*** ethnic folk costumes








Ethnic Folk Costumes

ethnic costuming
Figure 1.--Although little seen as state schools, most private schools in Scotland incourage the boys to wear kilts for special occasions and promote Highland dancing.

Some clothing styles are strongly associated with ethnic groups. In many cases there are interesting cultural and or climatic reasons for the development of these styles. The Lapps of Norway, for example needed warm clothes in their Arctic envirnment. The origins of other styles are lost in time, but are often assocaited with styles in specific historical periods. In most cases these folk costumes no longer widely worn in the various countries. They do appear in folk festivals are may even be be incorportated into dress wear for formal occasions. Often ethnic costumes reflect national costumes. Most ethnic costumes can not be neatly categorized by countries or other political units. Some ethnic groups like the Lapps or Kurds find themselves in many different countries. Some countries or empires have many different ethnic groups. Some religious groups maintain some destinctive costumes or hair styles in many different countries.

Ethnic Associations

Some clothing styles are strongly associated with specific ethnic groups. In many cases there are interesting cultural and or climatic reasons for the development of these styles. The Lapps of Norway, for example needed warm clothes in their Arctic envirnment. The rise of such destinctive styles adopted by different groups and their survival to the modern day is an interesting phenomenon and commonly difficult to explain. The origins of many styles are lost in time, but are often assocaited with styles in specific historical periods.

Garments and Styling

There are a few folk garments that are strongly associated with certain etnic groups. The best example is the kilt which is strongly associated with Scotland. Other folk outfits are more likely to emvolve styling and detailing rather than specific garments. Here folk costume attract the attention with destinctive styling, often garments that look old fashioned and are done in striking colors or detailing like emproidery or bright ribbons to give a gay, festive effect. The variety and types of styling are virtually limitless.

Usage

In most cases these folk costumes no longer widely worn in the various countries. They do appear in folk festivals are may even be be incorportated into dress wear for formal occasions. Often ethnic costumes reflect national costumes. Most ethnic costumes can not be neatly categorized by countries or other political units. Some ethnic groups like the Lapps or Kurds find themselves in many different countries. Some countries or empires have many different ethnic groups. Some religious groups maintain some destinctive costumes or hair styles in many different countries. Some countries have incorporated elements of modern dress into modern clothing. German boys in Bavaria might, for example, have a Bavarian-styled jacket they wear when dressing up. Scottisboys may have kilts which are worn when dressing up or as part of school or Scout uniforms.

Cultural History

Folk culture is an important part of the cultural history of every country. It is bearer of the of the customs and social traditions of the ancestors of modern people. Much of thisis difficult to recreate in the modern world. One aspect of folk traditions that can be recreated is traditional dress which in our modern world become folk costumes. The costumes may provide insigts into national life, not only clothing but aesthetic values as well. Here there has to be detinctions drawn. Some modern folk costumes are based on the clothing formerly worn in an historical period. Others seem to be more modren creations of a people anxious to reinvent their past.

National Costumes

We note a wide variety of folk costumes worn bu peoples around the world. At the present time we have more information on Europe than other regions, but we hope to gradually expand our coverage of national folk costuming.

American: Latin

Amer-Indian peoples, especually the Inca were rebnowed, fir their beautuful woven garments. The use of the backstrap loom was widesopread in bith the Andes and Meso-America. Materials in Meso-America included agave, cotton and bark. Inthe Andes alpaca wool was importabtant, vucuña for the nobility. With yhe Spanish conquest came European influences. The Spanish whivh had an important wool industry brough sheep/ Wool thius becsme importnt. Silk was also introduced, but not fior cmpesibo clothing. Wihin the Spanish Empire aind of campesino clothing developed for men and boys. It had nothing to dob with the Amer-Indian clothing styles that preceeded the Spanish conquest. It was basically a very plain long-sleeved shirt and long pants. We are not sure about the origins of this outfit, but is probably the most inexpensive Western clothing possible. We see this being worn throughout the region. We see it in both art work and photography. A good examople is Peruviasn artist Fernando Sayan Polo. We alsi see it in the photograohic recoord. Phitograophy was developed in France (1839) ans soon syudios began developin in other countries. The Latin Anericam ohotograohic record is much more limited than Europe and Notyh ASmerica, but we see these camplesino syules througout the reguin and were still common in the first hlf iof the 20th century. A good example is Mexico. The white male clothing is in sharp contrast to the vibrant colors that became common for girls and women. Some garments wre carried over from Ameri-Indian people like the poncho (Peru) or serape (Mexico). These weere the omly colorful part of men's campesibo clothing, but generally muted colors. Boys generally went barefoot, men connionly wore sandals. Headwear unlike the basic campesino outfit was more baruies within the refion. The most famous being a straw sombreo which became an iconic Mexican garment. This campesuno style was still common ynb thec20th century. It began to disappear after Wirkd war II whenn Katin ameruican became more prioserous and integrated into the wiorld economy.

American: North


American

America has a wide diversity of ethnic clothes. The most Well known is the clothing of native Americans. Although the native American costumes are now no widely worn daily, they are worn at the native American pow-wows and other events heald around the country. Other ethnic costumes are mostly worn for ethnic events based on the ethnic costumes of the various costumes from which emmigrants came. There are a few exceptions such as the Amish who do wear their destimctive dress for every day wear.

Asian


Chinese

China is the largest country in terms of population and one of the largest countries in terms of area. Not only is the country spread over many rehions and provinces, but it comprises many different ethnic and language groups. The Han people of China proper are the dominate ethnic group, but they are a large number of national and ethnic minorities with destinctive cultural and religious experiences. One Chinese reader tells us that there are 56 destinctive groups in China. This diversity is reflected in a rich tradition of folk art, dance, dress, music, and and other cultural aspects. An important part of Chinese folk art is embroidery and costume. In modern China these folk costumes are more for festivals and special occassions than everyday dress. We have very limited infornmation at this time on the extent and diversity of these folk costumes. In addition we often lack specific information about boys' styles in the various Chinese folk costumes.

Japan

We note the Japanese wearing a range of folk costumes. It used to be common for some women to wear folk costumes rather than Western dress, but this has become less common, both because Japanese women are becoming more modern and the cost of folk outfits. Customs vary widely from family to family. Some families wear folk costumes for relaxing at home. This seems to be more adults than children. Families are, however, likely to dress children in traditional costumes for special events. We also notive boys and mennwearing folk costumes for the many different festivals held in cities throughout Japan. Here it is the men aznd boys that are more likely to dress up in variously styled folk costumes.

Malaysia

Malaysian children love to dress in traditionl outfits for mational festivals. Malay newpapers report that Hari Raya is one of the most popular national festivals. Children reportedly live it up sporting their new baju Raya. Children have worn tradidional clothes, but some now choose instead to wear trendy jeans and skirts to match colorful shirts and blouses.

Tajikistan

We have some information on traditional Tajik clothing. We note Tajik boys for ceremonial occassions wearing long coat-like garment, but I am not sure what it is called. Tajik traditional clothing looks to be heavily embroidered. The Tajik spring celebration is called Navrus today. People often wear traditional costumes for this and other special occassions. It is a velvet outfit worn by boys and men. Mother makes it at home. So the designs vary widely and come in different sizes. Student who normally wear Western clothing, often uniforms to school, sometimes come to school in traditional clothing for special occassions. Boys might wear long embroidered robes with matching trousers and white velvet shirt. There is also ornate head wear. We noted that in Dunshanbe and other cities that children wear mostly Western clothes for day to day wear. We thought that traditional clothing might be more common in rural areas, but even in rural areas, Western clothing is very common, althogh not as trendy as in the city (figure 1). Even in rural areas, traditional clothing is mostly worn on ceremonal occasions. The girls and women seem to wear traditional costume more commonly than boys and men. This gender difference is epecially pronounced in rural areas.

European

European folk costumes are very diverse, but share a variety of common characteristics because of the common European historical and technological experiences. Most folk costumes are based on styles that were formerly widely worn. Just what is discarded and what is saved over time to become frozen as folk costumes is a usually poorly undrstood process. Our knowledge of costuming outside of a few civilizations such as Greece and Rome is limited. Thus we know little about the earliest forms of dress. It is likely that geographical environment and climatic conditions were especially important in this early period. We begin to know more by the medieval period. The dress of both men and women may have had originally a shirlike shape. Some of the underwear and upper dress might have been worn by both men and women. Not only do we know more about dress in the medieval era, but it seems that clothing began to acquire the garment forms and styles that we now recognize. In the early medieval period dress was affected by the basic materials, flax or hempen linen, drapery or fur. In lowlands clothing was rather loose and linen while in mountaineous regions it was more tight-fitting and besides linen, made also of wool and fur. As textile technology developed, especially by the 18th century home-spun textiles began to be replaced with industrial materials from cotton, wool and even silk began to be used. The new materials meant that many changes in forms and styles were possible. The variety of materials combined with increasing availability of colored garments to the averahe person resulted in many of the styles which are now seen as folk costumes. Another development which is now a major aspect of folk costuming is the appearance of embroidering technique (17th century) and the increasing availbility of reasonably priced colored cotton thread.

Oceania


Australia


Indongesia

Indonesia is an incredibly diverse country. There are some 360 different ethnic groups in Indonesia--the actual number vary. Some acciunts are as high as 1,000. The actual count varies depending on wether they are counted as groups or subgroups. The most important ethnic group is Javanese (40 percent) and Sundanese (15 percent). All iother grouos are under 5 opercent, including Malay, Batak, Madureset, Betawi, Minangkabau, Buginese, Bantenese, Banjarese, Balinese, Acehnese, Dayakt, Sasak, and Chinese 1.2 percent. Other group are under 1 opercent. Indonesians speak more than 700 languages. This is in part due to the fact that the Indonesian archepelago consists of some 13,000 islands of varying sizes. The existence of so many islands is a factor in the oyntry's ethnic diversity. Islands and the rugged landscape on many of them create isolated conditions leading to ethnic diversity. The small island of Alor with 140,000 people has 50 tribes, each tribe speaking a distinct language, And Alor is not an isolated case. Papua is western New Guinea--a large area. There are some 180 recognized ethno-linguistic groups. There are 13 languages with more than 1 million speakers. The major Indonesian ethnic groups are: Minangkabaunese, Malay, Javanese, Sundanese, Maduranese and Ambonnese. Arab, Chinese, and Indian immigrants have also settled in the country. This has occurred mostly in the coastal cities. The Dutch have left Indionesia since independence, but many of the children of Dutch-Indonsiam marriages remained. Indionesia's different ethnic groups for the most part live harmoniously. Ethniic violence has had more to do with religion than etnicity. The group most adversely affected have been the etnic chinese who are mostkly Christian. There are slight clothing differences among ethnic differences however, in the sense that, with Christians and Muslims alike, people on the central islands tend to be somewhat more conservative, modestly leaving more of the skin covered than in outlying districts.

New Zealand

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Created: September 29, 1998
Last updated: 7:04 PM 10/11/2023