Clothing of the peoples of Siberia

The Far North is a harsh climate, but even in such conditions people live and dress beautifully. The clothes of the peoples of the North have their own characteristics, decorations and style. First of all, it should be warm and comfortable.

Men’s deaf clothing with a hood made of deerskin with fur inside is called malitsa. It has sewn mittens. A cloth shirt is worn over it, which protects the raspberry from dirt and dampness. The women’s fur coat (yagushka) has a slit in the front. It is sewn from two layers of deer fur (one pile inside, the other pile outside). Embroidered ribbons and drawstring straps are sewn to the sides. For young children, two-layer fur clothes with a hood are sewn, resembling a raspberry in cut. Children’s trousers are made immediately together with shoes.

The color of the clothes was very important. For example, in Khanty, white is considered pure, it means snow, white day; black — darkness, night, illness, bad deed or suffering; red — blood, fire, passion.

When sewing clothes from reindeer fur, the peoples of the North often used the contrast of white and black. The fur coat (sah) was sewn according to strict canons: the camp was made of light fur, and the hem was made of dark. The darker the fur was, the more it was appreciated in the culture. Men’s deaf clothes (malitsa) were wrapped with dark fur, and the goose was wrapped with light fur. They decorate clothes with embroidery and, of course, the North cannot be imagined without beads.

Khanty clothes

At the turn of the century, over a canvas shirt and suede trousers, a fur coat made of deer skins with wool to the body (malitsa) was worn in winter, belted with a belt; stockings made of the same skins (siskins) were pulled over the legs. A second fur coat was put on top of the malitsa, already with the wool out, with a hood behind and with mittens (goose). The head was covered with a three-piece sewn from two deer skins, one of which was turned with wool inside and the other out. Women’s clothes resembled men’s, only the shirt had folds at the back. In summer, men and women wore long cloth caftans in green and blue. Women’s jewelry in the form of plaques, colorful patches, and beads were popular.

Malitsa

Malitsa is a casual winter and summer clothing for men. It is sewn with fur inside, has a hood, and mittens are sewn directly to the sleeves.

The raspberry is sewn with threads from deer tendons. Marking and cutting is performed from the side of the mezdra with the tip of a sharp knife. The outside is covered with a crust of cloth or other fabric. Very modestly, most often along the hem, the raspberry is decorated with an ornament consisting of small details (decorative stripes, teeth). The shirt is worn over the head.

Yagushka

Women’s national outerwear is called yagushka and comes in two types: winter and summer. Each craftswoman tries to make her frog beautiful and bright, so ornamentation is widely used.

The winter yagushka is made from tanned deer skins and is richly decorated with national patterns, and the summer frog is sewn from cloth using braided ornaments made of beads and applications made of colored fabric. This type of outerwear has a traditional cut, which is determined by the place of residence of the Khanty or Nenets peoples. The tailored elements and the ornament are sewn with threads made of deer tendons. The yagushka is also used in the chum as a blanket.

Clothing of the Siberian Tatars

Men’s clothing

The traditional men’s clothing of the Siberian Tatars included an undershirt ("itskilek") and an overshirt ("kilek"). The shirts were identical in their cut: long, wide, with long sleeves. The ties were sewn on the upper shirt. White fabric (calico, satin) was used for the undershirt, and unpainted fabric, black, red or blue, was used for the upper one.

The shirts were accompanied by trousers: upper ("tsolbar") and lower ("ayakhtun"). The trousers were of a traditional Turkic shape. A lace was pulled along the edge of the lower trousers. Over time, the upper trousers began to be fastened with 1−2 buttons. The material for the lower trousers was a light cotton fabric, for the upper ones — wool.

A cloth or cotton vest ("yeses yakta") and a jacket ("yakta") were worn over the shirt. In cold weather, they wore a half-coat made of cloth, which was belted with a homespun belt made of colored woolen threads. Sometimes they were belted with a twisted leather cord, but in no case with a belt.

On holidays, they wore a robe ("sukman") made of homespun woolen cloth ankle-length, with a collar, without lining, sometimes with buttons cut out of thick leather. They wore a robe with a belt. In addition, on holidays, they wore beshmet robes made of Central Asian silk, as well as robes made of homespun striped fabric.

In winter, sheepskin jacket ("tun") were worn, the length of which depended on the wealth of the owner. Festive sheepskin jackets of wealthy people were covered with expensive fabric, often a collar made of valuable fur was sewn to them. On a long journey, a sheepskin jacket was worn over a sheepskin coat. A sheepskin coat is an expensive thing, not everyone had it.

In the first half of the twentieth century after collectivization, the Tatars began to dress simply and this led to the loss of traditional differences in clothing.

Women’s clothing

The traditional clothing of the Siberian Tatars included an undershirt ("itskilek") and undershorts, similar in cut to men’s. The shirt had long sleeves, its waist consisted of a front and a back, sometimes wedges were sewn between them on the sides, and there was a shallow neckline on the chest. The women’s undershirt was sewn from cotton fabric with small patterns. The trousers were traditionally Turkic in cut. Dense fabric was taken for them, and the pattern was large and pronounced.

The dress ("kilek", "kulyak"), depending on the income, was sewn from calico, satin, silk, wool or velvet. The dresses were long, with long sleeves and a stand-up collar. Dresses were often decorated with frills, which were made of satin ribbons. A velvet or silk tank top, most often red or green, was worn over the dress.

House chores were done in waist aprons ("breather"). At the beginning of the twentieth century, Tatar women began to wear cloth vests ("yakta") and knitted sweatshirts ("shimber"). In winter, fur coats and cloth coats were worn, often with collars made of valuable fur.