Mongol Costumes (Carlsberg Foundation Nomad Research Project) Book

This systematic account and analysis of garments drawn from almost all of the Mongol tribes, is based upon a collection made by the Danish ethnographer and explorer, Henning Haslund-Christensen, during the first and second Danish expeditions to Central Asia in 1937 and 1938-9. It is now in possession of the National Museum of Denmark and the Musee de 1'Homme in Paris. "Mongol Costumes" deals with the whole range of garments in use in traditional Mongol society, including togas, plaited cloaks, gowns, caftans, waistcoats, leggings, and trousers, as well as hats, shoes and boots. These include the yellow and red dresses of the lama clergy, the colourful trappings of the masked lamaist "devil" or "cham" dancers, and also the elaborate caftans of the shamans; plus the clothes of herdsmen and hiqhly decorated and colourful women's dresses. The author's analysis develops Professor Gudmund Hatt's classic work on arctic skin garments in using the distinction between the appearance and the cut. She refines the typology of shapes and cuts, and uses a careful examination of the cut to yield new insights into the development of clothes from simple to more complex forms, and into specific local developments in Central Asia. Further, she demonstrates influences from India via Tibet, and from China, supporting her conclusions with historical and recent source materials on traditional Mongolia. The examples are illustrated with drawings and colour photography. "Mongol Costumes" strives to make a significant contribution to the comparative study of costume, offering insights and techniques applicable far beyond the borders of Mongolia.Read More