The Palas Manufacturing of the Southeastern Bashkirs in the Late 20th — Early 21st Century: to the Problem of Preserving Traditions

Abstract

The article deals with one of the types of decorative-applied art — the production of lint-free carpets (palases) by the Bashkirs in the south-eastern part of the Republic of Bashkortostan (Abzelilovsky, Burzyansky, Beloretsky, Baymaksky districts). The source base of the study was the author's field materials collected in 2010-2021 in the study area. It was revealed that palases were woven on a frameless loom of sheep and goat wool. The palases are characterized by a longitudinal-striped ornament without a border — buoy balaq with a serrated pattern. Woollen palases were an indispensable element of the interior of the Bashkir dwelling: they covered bunks and hosted guests on them. The woven items were a part of the bride's dowry. In the 70-80s of the 20th century in some settlements of southeastern Bashkiria they started to weave lint-free carpets aqy balaq or kelam. On their dark background there were bright plant motifs, rhombuses and polygons.
 It was determined that in the late 20th — early 21st centuries, palace production existed in the territory under study. For the most part, the palases produced are used as interior decoration. Carpets neatly laid on a chest occupy a prominent place in rural and sometimes urban dwellings. The material and size of the item changed, but the technique remained the same.