Ethnographic and archaeological sources about the preservation and development of traditions (based on the materials of Russian shoes of the XVII - first quarter of ХХ century)

The author uses ethnographic and archaeological sources to find out the historical roots of some kinds of footwear in Siberia. Analysis of archaeological collections of Russian medieval footwear XVI-XVII centuries and ethnographic materials of the XIX - first quarter XX century allowed to reveal the relevance of a number of traditions throughout the centuries. In consideration was taken of the fact that the shoes of the so-called "hard forms" with heels, presented in archaeological collections, differed significantly from the samples in rural areas, which in everyday life was soft, without heels. For centuries, the commonality persisted in the ways of fastening the shoe on the leg with the help of straps pulled into slotted holes or in the edge, and also tightened the shoe on the leg over the tops of the ankles and under the knee. Author of the article analyzes the peculiarities of the shoes of the Russian Old residents of the Yenisei river region (specifically Angara river region) in the first quarter of the 20th century, mainly in terms of their search for creative solutions to the problem of life and activity in Siberian conditions. The research is based on archival records of the direct carriers of traditions before the appearance of footwear of mass production (1930s), the publication of ethnographers. An attempt was made to throw "a glance into the past from the present" to solve the question of the origin of fur and felt footwear, without which it is impossible to imagine life in Siberian conditions. The author came to the conclusion that in Siberia Russian pioneers-tillers came as skilled craftsmen in the processing of leather and fur. These properties, as well as creativity in the search for forms of survival, no doubt helped them to adapt to the peculiarities of the local climate and landscape. Recognizing the fact that the processes of interethnic mutual influence proceeded in view of close residing of ethnic groups, nevertheless, the author does not consider them paramount in the formation of Angarsk peasants' shoes for different purposes, including fishing. Structures, techniques of making footwear, related terms are used as an ethnographic source for ascertaining the ethnocultural composition of the Yenisei river region people. Fur shoes of people at the Angara region had a wide variety of species, some of which show connections with the local population of the Russian North, some with residents of the Northern Urals, some with local Evenki forms. I would like to note that the conducted research using the data of archaeological and ethnographic sources highlights the problem of archaeological correspondences to the types of winter and fishing footwear that existed before the widespread distribution of "pimy" in the 19th century.

Keywords

Authors

References