Tatar Leatherwork

Illustration: Examples Of Tatar leatherwork, 1925.

In 1925 the then Soviet Union held, amongst its various exhibitions at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, a large display that highlighted the ethnic diversity of the Union as seen through various traditional craft skills. Amongst these displays was some Tatar leatherwork. The catalogue produced for the exhibition highlighted one page dedicated to the Tatar craft skill of leatherwork. The example shown here was merely named Tartar, but we can probably be certain enough to say that the items originated with the Volga Tatars of Kazan.

As well as there being Siberian, Crimean and Volga Tatars, there are also sizeable minorities of Tatars within Central Asia, the Baltic States, the Caucasus, Eastern Europe and across the Russian Federation. The total Tatar world population is presently thought to be about ten million. This broad and extensive Tatar homeland says much about the history of the Tatar people and particularly their links with their early nomadic lifestyle.

Illustration: Satellite map of the Volga River.

Leatherwork was often an important component of nomadic or semi-nomadic peoples and Volga Tatars were no different. They were extremely proficient at all levels of the craft from processing the hides to detailed cutting, dying and applique work. Whether the Tatar penchant for leatherwork really has anything to do with their nomadic past is uncertain. However, what is certain is that Volga Tatars were well known across Russia for their craft skills including ceramics, metalwork, jewellery and leatherwork. Tatars of the region were also great traders with the Volga being a great natural trade route. This helped to spread their leatherwork goods and reputation well beyond their own communities.

The decorative design on the leatherwork shown in this illustration has definite links with other Tatar groups in Europe and Asia and shows significant similarities to decorative pattern work that stretches back into Asia as far as Mongolia. Therefore, although the work shown may well have derived from Kazan, the larger Tartar community that stretches across two continents should also be considered as the greater origin of the decorative leatherwork that was shown by the Soviets at the 1925 Paris exhibition.

Illustration: Official flag of the Republic of Tatarstan.

Although Tatars are still scattered across a large geographical area and many find themselves ethnic minorities within various states and nations, the Republic of Tartarstan now within the boundaries of the Russian Federation, with its capital at Kazan, is a central focus of the Tatar culture, crafts and lifestyle. 

There are a number of online sites dealing with different aspects of Tatar culture and crafts, some of which are listed below in the Further reading links section, along with a list of relevant book titles.

Further reading links:
Official website of the Republic of Tatarstan
About Kazan
Go To Kazan
The Peremech Lounge blog
Volga Tatars: Ural Mountains, Tatars, Tatarstan, Kerä?en Tatars, Na?aybäk, Tatar Language
Kazan: Russian language, Tatar language, Types of inhabited localities in Russia, Tatarstan, Russia, Tatars, Confluence, Volga River, Kazanka, Kazan Kremlin, World Heritage Site
The Volga Tatars in Central Asia, 18th-20th centuries: From diaspora to hegemony?
Tatar Cuisine
Tatar manual: Descriptive grammar and texts with a Tatar-English glossary (Indiana University Publications. Uralic and Altaic series)

Tatar Embroidery

Tatar embroidery is an integral part of the ancient culture of the Tatars. Although traditionally seen as exclusively part of domestic household decoration, embroidery was also used at a later stage as decoration for various costumes and accessories.

Tatar homes tended to be set up internally rather differently than their Russian neighbours. Most homes were not divided into separate rooms, thus giving scope for the extensive use of decorative textiles as room dividers. These textile dividers would of course contain detailed and accomplished embroidery patterns.

Embroidery pattern work derived from a number of influences. The Tatars living as they did between Russia and Central Asia were influenced design wise by two distinct cultures that were separated by religion. The traditional floral and representational pattern work of Christian Russia had a certain influence, but more so that of the ornamentation derived from the carpet and rug work of Islamic Central Asia. These often complex patterns were interpreted with a fair amount of sophistication and technical ability by the Tatars and were used throughout the domestic sector for the ornamentation of curtains, towels, table cloths, napkins and indeed carpets and rugs as well as a host of other household necessities.

Embroidery was also used extensively, as in other cultures for weddings and births, with particularly expensive and high status embroidery being saved and passed down through the generations to be reused by families for special occasions.

The images shown here are examples of Tatar embroidery put together by the Soviet Union as part of an exhibition of traditional embroidery from across the Union that was shown at the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris. They are fine examples of a time consuming but exact skill, one that took years to master, but that could be handed down over the generations. It did its part in helping a culture to express its identity and thus allowing that culture to see itself as both unique and valuable in its own right.

There are a couple of interesting websites that deal with Tatar embroidery and its larger identity. The official website of the Republic of Tatarstan which has some images and information on Tatar embroidery can be found here. While another site promoting cultural tourism in Tatarstan, has a page devoted to traditional Tatar costume and can be found here.

Reference links:
Official website of the Republic of Tatarstan
Cultural Tourism in Tatarstan