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Aug. 31st, 2010 04:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moonflower77photo of a nenets boy in a traditional winter parka (malitsa) and the woollen overgarment worn on top (the so-called malitsa overshirt):
http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/results.as
this is what i mean when i say that la'qtchā's clothes, or any other traditional thā garments, should be wide-sleeved and not specifically tight-fitting. this is the one style which is most practical for someone who habitually wields a weapon and has to be able to move their arms freely. not to mention the whole keeping warm part.
the nenets have a generous-sized overgarment for especially difficult weather conditions (called gus', sokkuy, soveek). it is, essentially, a long, loose hooded sack with sleeves, which can be worn over one's usual clothes. the winter version, which is down to the ground, is sewn from skins and, unlike some other nenets clothes, has fur on the outer side. the summer version is much shorter and usually made from thick woollen fabric.
http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/results.as
http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/results.as
http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/results.as
apart from protecting one from strong winds, severe freezing temperatures and snow or rain, the soveek can play a very specific role when one is caught in a snowstorm: it acts as a sleeping bag. if one tucks in the sleeves, pulls the hood over one's head and face, bends one's legs and tucks the hem around them, one can lie down right into the snow without much risk; it is also possible to dig a burrow in the snow beforehand, which will provide more warmth and protect one from the wind (the nenets themselves call this 'the ptarmigan's tent').
i thought that the thā would have a similar outer garment. the scorching dry summers in their world would make the lighter version unnecessary, but in the winter, an extra layer of clothing would be more than welcome. in some plateau areas it may be necessary to have it handy at all times, seeing how, after a relatively warm day, the temperature would suddenly plunge to -30 or - 40 degrees Celcius once the sun was down. guards on the night shift, who had to stay all night atop walls, exposed to the winds and extremely low temperatures and unable to move around much to keep warm, would have to wear it too. as for surviving blizzards, the thā may have done what the nenets do: they would lie down, tuck their overgarments around them to form a makeshift 'sleeping bag', let the snow bury them, and wait it out. hardy creatures that they were, they were able to travel even in blizzard conditions and could withstand far stronger winds than humans do, but emergency situations like those would still occur from time to time. naturally, being in a horizontal position would feel unusual, and would remind them of being inside a stasis cell (besides, there would be a very real possibility of actually going into stasis and failing to rise once the storm is over). they might even use the same word combination to describe the state, which, when translated into some other language via a device like tegene's, would sound similar to 'the snow sarcophagus/bed' or 'the sarcophagus/bed in the snow' – neither word exists in thā, but the word for 'stasis cell' has the connotations of both.
the nenets wear mukluk or moccasin boots that reach up to the thigh, with triangular top parts that point upwards, toward the groin. they are attached to one’s belt to make sure they do not slide down while one is walking. each boot has a strap which, after it has been pulled on, is tied to a ring on the corresponding side of the belt. nenets men also tie thick pieces of string around their boots just below the knee to keep them in place and make sure they fit more snugly; the tassels on their ends are left to dangle on the outer side of one's legs.
http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/results.as
http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/results.as
if the thā wore soft, supple moccasin thigh boots, then they would have to be a similar style to be practical. their all-in-one suits would probably have built-in belts with rings and the boots would be attached to them in a similar manner. they may have also tied braided, tasselled strips of suede around their boots below the knee in the same way. (the straps used to fix the boots to one's belt wouldn't usually be visible as the they also wore outer armor and parkas over the all-in-one suits. the tassels, however, would be).
the caps worn by nenets women are somewhat similar to russian chapka-style caps. they are a cylindrical shape at the top, with two oval ear-pieces which can be long enough to be tucked under one's belt (this is never done, though, they are simply left to dangle). there is a long, loose leather screen which falls onto the woman's shoulders and back, protecting her neck from the wind. several metal pendants on strings are attached to it, acting as weights that keep the cap in place. the forehead is trimmed with the white winter fur of the polar fox. some caps are cone-shaped.
http://www.siberiagym.com/Siberia%20Pic
http://www.siberiagym.com/siberia%20pic
also this:
again, i thought that traditional thaa caps might have a similar conical shape, though i see them as being more like some lappish or peruvian caps. the ear-pieces would be rounder, more oval, and shorter, probably just enough to cover the ears. each would end in a tassel similar to those on the strings used to tie the boots. there might be similar metal ornaments dangling from the back, as well as two engraved metal circles sewn onto the ear-pieces, but not necessarily. i can also see the thā wearing detachable hoods with a large rounded front part that covers the chest, similar to those worn in western europe in the 12th-14th centuries, but made of soft suede rather than fabric. the winter versions may have been made from furs. these might have looked more or less like the caps/hoods on this nenets family, but with a much wider front screen that extends to the chest and shoulders:
http://www.siberiagym.com/siberia%20pic
http://www.siberiagym.com/siberia%20pic
i'm not sure whether the caps or hoods would be trimmed with fur. the only skins available in their world were those of therapsids; they had had fairly rough, flat fur without a fluffy underside, which was not specifically frost-resistant or pleasant to the touch (not that this would have even mattered with skin like that).
nenets clothes are decorated with traditional ornaments of an applique type, made with small pieces of fur - sometimes canvas – which are assembled into a specific picture and sewn onto a background. they are somewhat stereotypical in that there is a certain set shape to be observed, and each ornament goes only with specific types of clothing. still, they are never uniform, as each woman's work will have her unique touch, and while many traditional garments look similar, identical ones are difficult to find. the individual designs include conical teepee-type tents (myadeeko), sleigh prints on a steep slope (nehedyav), heads that symbolize a large crowd (negevak), men's half-figures (hasev'' ves''), reindeer antlers (hor'' lambey''), the bent shoulder of a fox just before it leaps (tyon'' sal''), bear prints (hebidya' yad' ma''), hare's ears (nyava' ha''), or more complex designs that can incorporate hills, rivers, shrubs that grow along the banks, and, possibly, a whole panorama with the horizon visible in the distance (padta''ma, ee''mya, varda''ma) /these ornaments have a practical significance and are used to decorate the hem and sleeve tips of a parka/. a woman's fur cap (suy' neva) will have an ornament of reindeer antlers and men's half-figures, as men are the main protectors and providers of the community, but they are also those who are looked after by the women. the front of a woman's thigh boots (kisy) has a triangular ornament comprised of smaller triangles, done in fur or canvas, and lined with two or three black or white canvas strips at the bottom. this is thought to symbolize the traditional nenets tent. a stripe stretching from the triangle toward the tip of the boot is said to depict the smoke that comes through the opening in the tent - a symbol of warmth and life - while other stripes represent floorboards, chopped logs ready to be used as firewood, tools such as axes or shovels, etc. the ornament on a man's thigh boots (kisy, pimy) looks similar to a stylized sleigh. the design on the front is thought to symbolize the seat of the sleigh or the small, shovel-shaped wooden hammer which is stored under the seat cover during the winter months (nenets men use it to dig the snow to get to the moss underneath, to brush snow off their clothes, to set traps etc.). the horizontal stripes that run across this design resemble the thin planks which join the seat to the lowermost parts of the sleigh. the vertical stripes further toward the tip may represent the harness. children's footwear, done in two simple designs, called mada or tengey, resembles the foot of a baby reindeer. this is sometimes taken as a reminder that the reindeer play a vital role for the nenets, and, when the child grows up, they will have to spend their life looking after reindeer, studying them and following them wherever they go.
this girl's clothing isn’t as ornately decorated as some other nenets garments, but one type of traditional ornament can be seen:
http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/results.as
again, i thought the thā could decorate their clothes with similar designs, which, for them, would play a symbolic, rather than ornamental, role. there would be rules regarding the way a specific design is to be done, the type(s) of garments or armor it must go with, and, possibly, the wearer's identity; but they would be quite flexible, and the tailor would be left with many opportunities to experiment and be creative. among the accepted patterns there could be rounded outlines of dwellings (possibly representing the more ancient yurts that preceded stone houses); a four- or five-fingered therapsid print; winding snake prints; the elbow of a small therapsid species that can make swift and graceful movements; conifer cones; a conifer branch with needles and a cone at the tip; seed fern leaves and fruiting bodies; egg shapes; the outline of a creeping ground lycopsid with its candle-like spore cones; silhouettes of dwarf conifers found in the desert; various mosses as seen from up close; fern fronds; etc. plant motifs would be prevalent for obvious reasons. the sleeve tips and hems of overgarments could be decorated with a stylized view of the horizon with tree outlines and mountains visible in the distance. the one type of ornament i do not imagine them to make is anything to do with the thā themselves, be it humanoid shapes, silhouettes, heads and so forth. they might have had a taboo on portraying their own kind on garments, as opposed to murals and wall decorations.
when it comes to clothing, the nenets have a strict dichotomy of colors: white is the festive, 'upper' color while darker hues or black are the 'lower' colors meant for everyday wear. white fur, such as the winter fur of the polar fox, is considered to be the most beautiful and is used to make the clothes meant for special occasions. the most preferable color for a winter outer garment, or soveek, is solid white or, possibly, a patchwork ornament of darker shapes against a white background. red is also believed to be a highly attractive, festive color, as well as a specifically feminine one. red ribbons or strips of cloth are most usually used to decorate women's or girls' parkas and boots.
i see the thā as having essentially the same symbolic color scale, with white on one end as the color for special occasions and/or for individuals who enjoy an elevated status, and black on the other as the mundane color that could be worn both by nobility and ordinary folk. white for them would have an even more special meaning than it does for the nenets, in that it would be reserved only for royalty. by proxy, some white would also be worn by the king's private attendant; white moccasin boots and a white geometrical ornament on the chest of his coveralls would be most likely. bright red, on the other hand, could be the color associated with any nobles - not only the royal family but also warband members, distinguished warriors and other persons of high social standing.
for the nenets, metal decorations and other dangling objects that make clanging sounds (bells or rings on reindeer harnesses, the round metal pendants attached to the back piece of a woman's cap, etc.) have a special emotional significance. they help lift one’s spirits, cheer one up, which can be important in the 'white silence' of the tundra. i thought this might be somewhat similar for the thaa. for someone who is out in the steppe or desert, or in the mountains above the forest line, the sound of iron jangling against iron may be soothing and joyful; it may help one stay within one’s own boundaries, as it were, and not dissolve in that vast open space. this might not have been that significant for the thā - their mindset was so different from human that they may not have minded the silence, and, besides, with their group mentality, they were highly unlikely to ever travel on their own - but i felt it was worth noting down.
from the descriptions of the tribal wars between the nenets, on one side, and the enets and nganasan on the other it is obvious that in those times nenets warriors wore iron mailcoats or mailshirts (called sayu' pany or yesya pany) and carried bows. (this is not quite as surprising as it might seem. some siberian tribes used to be much more developed technology-wise than they are today - for instance, the selkup/sholkup people were very skilled at pottery, metalwork, and weaving from nettle thread in the past, but no longer engage in these crafts nowadays. so it is quite possible that the nenets were making their own chainmail at the time, though of course they could have traded the mailcoats for furs from neighboring tribes, too). some may have worn two mailcoats, with a garment of old skins between them. here is an extract from a nenets epic, describing a warrior from the vylka clan preparing for battle: 'my mother brought me a leather bag. with my teeth i tore open the knot at its mouth. out of the bag i took the mailcoats. i put on the first mailcoat, then the second. between the two mailcoats i put on the summer fur of a polar fox. i put on my parka on top. i tied my belt. my mother brought me a taut bow: made half from a fir bough, half from mammoth ivory, it had a stringer of strong reindeer sinew. i took the bow, put on my handguards /those were used to protect the palms when the stringer rebounded/...'
http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/results.as
this is what i mean when i say that la'qtchā's clothes, or any other traditional thā garments, should be wide-sleeved and not specifically tight-fitting. this is the one style which is most practical for someone who habitually wields a weapon and has to be able to move their arms freely. not to mention the whole keeping warm part.
the nenets have a generous-sized overgarment for especially difficult weather conditions (called gus', sokkuy, soveek). it is, essentially, a long, loose hooded sack with sleeves, which can be worn over one's usual clothes. the winter version, which is down to the ground, is sewn from skins and, unlike some other nenets clothes, has fur on the outer side. the summer version is much shorter and usually made from thick woollen fabric.
http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/results.as
http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/results.as
http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/results.as
apart from protecting one from strong winds, severe freezing temperatures and snow or rain, the soveek can play a very specific role when one is caught in a snowstorm: it acts as a sleeping bag. if one tucks in the sleeves, pulls the hood over one's head and face, bends one's legs and tucks the hem around them, one can lie down right into the snow without much risk; it is also possible to dig a burrow in the snow beforehand, which will provide more warmth and protect one from the wind (the nenets themselves call this 'the ptarmigan's tent').
i thought that the thā would have a similar outer garment. the scorching dry summers in their world would make the lighter version unnecessary, but in the winter, an extra layer of clothing would be more than welcome. in some plateau areas it may be necessary to have it handy at all times, seeing how, after a relatively warm day, the temperature would suddenly plunge to -30 or - 40 degrees Celcius once the sun was down. guards on the night shift, who had to stay all night atop walls, exposed to the winds and extremely low temperatures and unable to move around much to keep warm, would have to wear it too. as for surviving blizzards, the thā may have done what the nenets do: they would lie down, tuck their overgarments around them to form a makeshift 'sleeping bag', let the snow bury them, and wait it out. hardy creatures that they were, they were able to travel even in blizzard conditions and could withstand far stronger winds than humans do, but emergency situations like those would still occur from time to time. naturally, being in a horizontal position would feel unusual, and would remind them of being inside a stasis cell (besides, there would be a very real possibility of actually going into stasis and failing to rise once the storm is over). they might even use the same word combination to describe the state, which, when translated into some other language via a device like tegene's, would sound similar to 'the snow sarcophagus/bed' or 'the sarcophagus/bed in the snow' – neither word exists in thā, but the word for 'stasis cell' has the connotations of both.
the nenets wear mukluk or moccasin boots that reach up to the thigh, with triangular top parts that point upwards, toward the groin. they are attached to one’s belt to make sure they do not slide down while one is walking. each boot has a strap which, after it has been pulled on, is tied to a ring on the corresponding side of the belt. nenets men also tie thick pieces of string around their boots just below the knee to keep them in place and make sure they fit more snugly; the tassels on their ends are left to dangle on the outer side of one's legs.
http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/results.as
http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/results.as
if the thā wore soft, supple moccasin thigh boots, then they would have to be a similar style to be practical. their all-in-one suits would probably have built-in belts with rings and the boots would be attached to them in a similar manner. they may have also tied braided, tasselled strips of suede around their boots below the knee in the same way. (the straps used to fix the boots to one's belt wouldn't usually be visible as the they also wore outer armor and parkas over the all-in-one suits. the tassels, however, would be).
the caps worn by nenets women are somewhat similar to russian chapka-style caps. they are a cylindrical shape at the top, with two oval ear-pieces which can be long enough to be tucked under one's belt (this is never done, though, they are simply left to dangle). there is a long, loose leather screen which falls onto the woman's shoulders and back, protecting her neck from the wind. several metal pendants on strings are attached to it, acting as weights that keep the cap in place. the forehead is trimmed with the white winter fur of the polar fox. some caps are cone-shaped.
http://www.siberiagym.com/Siberia%20Pic
http://www.siberiagym.com/siberia%20pic
also this:
again, i thought that traditional thaa caps might have a similar conical shape, though i see them as being more like some lappish or peruvian caps. the ear-pieces would be rounder, more oval, and shorter, probably just enough to cover the ears. each would end in a tassel similar to those on the strings used to tie the boots. there might be similar metal ornaments dangling from the back, as well as two engraved metal circles sewn onto the ear-pieces, but not necessarily. i can also see the thā wearing detachable hoods with a large rounded front part that covers the chest, similar to those worn in western europe in the 12th-14th centuries, but made of soft suede rather than fabric. the winter versions may have been made from furs. these might have looked more or less like the caps/hoods on this nenets family, but with a much wider front screen that extends to the chest and shoulders:
http://www.siberiagym.com/siberia%20pic
http://www.siberiagym.com/siberia%20pic
i'm not sure whether the caps or hoods would be trimmed with fur. the only skins available in their world were those of therapsids; they had had fairly rough, flat fur without a fluffy underside, which was not specifically frost-resistant or pleasant to the touch (not that this would have even mattered with skin like that).
nenets clothes are decorated with traditional ornaments of an applique type, made with small pieces of fur - sometimes canvas – which are assembled into a specific picture and sewn onto a background. they are somewhat stereotypical in that there is a certain set shape to be observed, and each ornament goes only with specific types of clothing. still, they are never uniform, as each woman's work will have her unique touch, and while many traditional garments look similar, identical ones are difficult to find. the individual designs include conical teepee-type tents (myadeeko), sleigh prints on a steep slope (nehedyav), heads that symbolize a large crowd (negevak), men's half-figures (hasev'' ves''), reindeer antlers (hor'' lambey''), the bent shoulder of a fox just before it leaps (tyon'' sal''), bear prints (hebidya' yad' ma''), hare's ears (nyava' ha''), or more complex designs that can incorporate hills, rivers, shrubs that grow along the banks, and, possibly, a whole panorama with the horizon visible in the distance (padta''ma, ee''mya, varda''ma) /these ornaments have a practical significance and are used to decorate the hem and sleeve tips of a parka/. a woman's fur cap (suy' neva) will have an ornament of reindeer antlers and men's half-figures, as men are the main protectors and providers of the community, but they are also those who are looked after by the women. the front of a woman's thigh boots (kisy) has a triangular ornament comprised of smaller triangles, done in fur or canvas, and lined with two or three black or white canvas strips at the bottom. this is thought to symbolize the traditional nenets tent. a stripe stretching from the triangle toward the tip of the boot is said to depict the smoke that comes through the opening in the tent - a symbol of warmth and life - while other stripes represent floorboards, chopped logs ready to be used as firewood, tools such as axes or shovels, etc. the ornament on a man's thigh boots (kisy, pimy) looks similar to a stylized sleigh. the design on the front is thought to symbolize the seat of the sleigh or the small, shovel-shaped wooden hammer which is stored under the seat cover during the winter months (nenets men use it to dig the snow to get to the moss underneath, to brush snow off their clothes, to set traps etc.). the horizontal stripes that run across this design resemble the thin planks which join the seat to the lowermost parts of the sleigh. the vertical stripes further toward the tip may represent the harness. children's footwear, done in two simple designs, called mada or tengey, resembles the foot of a baby reindeer. this is sometimes taken as a reminder that the reindeer play a vital role for the nenets, and, when the child grows up, they will have to spend their life looking after reindeer, studying them and following them wherever they go.
this girl's clothing isn’t as ornately decorated as some other nenets garments, but one type of traditional ornament can be seen:
http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/results.as
again, i thought the thā could decorate their clothes with similar designs, which, for them, would play a symbolic, rather than ornamental, role. there would be rules regarding the way a specific design is to be done, the type(s) of garments or armor it must go with, and, possibly, the wearer's identity; but they would be quite flexible, and the tailor would be left with many opportunities to experiment and be creative. among the accepted patterns there could be rounded outlines of dwellings (possibly representing the more ancient yurts that preceded stone houses); a four- or five-fingered therapsid print; winding snake prints; the elbow of a small therapsid species that can make swift and graceful movements; conifer cones; a conifer branch with needles and a cone at the tip; seed fern leaves and fruiting bodies; egg shapes; the outline of a creeping ground lycopsid with its candle-like spore cones; silhouettes of dwarf conifers found in the desert; various mosses as seen from up close; fern fronds; etc. plant motifs would be prevalent for obvious reasons. the sleeve tips and hems of overgarments could be decorated with a stylized view of the horizon with tree outlines and mountains visible in the distance. the one type of ornament i do not imagine them to make is anything to do with the thā themselves, be it humanoid shapes, silhouettes, heads and so forth. they might have had a taboo on portraying their own kind on garments, as opposed to murals and wall decorations.
when it comes to clothing, the nenets have a strict dichotomy of colors: white is the festive, 'upper' color while darker hues or black are the 'lower' colors meant for everyday wear. white fur, such as the winter fur of the polar fox, is considered to be the most beautiful and is used to make the clothes meant for special occasions. the most preferable color for a winter outer garment, or soveek, is solid white or, possibly, a patchwork ornament of darker shapes against a white background. red is also believed to be a highly attractive, festive color, as well as a specifically feminine one. red ribbons or strips of cloth are most usually used to decorate women's or girls' parkas and boots.
i see the thā as having essentially the same symbolic color scale, with white on one end as the color for special occasions and/or for individuals who enjoy an elevated status, and black on the other as the mundane color that could be worn both by nobility and ordinary folk. white for them would have an even more special meaning than it does for the nenets, in that it would be reserved only for royalty. by proxy, some white would also be worn by the king's private attendant; white moccasin boots and a white geometrical ornament on the chest of his coveralls would be most likely. bright red, on the other hand, could be the color associated with any nobles - not only the royal family but also warband members, distinguished warriors and other persons of high social standing.
for the nenets, metal decorations and other dangling objects that make clanging sounds (bells or rings on reindeer harnesses, the round metal pendants attached to the back piece of a woman's cap, etc.) have a special emotional significance. they help lift one’s spirits, cheer one up, which can be important in the 'white silence' of the tundra. i thought this might be somewhat similar for the thaa. for someone who is out in the steppe or desert, or in the mountains above the forest line, the sound of iron jangling against iron may be soothing and joyful; it may help one stay within one’s own boundaries, as it were, and not dissolve in that vast open space. this might not have been that significant for the thā - their mindset was so different from human that they may not have minded the silence, and, besides, with their group mentality, they were highly unlikely to ever travel on their own - but i felt it was worth noting down.
from the descriptions of the tribal wars between the nenets, on one side, and the enets and nganasan on the other it is obvious that in those times nenets warriors wore iron mailcoats or mailshirts (called sayu' pany or yesya pany) and carried bows. (this is not quite as surprising as it might seem. some siberian tribes used to be much more developed technology-wise than they are today - for instance, the selkup/sholkup people were very skilled at pottery, metalwork, and weaving from nettle thread in the past, but no longer engage in these crafts nowadays. so it is quite possible that the nenets were making their own chainmail at the time, though of course they could have traded the mailcoats for furs from neighboring tribes, too). some may have worn two mailcoats, with a garment of old skins between them. here is an extract from a nenets epic, describing a warrior from the vylka clan preparing for battle: 'my mother brought me a leather bag. with my teeth i tore open the knot at its mouth. out of the bag i took the mailcoats. i put on the first mailcoat, then the second. between the two mailcoats i put on the summer fur of a polar fox. i put on my parka on top. i tied my belt. my mother brought me a taut bow: made half from a fir bough, half from mammoth ivory, it had a stringer of strong reindeer sinew. i took the bow, put on my handguards /those were used to protect the palms when the stringer rebounded/...'