St. Petersburg - Ethnography Museum

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Visited the Museum November 20th. There are a lot of pictures inthis blog ... see them in extra photos.

The museum is dedicated to the peoples that inhabit the Russian Landt.

Notes .... as written while walking thru the second floor:

- entrance fee 350 rub.; little blue footsie slippers are required over outdoor shoes; people working are
not wearing footsies.
- finding the stairs to go up ... daunting; found service stairs; official stairway all in marble and
slippery with the footsies.
- Skylight above and exhibits all around second floor bulastrade
- english explanations found .... Hoorah!!
- sample room of a mountain dwelling outfitted with wooden ladles, tree branch hooks, and appliqued
felt blanket
- from Siberia ... teepee, skin drum, mukluks, papoose, birch bark utensils, suede, tools to soften
skins, seal skin clothes, toy dools, use of big glass beads to decorate clothes.
- a group could own a hundred reindeer used primarily for transport on the 'taiga'.
- lassoes, tools for weaving, a saw to cut antlers and wooden bells were some of the artifacts
displayed.
- a needle for making fish nets, carved fish decoys, storage bags made of fish skin ... big fish!...
- a mannequin sits in a birch bark canoe; snow shows hang in a display box; a crossbow made of
bent branches tributed to Evensk people.

In 1989, 30,000 of these indigenous people lived onthe tundra and taiga .. west of the Yensei River, north of the Arctic Circle, to Lena River and south to the Sea of Okhotsk. (sorry if this is a bit out ...have no map of all of Russia ... after all ... it spans 11 time zone not 9 as formerly erroniously stated)

Flocks of sheep numbered 1000; muzzles of wood were placed on calves so as to wean them from mother's milk; wooden traps were made for rabbits and ermine.

Mannequins dressed as a man and woman Shaman tell the story that the Shaman is the go between to the three worlds; above, below and here on Earth.

The Khakass nomads lived in felt yurts; six to eight wooden corners were those of less afluent families and the 12 to 14 cornered yurt denoted richness.

Metal tongs were displayed near a fireplace;
a wooden spindle has wool still on it;
a device for hulluing pine cones sits near a bee orientator ... this being a piece of much contorted wood with a hole in the middle ...
a press for separating the honey from the wax in the honeycomb shows the importance this delicacy had in earlier cultures.

There is even a wooden tool to separate the queen bee from the rest of the hive.

To make a very long list of extremely intersting sights come to the point let me say that the impression I walked away with was that the people of the outer reaches of the Russian land mass were very industrious, creative, ingenious and artistic:

using wool, felt leather and reeds for clothing,
making pails from birchbark to collect milk,
refining the art of honey collecting,
making felt hats, boots, blankets and houses,
training horses and decorating the beasts,
embroidering wondrous designs on leather and wool,
spining, knitting and weaving with tools of their own design,
trapping all manner of fur bearing animals,
making thread from tendons,
storing grain in earthen holes, wooden chests or wicker baskets covered in clay;
making sacks from animal skins to carry flour and
using large leather bags containing milk hung on horses to change state of the milk as the horse jogged along.
the collection of honey was a major enterprise ... local honey still being sold in markets

ivory, horn, wood, amber, silver, gold, glass beads and bronze were materials used thru the ages to beautify, adorn and strengthen.

The English explanations stopped ... sucummed ... went down to pay for photograph privileges ...150rub. It was worth every ruble.

Glass beads adorn headdresses, jackets, mittens, baby cradles and hore blankets. It seems that all cultures have at one time or other been inticed by trading for the ever alluring glass bead.

Red embroidery on white is a popular choice. The patterns are as various as the artists.

Coloured patterns in mittens and socks stem from a more recent period.

The influence of northern nomads, mongolian yurt builders, western steppe dwellers and mountain people can be seen as progress is made thru the rooms of richly displayed artifacts.

Two types of tents were in use by people living north of the Arctic circle. One, the well known teepee shape and the second a semi circular frame covered again in animal skins.
Wooden skiis with animal-skin coverings are displayed as well as snowshoes.

The use of tree branches to make hooks and braces is repeatedly demonstrated. The variety of artifacts is endlessly intriguing.

The use of wood for making spoons was an oft repeated topic of many displays.
Felt and the tools used to make the felt are aslo numerous.

Finally in desperation after seeing many tools of the same shape some very elaborately carved and coloured I asked one of the ladies sitting guard ... the wooden rectangles were paddles for beating wool into the felt.

The mystery of other tools was also solved ...sometimes with the help of a second or third person.

Let the pictures do the rest of the telling.

What a day! Did not manage to see the whole thing.

Did go to the cafeteria for a kaffe to drink with my cheese sandwich ... was the only person there ...

none of the senior group that was touring the place with a guide had come for a Kaffee ..

none of the crowd of kids in the place came in while I sat there planning the rest of my afternoon.

It was dark outside.

Walked back to the apartmant for shower, food, TV and knitting. HAd to rest after a busy day of being a conscientious tourist.

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Photos

Gallery and Skylight
This museum was especially built to house the ethnograhy collection.

Felt Boots - Valenki
Famous in Russia but not to be found in St PB

Birch Bark Door in Backround
The leather bag in front of the woman is filled with milk, strapped to the horse. With the movement the milk changes states ... sour milk, kefir, thick???