Clothing as an Integral Part of the Bashkir Kalym

Abstract

This article examines the Bashkir institution of kalym (bride price) in the 18th–19th centuries. Using the materials from the National Archive of the Republic of Bashkortostan (fund I-295 “Orenburg Mohammedan spiritual assembly”) and published sources, differences in the composition of kalym are identified depending on the local distinctions among the Bashkirs, as well as their economic and cultural types and socio-economic status. These differences were most apparent in the so-called “smaller” kalym, which consisted of summer and winter clothing with jewelry, headwear, and coin-coral pectoral ornaments. The results of the literature and archival analysis yield a deeper understanding of the specifics of clothing and jewelry included in kalym. A pivotal role of the institution of kalym and dowry in the life of the Bashkirs is shown. The garments in the Bashkir kalym had both practical and symbolic functions — they regulated property rights and indicated the material well-being of a young family. Varying from one to another Bashkir settlement, they also shared similarities with the costumes of neighboring peoples, such as the Tatars. The exchange of clothing garments between the marrying parties, including members of different Bashkir clans and tribes, ended up in the formation of a unique cultural layer.