Uliana Alekseevna Vinokurova compares traditional women’s coats (part 2)

“Both coats, the one from the Siberian collection in New York and the one belonging to our grandmother, are made from the fur of a white foal and could be from the same period. Jochelson purchased the coat in 1902, while our grandmother’s coat was apparently made around 1868. Both coats could have been sewn in the same place and by the same person. In comparison, our grandmother’s coat is much more richly colored. Upon closer inspection, the pattern resembles people performing the ohuochai [ritual circle dance]. Also, more pelts were used for our grandmother’s coat than for the coat from the Siberian collection in New York. It widens circularly at the bottom to allow more comfortable sitting on a horse and to prevent the horse’s waist from being chilled, keeping it warm. There is another difference – the sacred imagery. The first is the taҥalai pattern, which holds special meaning for the Sakha people. The second shows an eagle. Such a depiction is usually worn by leaders or shamans. Our ancestors also said that such a sign protects a person from behind, serving as their “eye” on the back. The eagle deity is passed down paternally, and our Kangalas family is under the protection of the eagle.”

Recorded in Yakutsk, 2024.