Circassian hair accessory is decoration and amulet

A red cap with pendants, a hand-made openwork shawl, an elegant girl's hat with galloons and embroidery "Adyghe idag", crowned with a silver top, a large patterned wrap, a scarf, decorated with weaving braid – all these are familiar headdresses of the Circassian young girls, which they worn at home and at feasts, indicating their social status and position. As the researcher E. N. Studenetskaya notes in her work "Clothing of the North Caucasus peoples in the XVIII-XX centuries": "For most peoples, the female headdress is a rather complex ensemble that carries significant information.  The headdress can usually help determine not only to which people the wearer belongs, but also to which local group. It allows distinguishing a young girl from a married woman and sometimes gives more precise details. ... In many cases, the headdress reflected class differences, property status and place of residence. Archaic features were often persistently preserved in it, and some of its elements had protective and magical functions" (1, 183). At the same time, the protective and magical functions of headdresses were due to the fact that since ancient times, hair has had a sacred meaning for young girls and women, since it was associated with the energy of the Universe and symbolized wealth and well-being.
Meanwhile, the above-listed maiden headdresses of the Circassians were complemented by different hair accessories. E. N. Studenetskaya identified two types of them: "1) bandages or bags that hid hair from outsiders, 2) pendants and decorations for hair braids" (1, 198). But maiden hair accessories played not only the role of decoration, but also served as a amulet, hiding the sacred hair of Circassians girls from the eyes of outsiders, and, consequently, from evil eye and envy. What were the features of the Circassian hair accessory, head decoration and amulet? And why did the modern Circassians women lost it, and the masters of gold embroidery of the XXI century do not reconstruct it and do not introduce it into everyday life of modern women, along with ethnic accessories, made by them with using gold embroidery and weaving? We try to answer these questions will help of ethnographer, candidate of historical sciences Nuriet Teuchezh.
This type of head decoration is probably mentioned in the XVII-th century by the traveler from Netherland Jan Jansen Struys who noted in his work "the Circassian young girls go with uncovered faces, wear beautiful double black hats on their heads, decorated with dyed linen or silk fabric; they usually wear over them a cap of black velvet which is very nice to them, so, it is why they try to dress it as best as possible" (2). The so-called "a cap of black velvet " could also be a "bag for hair braids". Another traveler of the same period, Dutch cartographer Nicholas Witsen points out, on the contrary, "the young girls go with hair down, cut in front, and wear large hats" (3).
Already in the XIX-th century, German traveler Johann Blaramberg describes headdresses of Circassians women and divides their types by status: "Young women of princely and noble families wear a red cap under the veil, decorated in front with a strip of black saffian with silver buttons which suits them very well, and they plait their hair in many long braids... The simple women wear caps of different color, except red… When they leave their house, they put on a veil which hides their face" (4). In the same century, the English journalist John Longworth describes a Circassian young girl named Hafiza and notes "she had regular and lovely features, blue eyes and a beautiful look; her light brown hair was plaited into many braids that fell to her shoulders from under a red cap, decorated with crossing wide silver stripes; this cap resembles an Albanian hat" (5).
So, it shows that in fact hair accessories were not widely distributed among the Circassians young girls who preferred a single cap with a light shawl over it or just a shawl, thrown over the head. However, the fact of existence and using of this head decoration-amulet among Circassian women is noted in the study of E. N. Studenetskaya. Representing two types of hair decorations, she describes the first type as follows: "The braid bandage (in Kabardian, shkhe-pyshe) was a wide strip of white cloth, sometimes decorated with embroidery at the ends. It was used to bind tightly each of the two hair braids or hair, divided into two parts, and then they were tied with a kind of thick cord and fixed at the end. Regardless of the braids length, this decoration fell to the hem. We meet such a bandage in drawings of the XVIII-th century and in photographs of the XIX-th century" (1, 198). E. N. Studenetskaya also notes the existence of braids accessories "in the form of a narrow long bag or strip of fabric, decorated with embroidery and fringe. The braids were put inside the bag or simply covered with a strip. Such hair accessories were relatively rare and were worn, according to informants, by those "who were wealthy" (1, 198). The second type of braid accessories were pendants and hair decorations and the Circassian women also used them infrequently. "Sometimes young girls hung strips of velvet with rattling pendants, sewn on them, laces with coins or amulets" (1, 198).
- Today it is difficult to imagine how many types of braids accessories the Circassians women had. It is necessary to note that not only young girls, but also women, wore them. While writing my dissertation work about the Adyghe gold embroidery, I studied drawings and lithographs of European and Russian artists of the XVI-XIX centuries and I saw the hair braids were decorated with a cloth ribbon wrapped around braids.  The girls mostly used it. Another type is a bag of the oblong rectangular shape which could be attached at the base of the braid with a tie, made of the same fabric as the hair accessory itself. Presumably, these fabrics could be silk or cotton. There were also hair accessories which were attached to the headdress. They were made of the same fabric as the cap itself. Herewith, the inner side was made of a simple light fabric. Perhaps, one of the types of braid accessories was mesh, woven with gold or silver threads. Her length reached the end of the maiden braids, - notes Nuriet Teuchezh.
The braid bandage, made of white fabric, is clearly visible in the drawing of Christian Geisler. The braid of the Circassian woman in a mitre-shaped hat is tightly wrapped with it and fixed with a thick cord. The drawing belongs to the period of the XVIII-th century. A clear example of the Circassian hair accessory of the end of the XIX-th century is stored in the collection of the National Museum of the Republic of Adyghea and described in the Museum catalogue "Traditional clothing and gold embroidery of the Adyghes". In the description of N.Z. Kidakoeva, it "is a head decoration with a trapezoidal shape, made of black velvet and lined with cotton. The maiden's braid accessory is 30 cm long. it is decorated with gold embroidery, made in the technique "Adyge idag", with soutache, galloon around its perimeter and brushes along the item end. On top of the braid accessory, it is sewn a gold braiding in form of a loop to attach to hair, the inner part with a belt loop to thread hair or braids" (6, 39). It is noted "hair, decorated with braid accessory, gave an elegant appearance" (6, 39). Another example of hair accessory in form of a pendant – trapezoid strips of black satin with ornament and galloons around its perimeter - can be seen as a headdress decoration of performers of the Anatolian Circassians’ dance, restored by the State Academic Ensemble of folk dance of Adygheya "Nalmes". It is similar to the one that is stored in the collection of the National Museum of the republic.
- The culture of braid accessories wearing among the Circassians women was lost, most likely, before the middle of the XIX-th century. However, some of the Kabardian and Circassian families still keep different elements of such Circassian braid decoration ensembles. In the 1990s, during ethnographic expeditions in the Khabez district in one Circassian family, I saw a part of a young girl's braid accessory, made of velvet of a rectangular shape, ending with a corner. It was decorated with embroidery of gold thread in the technique "Adyghe idag" and with flat soutache and galloon around its perimeter. Adyghe geometric ornaments were embroidered along the entire length of the item. It is noteworthy that the back side of the hair accessory had seven strips of light fabric. They allowed to hold the braid. And in Nalchik, I saw the ending element of one braid decoration. It was a kind of imitation of a woman's hair, made of black silk threads with “Denlech” little balls, attached to them. It looked in the form of two pyramids, bonded with flat soutache. From the two upper balls of silver thread there were seven branches, stretching from each of them, they ended by the same ball from which next seven branches passed. And such rows could be from 3 to 5. The last row didn't end with the ball. This element of the braid accessory was woven into hair and lengthened the girl's braid in 30-50 cm. “Denlech” was used as a wish of happiness and prosperity, - says the ethnographer.
Probably, one of the reasons that this braid decoration was not popular among the Circassian women, despite its protective function as a amulet, was that drew the attention of the traveler John Longworth in the XIX-th century. Describing one Circassian young girl and her mother, he noted: "the face of the good woman was covered with a white "khasmak " or a veil; in one word, "a witness who has seen nothing can report nothing". This distinction between a married woman and a young girl, the first of whom wears a veil and the second did not, is observed everywhere in the Caucasus, whether because, having partially adopted Muslim customs, they consider it too great sacrifice to hide from prying eyes a good that they can dispose of, or because, in their understanding, a woman becomes a treasure that must be hidden from others, only after its acquisition" (5).
- Most likely, the braid accessory was a part of a festive ceremonial female costume. Only young girls from princely and noble families wore it. And so it was not used in everyday clothing. But, by judging by the ancient photos, since the middle of the XIX-th century, this element of national clothing is clearly absent. The preference was given to beautiful shawl which was dressed on the headdress top, - notes Nuriet Teuchezh.
In our time, there is no need of that hair accessory, already unpopular among Circassians women, because modern young girls consider hair as one of the main female decorations and do not try to hide it even under a beautiful, elegantly made head accessory. Herewith, modern women almost have not hair braids, and the length of their hair rarely reaches the waist, as it was customary for the Circassians young girls before. Moreover, that time, the braids themselves were considered as a decoration for an unmarried young girl. After marriage, the Circassian woman put a shawl on her head as a sign of her social status and did not remove it until her old age.
Meanwhile, a beautiful pendant, decorated with gold embroidery and galloons could become an elegant accessory to the Adyghe national costume which modern Circassians women wear today at feasts and dzhegu. The decoration of the braids of young Circassians would not only give them an elegant appearance, but would also become am amulet against the evil eye. And a stylized, gold-embroidered braid accessory, made of velvet, satin or silk, could help modern Circassian designers complement more effectively their costumes and dresses, made in the ethnic style. The hair accessory is a traditional maiden's decoration and amulet, and if it is decorated with Adyghe ornaments, like sleeve pendants, it will not only adorn its wearer, protect her energy, but also become a wish for her happy and prosperous life.
- There was the historically composed ensemble of Adyghe women's national costume, which included at a certain time the hair accessory. But, despite the fact that the culture of wearing it has long been lost, modern young girls can still use this elegant ethnic accessory today. And if there is a demand, the masters can reconstruct all types of Circassian hair accessories, decorated with gold embroidery. Thus, another beautiful item may appear in assortment of modern gold embroidery masters, - suggests ethnographer Nuriet Teuchezh.

Literature:
1. E. N. Studenetskaya. Clothing of the North Caucasus peoples at the XVIII-XX centuries. Moscow, 1989
2. Jan Jansen Struys (1675-1676). Description of the city of Terki. Adyghes, Balkars and Karachays in the news of European authors of the XIII-XIX centuries. Nalchik. Elbrus, 1974, Pp. 99-102
3. Nikolas Witsen. "Northern and Eastern Tartary...", Amsterdam, 1692- translated from the Dutch by E. S. Zevakin. Adyghes, Balkars and Karachays in the news of European authors of the XIII-XIX centuries. Nalchik. Elbrus, 1974, Pp. 86-98
4. Johann Blaramberg (1830). Historical, topographical, statistical and ethnographic description of the Caucasus. Moscow. 2010
5. J. A. Longworth (1839). "One year among the Circassians", vol. 1-2. London, 1840 - translated from English by A. I. Petrov. Adyghes, Balkars and Karachays in the news of European authors of the XIII-XIX centuries. Nalchik. Elbrus. 1974
6. N. Z. Kidakoeva. Traditional women's Adyghe costume of the late XIX – early XX century in the collection of the National Museum of the Republic of Adyghea// Traditional clothes and gold embroidery of the Circassians. Maykop. 2015.

Written by Fatima Teuchezh

Illustration from the book of M. M. Ivanovokova "Adyghe idag. Gold embroidery of the Circassians", where the second hair accessory is an exhibit from the collection of the National Museum of the Republic of Adyghea