Rajagopalan, S.; Layers of meaning: Clothing on the Amur, e-publication of The National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden (2003)
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Introduction:
In the Amur region of southern Siberia, the production of clothing and the beliefs associated with its making and wearing reveal an extreme fluidity of boundaries between the human and animal world. This publication discusses the clothing cultures of two groups – the Nivkhi and Orochi. It explores the making of clothing, the motif patterns peculiar to this region, sewing as a woman’s preserve, and the changes in Amur clothing from the pre-Soviet to the post-Soviet period.
Principles of Amur clothing
Until the early decades of the twentieth century, the Nivkhi and Orochi used mainly fish skin and animal furs for their clothing. The use of fish skin or animal pelts for clothing speaks of the centrality of fishing and hunting in these cultures.
The making of fish clothing (skin of salmon and carp is particularly suitable) characterizes the Nivkhi to the extent that early Chinese records of the people referred to them as 'fish skin tribes'. Their fish skin clothing distinguished them from other neighbouring groups and became a crucial marker of their identity.
Also available in Nederlands:Rajagopalan, S.; Lagen van Betekenis: Kleding aan de Amoer, Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde, Leiden (2003)
Inleiding:
In het gebied rond de rivier de Amoer in zuidelijk Siberië is duidelijk te zien dat bij het maken en dragen van kleding en de opvattingen die hierbij een rol spelen, de grenzen tussen de werelden van mens en dier in hoge mate in elkaar overvloeien. In deze publicatie worden de kledingculturen van twee groepen, de Nivch en Orotsj, behandeld. Er wordt uitgebreid ingegaan op het maken van de kleding, de streekspecifieke motieven, het naaien als domein van vrouwen en de veranderingen in Amoer-kleding van de pre-sovjet- tot de post-sovjetperiode.