Felting between East and West

Murray Lee Eiland III


Appendices

 i. The ethnic identities of the felt making peoples will be discussed on a general basis in this paper. While it is possible to postulate the ethnic affiliation of peoples on the basis of their weavings (Eiland 1998), the point here is that felt making is a widespread practice in the steppes.

ii. Beycesultan, dating to the Early Bronze II period, yielded material that is probably more felt than animal hair (Barber 1991: 216-217).

iii. The ancestors of the modern Hungarians, speakers of a Finno-Ugrian language, originated in the region of the Ural Mountains. At some point in the first millennium, a group of them began a migration that would lead them into Europe. The proto-Hungarians stopped in the region of the Black sea, but by the ninth and tenth centuries they had settled permanently in the Carpathian basin. It is clear that during their journey they were associated with a Turkic speaking tribe or tribes who played an important role in the development of their material culture. But with increasing contact with Medieval Europe, the Hungarians lost many of their distinctive traits of material culture. This is particularly reflected in their mode of dress. Traditional nomadic clothing made of heavy wool - the sz#SYMBOL \f "Symbol"95r - were abandoned by the elite, while the lower classes, while no longer nomadic, continued to spend time out of doors where such clothing would be of use (Gervers-Molnár 1973: 21).

iv. It is made from coarse long stapled wool. Unlike the felting process as used in the Near East and Central Asia, it is solidified by beating in a trough of running water for six days (Gordon 1980: 39).

v. Some mention should be made here of the felts in the Shoso-in. In pattern these felts are from a distinctive tradition. One is ornamented with a naturalistic floral medallion on a blue background (Hayashi 1975: fig. 14). Another, executed in a different style, depicts a figure apparently prepared to play dakyu, a game resembling polo (Hayashi 1975: fig. 204). Both examples probably date to the eighth century A.D. While these two depicted examples differ from one another in style, they clearly reflect urban design using naturalistic forms executed with curvilinear designs. While the technique of felting may have nomadic origins, it can be adapted, to good effect, by sedentary societies.

vi.Felt making also survives in Georgia, where there is linguistic evidence that there was a long tradition. Unfortunately, the author has been able to locate no examples made before about 50 years ago, and what remains has been heavily influenced by modern design. Many of the felts show abstract designs, with their associated colour schemes, that follow Parisian fashions (see Tsagareli 1972).

vii. For a background on the tamga as a tribal emblem on textiles see Day (1993).