Uliana Alekseevna Vinokurova compares traditional women’s coats (part 1)

“This account concerns the origin of the Baryllyalaach kula fur coat, based on the comparison of two such garments. When I first saw the so-called ‘eagle coat’ at the American Museum of Natural History in New York in 1991, I was deeply surprised — because a very similar coat was hanging in our own storage shed at home. Later, we traveled to New York again in order to study it more closely. Upon closer examination, it became clear how the use and significance of the coat had changed over time. Originally, it was worn by honorable and wealthy men, as well as by shamans, and served as a ceremonial outer garment for men. However, after the establishment of the Tsarist and Orthodox authorities, wearing such a coat was forbidden. In spite of this, the Kolyma Sakha continued to sew these coats as part of a girl’s dowry and continued to wear them. Later, during the atheist Soviet period, the eagle-adorned fur coat was used only in theatrical performances to depict the old (pre-revolutionary) way of life. It was also used as riding clothing on long journeys, designed to protect the body from the cold wind during travel.”

Recorded in Yakutsk, 2024.