Needlework is fundamental for creating and repairing garments that provide insulation and protection against the cold. Traditional techniques such as sewing with animal hides and fur are time-tested methods for crafting durable and warm clothing that can withstand cold temperatures. Needlework allows for efficient use of resources by employing materials such as animal hides, fur, and sinew to create clothing and other essential items, ensuring that every part of the animal serves a purpose. Additionally, the Khanty People minimize waste by repurposing and mending garments.
The craft of needlework is deeply intertwined with the cultural identity of Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic, for whom crafting practical artworks is a way of life, deeply intertwined with culture, tradition, and survival. Central to this tradition are the instruments and tools used for crafting, which hold both practical and spiritual significance.
Specialized bags are created with meticulous care to safeguard these essential items, reflecting the values and lifeways of the People. These bags are not merely utilitarian – they are works of art in their own right, reflecting each community’s unique aesthetic and cultural identity. They are often adorned with intricate beadwork, mosaic designs, or other traditional embellishments, each design carrying its own symbolic meaning.
The bag is an indispensable attribute of a Khanty woman. It contains all of the essentials for sewing clothing and household items. This collection presents four generations of Ivoshyokh bags.
Urkhir Bag (Grandmother’s bag)
The Urkhir bag for storing things was sewn over 80 years ago by my grandmother Tatyana Egorovna Rebas (Longortova), born in 1913. She was born in a traditional fishing settlement, and belonged to the large Longortov family, who lived in the upper reaches of the Sanya River. There were five sisters in the family. Their mother was a skilled seamstress and tried to pass on her skills to her daughters.
At that time, there was one needle and thimble per family. Fabric was extremely rare and expensive; a piece of fabric could cost a whole reindeer. The bag is not decorated with ornamentation, but it faithfully served its owner for many years, preserving the knowledge of the Khanty women about the past, traditions, and skills of the previous generations. The bag is made from deer foreheads and rovduga (reindeer suede), painted with traditional dye called njuł.
Njuł dye is a unique example of the long-standing relationship between humans and nature. It is made from the rotted blades of grass that fall into the small streams and get stuck under the rocks. When Khanty women go berry picking, they check under the stones for such grass. They collect it in a container, bring it home, spread it out in the sun, and dry it. It dries into thin flakes like seaweed. Then they put them into a container and grind them with a pestle. This produces red powder. This powder is mixed with fish oil to make the njuł paint. The paint is not only used for beautiful decoration of our clothes and sewn goods; It is also used as a water repellent on our footwear, leather vessels, and other materials.
This bag was passed down to me as an inheritance because I work on traditional sewing, and our family decided to pass this bag on to me.
Yontastykhir Bag (My version of the bag of women necessities)
“Yontastykhir” is a bag for storing necessary sewing and crafting tools. I made this bag in 2023 based on the pattern of an antique bag. Reindeer hide, dyed fabric, beads, and metal decorations were used for sewing this bag. For the decoration, I used the traditional Khanty “Sun” ornament. The bag is sewn with threads made from reindeer tendons and has all the attributes of a sewing bag with compartments for needles and thimble, as well as a case for scissors. I added red and green colors for a more interesting and bright ornament for this bag in particular.
Aikhur Bags (my daughter learning sewing skills from my mother)
Such bags are used for storing their dolls, ivory toys and pieces of sewing cloth. Presented here are two bags. One was created by my mother Natalia Aleksandrovna Gorshkova in 2021.
The second handbag was sewn as a sewing learning exercise by my daughter Varvara under the delicate guidance of my mother. The ornament in the middle is called pine nut, the ornament along the bottom symbolizes reindeer antlers.