Master class from Nadezhda Mikhailovna Grigorieva,
People's Master of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia),
Master of Folk Art and Crafts of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
on making a bag from sinew threads.
During the expedition to the village of Khatystyr in the Aldan ulus (district), aimed at collecting materials on the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Evenks, the participants visited the folk craftsman Nadezhda Mikhailovna Grigorieva, a native of the village of Khatystyr, an Evenki from the Buta clan.
The works of Nadezhda Mikhailovna reflect the originality of the history and traditions of the Evenki people. Her works are varied: she sews special clothing for reindeer herders and hunters (seasonal), makes pack bags, covers saddles for riding reindeer with skin, reindeer harness (special equipment). For the population, she sews high fur boots, torbaz, hats to order. The craftswoman considers sewing fur rugs (kumalans) to be her favorite pastime. Her works are distinguished by their coloring, have an individual style, have their own characteristic ornament and style. When sewing, she uses a centuries-old tradition passed down from generation to generation, and when processing material from fur and skins, she follows ancient technology.
Nadezhda Mikhailovna held a master class for the expedition participants on making a bag from tendon threads. She said that such threads have been used since ancient times for sewing clothes, shoes and for stitching dense materials. They are distinguished by exceptional strength, elasticity and durability, which makes them indispensable in everyday life. The length and thickness depend on the twisting technique and the purpose of the threads. The main material for making threads is tendons, mainly from the back muscles of a deer. They are extracted when cutting up a carcass, dried and then they begin making a bag. This process requires great skill, patience and a lot of free time. First, the dried tendons need to be softened a little and separated into thin fibers, each craftswoman uses a tool that is convenient for her. Then, with the index finger and thumb of the left hand, they hold individual fibers, which are twisted with the right hand, having previously moistened it with water. And to make the thread longer, the thin end of the next one is attached to the end of the previous one.
Nadezhda Mikhailovna constantly conducts master classes not only in her native village, but also outside the republic, passing on experience and knowledge to the young. She is a mentor and has more than 30 students, thanks to her, the art of traditional Evenki sewing is passed on from generation to generation.
Nikolaeva Nadezhda Prokopievna,
Senior Lecturer
at the Department of Northern Philology
ща Institute of Languages and Culture of the Peoples of the North-East of the Russian Federation, NEFU
Ignatenko Lyarido Andreyevna
5th year student
of Institute of Foreign Philology and Regional Studies, NEFU.