A. N. Pavlova. The portrayal of the world in the process of decorating a costume among the Mari people

DOI: 10.15507/2076-2577.016.2024.01.103-109

Anzhelika N. Pavlova
Volga State University of Technology,
Yoshkar-Ola, Russia

Introduction. The decoration of clothing items among the Mari people, which was a traditional female occupation, played an important role in transmitting the ethnic worldview. Alongside artistic images, technological techniques closely linked to them were also transmitted in the archaic worldview. Based on a comparison of archaeological and ethnographic sources, the article attempts to reveal the continuity of women’s crafts and handicrafts as a means of preserving and transmitting the worldview.
Materials and Methods. The study is based on archaeological and ethnographic materials related to the field of women’s crafts and needlework. The methodological basis was formed by cultural, adaptive and semantic-functional approaches, ideas of the psychology of peoples by W. Wundt.
Results and Discussion. The subject-situational type of thinking was the characteristic of the Mari people, when not only the image, but also the technology of its creation was important in the process of transmitting information. This is confirmed by the technology of creating traditional embroidery, including methods of teaching this art, as well as the creation of metal jewelry in the Middle Ages.
Conclusion. Women’s crafts, especially embroidery, held an important place in conveying the traditional worldview, as they were based on the unity of technology and the created image. In the process of decorating clothing, an ancient symbolic system was reproduced, embodied both in the metal ornaments of the ancient Mari costume and in traditional embroidery. Each image occupied a clearly defined place in the symbolic system of the costume, serving as a carrier of meaning. The sacredness of women’s crafts was conditioned by the ancient connection with religious-magical practices.

Keywords: Mari people, women’s craft, worldview, embroidery, “wax knitting”, subject-situational type of thinking

For citation: Pavlova AN. The portrayal of the world in the process of decorating a costume among the Mari people. Finno-ugorskii mir = Finno-Ugric World. 2024;16;1:103–109.(In Russ.). DOI: 10.15507/2076-2577.016.2024.01.103-109.