Photoalbum

Historians of the 16th - 17th centuries failed to find Saami clothes, which would show differences between kins. However, even in early descriptions of Saami clothes, which were dependent on exchange relations with neighbours. Taking into consideration the peculiarity of northern climate requiring from clothes keeping of warmth and mobility while hunting, it may be admitted that typical ancient Saami clothes are represented in picture of the 17th century. The main materials for sewing clothes were skins of beasts, mainly reindeer and bears. In accordance with Otar`s report, clothes from beaver and bear skins were among the tribute, which was paid to "heloholland bonds" by the Saami. Later Torir Sobaka bewitched clothes sewn by the Saami from twelve reindeer skins. In the most truthful of Sheffer`s ancient works three representations of the Saami can be seen on the front page. All men are dressed in jerkins with the length below the knees, pulled over by belts with rings at the ends. They have short shoes with sharp, narrow, turned-up toes. The shoes are winded with frills round the ankles. Calves are tightly winded by skin trousers. All men wear mittens with fur on the outside. Two of the men have on their heads something like knitted caps or round fur hats with fur trimming but without earmuffs. The third man has a headdress in the form of a bird (a duck) sitting on the head. With the exception of the last-mentioned headdress, the clothes represented in Sheffer`s correspond to the descriptions by ancient authors.

Sheffer mentions widespread patterns made of tin wire and plates tricked out by Saami women. The Saami have preserved many pieces of clothes: men`s and women`s "kan`gi" - short shoes with sharp, turned-up toes, winded with frills above the ankles; men`s and women`s "jary with ogruzenje" - boots with sharp, turned-up toes, the boot-tops of which were sewn to suede trousers. These are slightly changed remains of the Saami clothes.

The processes of state differentiation and Christianization of the Saami tribes in the 15th - 17th centuries were accompanied by north-Russian influence on the Kola Saami. This influence is especially noticeable in men`s and women`s headdresses. However, the Saami didn`t confine themselves to automatical borrowings; they improved the headdresses borrowed from the Russians and showed a delicate artistic taste and a sense of proportion. The diversity of headdresses of that period was conditioned by the necessity of reflecting sex, age and family relations. In combination with the most ancient elements of their clothes, the Saami for a long time kept the features of an old north-Russian clothes.

The third period of development of Saami clothes started with the coming of the Izhemtzy (inhabitants of the region nearby the river Izhma). Winter clothes of the Saami were substituted by a more practical Izhemtzy`s jumper; summer and home clothes started to look more like European ones.

Difference between men`s and women`s winter clothes concerned mainly headdresses. Other clothes differed by more delicate trimming of women`s clothes and greater number of decorations. In winter both men and women wore "pechek" ("petsk") sewn from skins of a 1-year-old reindeer calf (nebluya), with fur on the outside. The peculiarity of "pechek" was the absence of any other cuts except the collar. "Pechek" was put on like a shirt. Loose sleeves ended by narrow woolen cuffs, which made it possible to pull in a hand and use pockets of inner clothes worn under "pechek". The length of "pechek" was below the knees, but while wearing it could be regulated by a kind of inner belt letting to pull the hem up and down. The only decoration of a women`s "pechek" was 2 bunches of red cloth triangles sewn to a collar and falling onto the chest. Both men and women wore the same winter shoes. While riding on reindeer they wore "jary" ("ierj") - boots with long boot-tops sewn to suede trousers. Such boots had sharp, turned-up toes and boot-tops made from the best reindeer skins, flayed from lower limbs of reindeer legs (kojb), with fur on the outside. For better keeping of warmth dry grass was put inside of them. Men also wore stockings from skins of reindeer calves, killed several days after their birth (pyzhik), with fur inside. Women`s "jary" were mainly made from white "kojb", men`s ones - from white, black and brown stripes. "Jary" had an undoubtful advantage: they kept warmth well, were used instead of trousers and protected from snow. But at the same time they had a significant disadvantage: they limited movements while fast skiing and made it difficult to dry the toes thoroughly. All reindeer shoes got wet very quickly and didn`t protect from cold, unless dried up thoroughly. The shoes were dried up from the inside, therefore it should be inevitably turned inside out. This caused big troubles while hunting, gathering the reindeer and in crossings which took several days or even weeks.

"Kan`gi" - short shoes from "kojb" with sharp, turned-up toes - were spread as well as "jary". While wearing "kan`gi" one put on trousers with "oguzenje", narrow ends of which made from red cloth were tucked into "kan`gi" and winded tightly by frills. The advantages of "kan`gi" were the following: they were lighter and one could dry them without taking off the trousers. That what why "kan`gi" were worn mainly in summer, spring and autumn. In winter they were used for long distance skiing. It should be mentioned that in spring and autumn "kan`gi" didn`t protect feet from getting wet and men could warm themselves only by quick walking or running.

Both men`s and women`s "kan`gi" were of the same cut; they were often manufactured from white "kojb". Women`s "kan`gi" were decorated with triangles made from red cloth and ornamented with beads on the bend and on the counter. Women`s frills were also decorated with beads, blue and black neck-beads and red cloth.

Men`s, women`s and girls` headdresses, as it has been already mentioned, differed much from each other. A married woman`s headdress (nazankabpers`) looked like a cap with truncated cone. The cap-band was covered with red cloth, a stripe from yellow cloth and a stripe from beaver or reindeer-nebluya skin. The base of the cap was trimmed with fox fur; the outside of earmuffs was covered with red cloth too. Bunches from red and yellow cloth triangles hanging on a string of multi-coloured neck-beads stretched from the earmuffs.

Winter headdress of a Saami girl (nijtkabpers`) consisted of a fur base, which was covered with green or blue cloth or flannelette. A circle from red cloth was sewn above the crown of the head; the square of the circle was divided by bead embroidery into rhombuses and triangles. A row of triangles from yellow cloth covered the cap. A sharp rim of triangles from yellow cloth was followed by a stripe from reindeer-nebluya skin ornamented with beads, fox fur trimming and earmuffs with colourful pendants.

Girls` and women`s mittens were made of white "kojb" were decorated with neck-beads and pendants in form of triangles.

Men`s headdress (olmynchkabpers`) was decorated not less picturesque. The base of a cap made from the skin of "pyzhik" or "nebluy" was trimmed with black, blue or green cloth. Its front part was uplifted above the forehead; the cap itself was held up by a cardboard or a birch-bark frame and had truncated sides and acute-angled front part. The front part and the sides of the cap were embroidered with multi-coloured cloth and decorated with beads. The back side of the cap was trimmed with a piece of fluffy fox fur. The base of the cap was also trimmed with fox fur.

Men`s and women`s summer clothes consisted of "jupa" ("matzeh"), which for men was made from ruff gray cloth, and for women - from white, delicate cloth which was bought from Russian or Norwegian tradesmen. The cut of "jupa" was the same as that of a "pechek" but a bit shorter. The collar and the cuff of both women`s and men`s "jupa" were trimmed with red cloth and embroidered with bead patterns. Before hunting men put on a belt on their necks ornamented with beads. This belt called "sil`chuerv`" had a number of hunting tools: an bone horn for gunpowder, a measure for small short, an bone measure for gunpowder, a leather sack with bullets, a bag for flint and tinder and a bag embroidered with beads for other purposes. Women girdled "jupa" with a knitted belt, while men did it with a leather belt having a knife in a case and 2-3 or more bear claws as amulets. In summer the western Saami put knitted caps on their heads, used winter hats or did without any headdress at all.

Home or summer headdresses of married Saami girls and women are of a special interest. A married woman`s headdress called "shamshura" ("shamshed") was made of red cloth, which was stretched on a birch-bark or a cardboard frame. "Povojnik" (a kind of a kerchief worn by married Russian women on their heads) was the base of this headdress and was joined to it by a curved cross comb over the forehead and a backside part covering the neck. As a rule, 6- or 7-coloured bead patterns of a stylized geometrical type were made on red surface of "shamshura". A girl`s summer headdress (nijtperves`k) looked not less picturesque. Birch-bark or cardboard rim 10-15 cm broad was trimmed with red cloth; the front part and the sides were ornamented with bead embroidery of a geometrical type usual for the Saami.

Not less original are other articles belonging to Saami women`s clothes of recent time. These are loose, long dresses with numerous pleats and frills, short jackets girdled in waist, belts decorated with beads, a great number of metal pendants, keys, etc.

When the Izhemtsy came the Saami`s "pecheks", "jary" and "kan`gi" were substituted by clothes, which were more adapted to northern conditions. "Pechek" was substituted by a jumper, "jary" and "kan`gi" - by "pimy" and "toborki" made from skins of sea animals. The advantage of a jumper was that it was worn with fur inside and kept warmth better; while wearing a jumper men did not need a hat as it was supplied with a fur hood; if necessary the hood could be tightened so that only a small hole for breathing was left. At last, the sleeves of a jumper ended by mittens, which were kept warm with the heat of the whole body. The Saami`s "jary" with "oguzenje" were substituted by "pimy" decorated with multi-coloured cloth.

Manufacturing of the Saami`s clothes has never been a special branch of handicraft which separated from other manufactures. This was usually women`s occupation. Qualities of a girl before marriage were defined first of all by her skillfulness in handiwork.

The Saami women sewed clothes and shoes from reindeer skins with the help of threads made from reindeer veins (kont` sun). Reindeer veins, drawn out of legs and back of reindeer, were dried and then splintered into thin fibers. After that the Saami made threads of any thickness, pressing the fibers against their cheeks. Bone needles (nivel`) went out of use long ago: a manufactured steel needle was widely spread.