Edektig Ton: Historical and Ethnographic Aspects of the Tuvan Women’s Shoulder Garment

Abstract

Introduction. The article examines the women’s shoulder garment edektig ton from historical and ethnographic perspectives. The mutual dependence between material and spiritual cultures results in that edektig ton — via a number of its elements, such as textiles and manufacturing technology, design patterns, ornaments and symbols, terminology and worldview beliefs — consistently preserves valuable data and meanings pertaining to history and ethnography. Goals. The study attempts a historical/ethnographic insight into the women’s shoulder garment edektig ton to identify its peculiarities, semiotics and differences typical for various Tuvan clans, including to understand why it is sometimes referred to as ‘terlik ton’ (lit. ‘luxurious ton’), or ‘derlig ton’ (lit. ‘sweaty ton’) across Tuvan tribal groups. The fact the issue remains understudied and young Tuvans show an increased interest in their material culture make the study relevant and timely enough. Results. The article analyzes a set of historical and ethnographic materials dealing with edektig ton, namely: writings by researchers of Tuva, museum items and field data, including ones collected during the expedition for comprehensive ethnogenetic and linguoanthropological research into Tuva’s tribal groups conducted from 27 September to 15 October 2022 with the financial support from Russian Science Foundation. The paper reveals additional names for this Tuvan women’s garment may vary, traces a genesis of the latter’s details, identifies one of its previous forms — ibchi ton — which is similar enough to Khakass patterns. Conclusions. The article delineates ethnogenetic and ethnocultural ties between edektig ton of Tuvans and clothes of other ethnic groups, and introduces some peculiarities of its terminology.