The Colour Symbolism of the Oirat National Costume Revisited

Abstract

The article analyzes the colour symbolism in the clothing of Oirats of Mongolia. The paper shows that the Oirat men’s costume was  characterized by combinations of white and black which stand for the key colour opposition in the culture of all Mongolian peoples. The Oirat women’s costume contained various colours and, in general,  when it came to colour preferences, specifi c ethnic priorities based  on certain symbolism could be traced. The article provides data confirming the facts of definite colour priorities within the traditional  women’s costume of Oirat peoples alongside with  corresponding field data according to which black in the Olot (mong. Ӧӧld)  women’s costume symbolically stands for the 18th century Oirat- Manchu confrontation. At the same time, presence of black ‘berz’ in  the Hobuksar Torghut women’s costume testifies that the symbolism of black is ancient enough and it was not perceived as a mourning colour. The same is the case for the traditional felt high boots of Torghuts residing in Mongolia and the PRC where black boots are  viewed as ceremonial while white ones are considered casual; folk  songs also relate that folk heroes used to wear black folded  garments. Clothing differences — and specifi cally the colour  symbolism — were paid much attention to, and the ‘Tsaajin Bichig’, a code of laws and regulations adopted by the Qing for their  subordinate Mongols, established that should there arrive new groups of Mongols designated as “border crossers” it was necessary  to identify and refer them to one of the four social categories as  confirmed by the laws and — provide them with certain garments.  The Oirat peoples have retained specifi c features of their traditional  culture which is due to a numbers of reasons, such as remoteness  from territories inhabited by Mongols as well as peculiarities of their  natural surroundings and economy. The article describes some  features of patterns and colour characteristics of various men’s and  women’s garments (‘devel’, ‘lavshig’, ‘terleg’, ‘tsegdeg’) in the traditions of the Dӧrbets, Torghuts, Bayids, Myangads and other  Oirats of Western Mongolia. It is concluded that the patterns of  women’s garments are most archaic though diverse types of fabric  started being applied; while the men’s costume that kept being made of traditional materials — sheep- or lambskins — with  black cloth used to face it generally resembles the Mongolian ‘deel’ and, thus, has supposedly experienced some changes.