The Revival of Tajik Jewellery or The Birth of a Myth?

Abstract

The paper focuses on the attempt made in the last decades of the Soviet government to revive the traditional jewelry art in Tajikistan. The state of traditional jewelry art in the republic during the years of Soviet power and, in particular, at the end of the third quarter of the 20th century, is assessed. The creative path of the artists who have become folk craftsmen is described as well as the philosophical concept of the ‘Three weddings’ created by them. It is, on the one hand, an experience of comprehending their artistic creativity, explaining the symbolism of a work of jewelry art, and, on the other hand, the application of this experience to various stages of a person’s life path. The connection between different groups of Tajik jewelry and age gradations that existed in the traditional Tajik society is explained. An interpretation of some symbols that are figurative, color, and numerological, which are used in the works of traditional jewelry art, is given. An essay written in the mid-1990s is incorporated in the paper, being the first exposition of the concept of the ‘Three Weddings’. It gives a description of different groups of traditional Tajik women’s jewelry — amulets, bracelets, necklaces, etc., described in parallel in their traditional and modern forms. It compares how traditional and modern jewelry created within the same jewelry tradition can be perceived.