Anatol Donkan talks about an embroidered garment

“This here is not a shaman’s garment, but it is very old, as an old woman who sold it to me told me. Fish skin was also used here. They cut patterns from the skin, glued them on, and then lined the upper part. Below, there is fish skin everywhere. This is a special Nanai garment worn at a wedding or a similar celebration. It features an unusual sewing technique – they took fabric and glued cut-out fish skin patterns onto it. Then the ornaments were embroidered onto the fish skin with threads, as you can see here. The garment has embroidered patterns, but before they were stitched, they first used fish skin. They cut the ornament from it, fixed it with glue, and then covered it with silk threads. They created bird, fish, and dragon patterns from the fish skin. Here you can see their combination with silk and cotton threads. With age, the threads have loosened, and you can see the fish skin. On the back, you can see a very beautiful crane, spirals, birds, and four trees. On each tree sit birds; below is a reindeer, and you can also see deer and lizards.

This tree represents a family tree. The garment was a source of inspiration, and its motifs were used elsewhere as well. When the first Russians came here, they were surprised when they saw such garments and asked, ‘Where are your courtiers, where is your tsar?’ The locals replied that there were none here, and that free people lived here who wore such clothing daily. For the newcomers, this was strange and surprising because such fine work went into making the clothing.

Later, the techniques for making clothing among the Nanai were simplified, and they began producing other patterns. When Soviet rule came, no one was interested in these delicate patterns anymore, and they were hardly seen during the communist era. At that time, the “cultural workers” said that these patterns were no longer relevant, and they demanded large patterns that would be more visible on stage. Gradually, the skill to embroider such patterns was lost. This happens when one culture begins to dominate another. That’s why we are happy when the younger generation now recreates these patterns.”(Video in progress)

Recorded by Erich Kasten. Viechtach, 2024.