Regional Features of the Traditional Clothing of Ukrainians and Belarusians in the South of the Russian Far East (Late 19th to Early 20th Century)

Abstract

This article highlights regional specifics in the traditional clothing of Ukrainian and Belarusian settlers in Primorye in the late 19th to early 20th century. It is based on ethnographic collections owned by the Arseniev State Museum of Primorye, on archives of the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of the Peoples of the Far East, and on field data. Publications by Siberian researchers have made it possible to reveal parallels in the transformations of the traditional clothing in areas colonized by the Eastern Slavs. In this article, separate items are described and analyzed— male and female undergarments (shirts), female waist clothing (plakhta), skirts (spidnitsa), dresses with bodices (sayan), aprons, male trousers (porty), female sleeveless jackets (kirsetka), outer garments (svitka, yupka), belts, male and female headwear, and footwear (lapti, ichigi). In terms of cloth, design, decoration, manufacturing techniques, there are regional differences related to the settlers ’provenance (natives of the Chernigov, Poltava, Kiev, Mogilev, Grodno, and Minsk governorates). Adaptation to new environments is analyzed (for instance, woolen outer garments, such as svitki, were abandoned because of poor acclimatization of sheep). Socio-economic and ethno-cultural transformations caused complex changes in technology, design, and ways the outfits were worn. Eventually, traditional clothing was replaced by that of the urban type.