, then combed, cleaned, and beaten with a long stick until it turns into a light, fluffy mass. Afterwards, it is sprinkled with warm water, rolled up, and pressed. The felt roll is lifted and dropped by several people more than a thousand times to give it the required density and durability.
Tatyana talks about how to make felt. The ground for felt making is cleaned. A cloth is put on the ground. The sheep’s wool is spread on the cloth and moisturized with water. Then it is lashed with a long rod, rolled up, lifted and thrown to the ground. After unrolling, the felt is left to dry. Traditionally, felt was used to make matrasses and cushions. During a wedding, the bride kneels on a felt mattress in front of her in-laws.
Maria remembers how in her childhood Kalmyks lived in yurts and made felt. To make felt, girls sat in a circle, holding long sticks in their hands with which they lashed the sheep’s wool. After lashing, the wool was sprinkled with water, pressed with hands, and rolled up. The rolled felt was then again lashed with sticks, lifted and thrown to the ground. The felt was unrolled and left to dry. Whips and harnesses were produced by special craftsmen.
Felt is made from autumn wool (mochr). It is made as follows. Clay is spread on the ground and a cow skin is put on it. Then wool is spread evenly on the skin. Four or five women sit around and beat the wool with long sticks. The longer you beat the wool, the better. It turns into soft material resembling down. In the past, people counted their beating movements. Afterwards, the wool is sprinkled with water, beaten again with sticks, and rolled on the ground.
In the beginning Svetlana Batyreva, a Kalmyk scholar who studies art, gives a short talk and introduces Alesya Kalmykova. Svetlana says that Kalmyk dress is different from those of other peoples. The dress of Western Mongols does not have ornaments. Ornaments appeared on Kalmyk dress under the influence of Russian, Turkic and Caucasian cultures when the Kalmyks came and settled in Russia. After that Alesya, who teaches art in a kindergarten in Kaluga, shows how to sew a Kalmyk ornament called zeg which is made from thin woollen cords. Zeg ornaments are usually used in women’s dress. At her masterclass Alesya shows how to make a zeg ornament in the shape of the sun.
Alesya says that Kalmyk ornaments could be of various shapes and styles, including geometrical, zoomorphic, floral, astral and alphabetic. Geometrical shapes are the oldest among them and are usually used in traditional dress. Zoomorphic ornaments are used on utensils and furniture. Alphabetic and astral ornaments – on belts. The oldest Kalmyk ornament is called zeg, which can be characterized as a geometrical ornament. It has various forms, including circular, half-circular, square, T-shaped, and pentahedral. Traditionally zeg is not used on men’s dress, but only on women’s or girl’s dresses. Zeg can be also used on pillows. Zeg ornaments are known among the Khakassians and Altaians who use the so-called lineal zeg. In contrast, Kalmyks zeg has more varieties and shapes. Women’s terlg (a long robe with wide sleeves narrowing towards the wrists) is decorated with golden embroidery that resembled Russian embroidery both in terms of technology and shapes. Kalmyk women’s hats consist of two parts: one part is decorated with zeg and the other with a golden embroidery. In this video Alesya shows a pouch with circular zeg ornaments and a terlg that belonged to a wealthy Kalmyk woman. The cords of the zeg in the terlg are made from silk of various colors. In the past less wealthy Kalmyks used woollen zeg that were less colorful.
Badma talks about traditional bedding, including a bed, a blanket and pillow substitutes.
Traditionally, ropes are made from sheep or camel wool. Sheep are shorn twice a year, in mid-spring and autumn. Autumn wool, called mochr, is short and suitable for making felt and felt products such as covers. Spring wool, by contrast, is long and suitable for making ropes and belts.
Anna recounts her mother’s story that before the exile in 1943 the Kalmyks made felt covers and felt boots. In Siberian exile her mother had neither the time nor opportunity to sew, although she began sewing not long before when the Kalmyks were allowed to return to Kalmykia.
Galina shows a book titled The Kalmyk Traditional Ornaments by Grigoriy Vas’kin where all the pictures were drawn by Galina herself. She says that Kalmyk ornaments could be floral, geometric, zoomorphic, cultic, astral and alphabetic in form. Kalmyk men’s dress differs from that of women. Women’s dress has many geometric ornaments, the most popular beings the shape of the foal’s hooves. Men’s dress, in contrast, is abundant with floral ornaments. Ornaments are also used on wooden cups, tobacco pipes, and bortkha (a vessel to keep alcohol or milk products). Astral ornaments are used on leather goods, hats, tables and on goods made from felt. In terms of color, these ornaments are made from bright threads.
Badma says that in the past the Kalmyks had blacksmiths. Also, the Kalmyks used wool widely in making ropes, whips, socks, felt boots etc. Of all wool varieties, the Kalmyks did not sell cow’s wool. In her childhood Badma recalls wearing felt boots and a down hat. Her grandmother and auntie could sew well. Her grandmother also sewed hats, dresses and embroidery on floor covers. Badma herself can sew embroidery and make felt.
In the past, the Kalmyks sewed pillows called tuntg. Decorated on both sides with ornaments called turun zeg as Maya shows, the tuntg was used to keep clothes, be it old or those worn during celebrations. Maya also shows other ornaments, including one called beezhin khotn used on women’s dress, one with floral motives, and two that are attached to sleeves.
Wool is first washed, beaten by several people with special sticks, sprinkled with water, wrapped and rolled on the ground. The longer one rolls, the better the felt becomes. The best quality felt is made from autumn wool (mochr). The final product is cut into several pieces and decorated with ornaments. White wool can be mixed with brown (camel’s) wool.
Alena talks about how felt was processed in the past. Women gathered together, spread out sheep’s wool on the floor and beat it continuously with sticks. Afterwards the wool was sprinkled with water and rolled up. The roll was left for several days and the whole process was repeated several times. When the felt was ready, it was decorated with ornaments. The yurt had a two-layered door. In the winter the door was covered with felt in order to keep the dwelling warm. The roof of the yurt was also covered with felt. In order to render it stable in the wind, the yurt was tied to sticks, which were nailed into the ground around the yurt. In the summer the felt on the wall was rolled up to allow the yurt to be ventilated. In the rain the yurt did not get wet.