Kazakh Costume
01 · Historical Records
The history of Kazakh costume reveals its foundation in nomadic life through its materials and forms. The people have made their living from animal husbandry since antiquity, moving with water and grass, so their clothing is mostly handmade from hides, livestock skins, and cloth, made to be taken apart for washing and easy to carry as the herds migrate; this line of practice accumulated through the craftsmanship of the ancient Wusun, Wak, Naiman, Kelieyi, and Turek tribes and clans. In its long evolution, Kazakh costume has come to use carefully chosen materials, sound cutting, and brilliant colors, with the colors also carrying meanings of auspiciousness and blessing; the fine workmanship of its sewing, embroidery, and ornaments sustains these practical requirements as well.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Kazakh costume has distinct ethnic characteristics and is mainly transmitted in Yili, Tacheng, Altay, and other areas of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, as well as in Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County, Mori Kazakh Autonomous County, and other areas of concentrated Kazakh settlement. Kazakh costume developed continuously on the basis of the dress of the ancient Wusun, Wak, Naiman, Kelieyi, and Turek tribes and clans; it uses carefully chosen materials, sound cutting, and brilliant colors, and is rich in variety, with the colors carrying meanings of auspiciousness and blessing. Its sewing, embroidery, and the fine workmanship of ornaments also embody distinct Kazakh ethnic characteristics. The Kazakhs have made their living from animal husbandry since antiquity, living a nomadic life following water and grass; to meet the needs of nomadic migration and the climate of the mountain and grassland regions, their clothing is mostly handmade from hides, livestock skins, and various cloths. Kazakh costume displays the ingenuity and aesthetic sensibility of the Kazakh people; inheriting and carrying forward the Kazakh costume tradition helps enrich the artistic treasury of the Chinese nation, strengthen exchange between the cultures of China's ethnic minorities and those of other countries of the world, and push research on the history of costume, craft, and aesthetics further forward.
Cutting hides and felt for the garments
Hides are tanned, then cut by body part, with different weights chosen for collar, sleeves and openings.
Embroidering and bordering the hat
Caps and veils carry the finest embroidery, floral and geometric, edged with coloured thread and metal pieces.
The same skills in yurt furnishings
Yurt embroidery and wall cutting share the garment techniques and patterns, so both are taught in one course.
Festive dress for weddings and festivals
Weddings and festivals call for silver-trimmed caps, embroidered robes and layered headwear; daily dress is far plainer.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Kazakh costume is mainly distributed in Yili, Tacheng, Altay, and other areas of Xinjiang, as well as Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County, Mori Kazakh Autonomous County, and other areas of concentrated Kazakh settlement; the various localities influence one another between the practices of Yili and Tacheng, with slight differences in sewing details and the choice of patterns. The interior decoration of the yurt and the costume come from the same system of craft: the color embroidery and cut felt-wall work done on the yurt are akin to the methods of embroidering flowers and trimming edges on costume, so costume training courses often teach yurt interior decoration along with it — learning one garment also brings with it learning the making of one yurt.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Jin Aisiguli Nuertanaken (recorded in the official archives of the associated inheritor): Female, Kazakh ethnicity, born in January 1968, from Yining City, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. From childhood she followed her mother in learning Kazakh folk embroidery, sewing and cutting, and the cutting of ethnic patterns. Since 2003 she has held an ethnic costume training class each year, mainly teaching the making of traditional Kazakh costume and yurt interior decoration; she has trained nearly two hundred students, promoting the development of traditional Kazakh costume-making techniques. She is a representative inheritor of Kazakh costume, a national-level intangible cultural heritage item in the fifth national-level batch. Over thirty years of artistic practice she has gone deep among the people to collect large numbers of traditional costume styles and patterns, coming to know and master her people's history, traditional culture, and folk customs; she is an inheritor of high prestige and wide influence in the local area.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Jinaisiguli Nuertanaken 05-3053
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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