Transformation of winter costume in Yakutia in the era of modernization of the late XIX – mid XX centuries.

Abstract

This article examines the process of changing everyday clothes in Yakutia in the late XIX – mid XX centuries on the example of a winter suit. This historical period was marked by active modernization processes in the region, which also affected the material culture of the population. The issue of adaptation of residents of the Far North to new economic conditions is relevant in this regard: how the transition from the traditional way of life to Soviet culture took place. The hypothesis of the present study is that the culture and technologies of traditional tailoring of fur and leather have been preserved in the studied period precisely because of the need for the population to self-sustain themselves with winter clothing in conditions of shortage of goods and raw materials. The chronological framework of the study covers the period of the end of the existence of the traditional Yakut costume and ends in the middle of the twentieth century. To study the winter costume, photographic materials were used, which depicted samples of everyday clothes. Photos from the photo funds of the Yakut State United Museum of History and Culture of the Peoples of the North named after Em. Yaroslavsky, which includes images from both public and private collections, are considered. In addition, consultations with informants were held to supplement the data. This topic has not yet become the subject of special study, since the costume of this period is no longer ethnic. Nevertheless, in our opinion, it is interesting in the context of studying the adaptation of folk traditions to modernization processes. Using visual and field sources, the transformation of casual clothing in Yakutia of the studied period is considered. The authors of the article came to the conclusion that in the era of modernization there was a sharp change in the way of life, which affected the material culture of the inhabitants of Yakutia. Unification in the wardrobe of citizens of the Soviet state in the first half of the twentieth century could not always cover the needs of residents of specific climatic zones, including residents of the northern republics. This contributed to the preservation of traditional technologies of manual production of winter clothing.