Features of structure and types in the traditional headdress of Chinese Orochons

Vei Ven' PhD in Art History Postgraduate student, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Arts and Design of the School of Arts and Humanities of the Far Eastern Federal University (Russia); Heihe University, Heihe (China) 690922, Russia, Primorsky region, Vladivostok, blvd. Ajax 10, k.7.1, sq. 423 vei.ve@dvfu.ru

Fedorovskaya Natalia Alexandrovna PhD in Art History Doctor of Art History, Professor, Director of the Department of Arts and Design of the School of Arts and Humanities of the Far Eastern Federal University. 690922, Russia, Primorsky region, Vladivostok, blvd. Ajax 10, K.f, of. 406 fedorovskaya.na@dvfu.ru

Globalization processes, which are rebuilding culture and art all over the world, lead to the actualization of local cultures and types of traditional decorative and applied arts, the study and development of which makes it possible to preserve national cultural identity in modern conditions. Of particular interest are the small peoples who still lead a traditional way of life to one degree or another and preserve their traditions. The indigenous peoples living on the borders of Russia and China largely demonstrate the proximity of cultures, which makes them interesting for Russian and Chinese specialists to study. In the decorative and applied arts of the Evenks, Tunguses, Nanais from the Russian and Daurians and Orochons from the Chinese side, products made from animal skins are of great importance. The article examines the features of the structure and types of traditional headdress of the Orochona people living in the border territories of China.

Orochons is the Russian name for a group of ethnic minorities in China, currently living in the Amur River Basin (Heilongjiang). Note that "modern Chinese researchers prefer to use olongchun (pinyin: ?l?nch?n z?) and the English-language version of oroqens (oroquins)… According to Chinese studies, orochons (simplified Chinese ? l?n ch?n z?, traditional Chinese ? l?n ch?n z?, pinyin: ?l?nch?n z?), Oroqen, Orochen, Orochon, Olongchun" ^{[1, C. 5]}. It is believed that the first name "orochi" (there is also a variant of "orochisel") was recorded by the French traveler Galo de La Perouse, who found himself on the lands of this people in the XVIII century ^{[1, p. 6]}. This small ethnic group has an original art of creating products from animal fur, which can be called the "skin culture" of the northern hunting people. The geography of their residence in the North of China affects the mountainous territories of Xinanlin (Maly Khingan), which begins south of Blagoveshchensk and goes southeast along the Sungari River and divides the Amur River Valley ^[2]. Since hunting requires climbing mountains, and the winter in the Amur basin is cold and long, the traditional costume of the Orochon people is durable and frost-resistant.

Roe deer skin has become the preferred material for Orochon clothing in daily practice. Back in the early 20th century, Russian ethnographers S. M. and E. N. Shirokogorov (in Chinese transcription Shi Luguo — Shi Lugo) during the Manchurian expedition of 1915-1917 recorded the skills of making fur and leather among the Orochon people, especially their magnificent fur, which covered conical yurts ^{[3, pp. 64-85]}. N. V. Kocheshkov in his essay also points to the manufacture of clothes and hats from roe deer skin by Russian Orochons (Evenks) ^[4].

The headdress of the Orochons. General technological techniques

The most specific and memorable in the traditional costume complex of the Oroch is a headdress made of roe deer skin in the form of a specific hat, which is called “mi? t? a w?n ” in Oroch. Apparently, this headdress was originally part of the hunting men's costume complex, but gradually became part of the children's and women's costume, entering the everyday life of the Orochons, which indicates the further expansion and improvement of the aesthetic perception of this headdress.

The very use of the roe deer's head, along with the utilitarian function associated with hunting, when a male hunter could get close to the herd thanks to a hat with an animal's head, opens up a deep layer of the mythological worldview of this people and the legends and myths about the deer god common among these peoples ^[5-6].

The hat is made of a whole skin taken from the head of a roe deer and imitates the head of an animal. The headdress has several varieties, taking into account the gender, age and social status of its wearer. The skin from the head of the roe deer is completely removed, the slits of the eyes and nose of the roe deer are preserved. The eyes themselves are made of black, white leather or fabric to make them brighter. In some cases, the horns of the roe deer are also preserved, as well as its ears. For example, roe deer ears are preserved on children's hats, whereas on adult men's hats they are cut off. Then two artificial ears are specially made from the skin of a roe deer and sewn onto the cut-off ears of a roe deer. The Orochons say that this is done in order to distinguish a hunter in a hat from a real roe deer on the hunt. The lower edge of the roe deer's head is lined with a circle of skin, facing outward in the lower part with fur. The body of the cap is connected to the ears on both sides. Usually it is turned up and lowered when it is cold with the fur inside.

Varieties of Orochon hats

Men's

The roe deer skin, extracted at different times of the year, has features that the Orochon people actively use. So, in winter, the roe deer has thick fur, it does not have hard horns. Therefore, hats made of winter-mined leather, without horns and with a pair of ears, are very warm and easy to wear. This hat is used by men when they are not hunting. Photos 1-3 show men's Orochon hats made of roe deer skin, which are part of the collections of the Aigun Historical Museum in Heihe and the Ethnic Museum of Orochons in the settlement of Shunke. Examples of men's hats without horns are shown in photos 1-3.

In early autumn, roe deer grow hard horns that take on a straight shape. Men's hats are made from this skin. This type of Orochon headdress has become the most famous and memorable. Now it has been preserved among hunters who wear horned hats on their heads (photos 4-6) ^[7].

Young and elderly Oroch mostly wear this type of hat at festivals and on holidays. It is said that the more branched horns a cap has, the stronger the orochon's family ties ^[8].

Childish

Children's hats are made from the skin of a roe deer, harvested in the spring. Children's hats are made of the skin of young roe deer, have small or velvet horns. This headdress is worn by boys, which means that one day they too will become brave hunters like their fathers. The children's version often uses buttons or embroidered eyes similar to the eyes of animals, red ears are hung on the sides to make these hats more cute and funny (photos 7-9).

After leaving the hunting costume complex, gradually this original type of headdress became widely known and became fashionable, for example, as a headdress for children of Han nationality. In this regard, skins from the heads of other animals, for example, a rabbit, as well as imitations of the head shapes of cubs, kittens, puppies, foxes, etc., began to be used.

Female

Women's hats are also made of roe deer leather. The peculiarity of women's hats is the absence of horns, which means that they do not participate in hunting. In addition, an abundance of jewelry is allowed for the female version ^{[9, pp. 54-55]}. For example, the use of decoration by attaching various types of patterns cut from thin colored leather (geometric, so-called "cloudy", imitating cirrus clouds, etc.) to the surface of the cap is also allowed to attach animal fur ^{[10, p. 40]}. The decorations of some headdresses imitate the eyes of animals (photos 10-12).

In the 1990s, the number of wild animals declined sharply, which threatened the traditional production methods of the Orochon people. On January 23, 1996, the People's Government of the Orochon Autonomous Region issued a notice prohibiting hunting of wild animals in order to save endangered wild animals and maintain an ecological balance. Since then, the Orochon people have said goodbye to the traditional culture of hunting ^{[11, pp. 521-526]}. Now hats made of roe deer skin are imitated by other materials.

Conclusion

Thus, the traditional Orochon headdress is not only a convenient part of the costume from the point of view of operation in the cold living conditions of this people, but also carries a deep meaning. The features of these headdresses are dictated by the traditional culture and worldview of a small people. Hats are traditionally divided into men's, women's and children's, and, thanks to the design, the presence of certain decorative elements, such as the size and type of horns, one can see the social status of a person, his place in the traditional structure of society. The simplicity of the design, decoration with traditional ornaments, and ease of use allow this product to be preserved in the traditional culture of the Orochons until now.

The specific hat of the Orochons has become the hallmark of this people, telling about their ethnic traditions, formed as a result of many years of life practice and having high artistic value. The preservation of the tradition of wearing this headdress and its dissemination among other peoples familiar with this culture testifies to the vitality of this part of the traditional Orochon costume.