Breast-worn pendants

The history of one exhibit

The edition-catalog "The objects of culture of the Adyghes in the Russian ethnographic museum collection", which was prepared in 2016 by doctor of historical sciences, chief researcher of REM, Professor of St. Petersburg State university Vladimir Dmitriev and the famous Circassian folk master Vyacheslav Mastafov, presents one old, traditional for the Adyghes exhibit - breast pendants of women's clothing, called in Adyghe "zhgyru". According to the description of the exhibit, acquired in 1906 in the village of Kudenetovo or Misostovo and still kept in the Russian ethnographic museum in St. Petersburg, the breast-worn pendants were "two rectangular velvet strips of dark red color, framed with silver galloon and soutage, connected to each other by a neck cord. Each strip has nine ornamented silver pendants-tiny hollow bells, one above other, touching each other". All parts of women's breast pendants were made by hand. The strips length was 22 cm and their width was 2.8 cm. Such pendants with bells were put on the neck and fixed on the side of the upper dress, and they were attached to the clothing from below. In the description of the exhibit, the researchers noted such breast pendants were worn by young girls on holidays as a decoration of their upper dress - fashe. Walking, hollow bells collided, and there was a slight silver tinkle (1)/
This removable breast decoration complemented the breast clasps, sewn on the upper dress. Analyzing old photos of the late XIX – early XX-th century, it is possible to  conclude over time, the velvet stripes disappeared, and silver "hollow bells" were often sewn as part of the ensemble of dress breast accessories. It is observed on the sae of the traditional Adyghe maiden holiday dress which is exhibited in the National museum of the Republic of Adyghea and dates back to the beginning of the XX-th century (2). The way of using the bells indicates they were most likely inherited by the owner of the dress without a strip of fabric, decorated with galloon and soutache. Sewn separately at a distance from each other, as a beautiful and durable silver jewelry, they have lost their protective value and could not create a "light silver tinkle" by walking.
The fact, in the early XX-th century these silver pendants of the Circassian female costume were often sewn on the chest top of upper dress or caftan along the slit sides, is mentioned by E. N. Studenetskaya in her "Clothing of the North Caucasus peoples in the XVIII-XX centuries". She also notes such pendants had the form of "balls on tiptoe, whole or cut along tonsils, pear-shaped buttons hanging with their narrow end down" (3). These were so-called "clinging" accessories, common in the North Caucasus, in particular among the Adyghe peoples. "By moving, they hit each other and made a clinging sounds. The Kabardians called them "schyuy ukhune" or "banishing button". Their use in costume indicates, most likely, "in the past, noisy pendants played the role of amulets, widespread in many families since ancient times" (3).
Indeed, bells were an old and even ancient decoration for many peoples. They were made of silver, copper or metal. Hollow balls, which hit each other after being shaken and thus they produced a light sound, were used as a talisman for protection from evil spirits and for purification. However, as well as "banishing buttons". And this object has long been used itself as a means of protection from evil forces, to banish ill-wishers, negative energy, gossip and misfortune. Like many other peoples, the Adyghes believed in existence of evil spirits and used amulets and talismans. And beautiful Circassian young girls never neglected in the old days decorations of protective value for their festive clothing, whether there were "clinging buttons-bells", made of pure silver or ornaments-amulets, embroidered or woven with gold or silver threads.
Today, ordering traditional holiday dresses-sae, modern Circassian woman neglect such "clinging" and "banishing" accessories. Most likely, pendants with bells or "banishing buttons" went out of use at the beginning of the XX-th century. Lost, perhaps, forever, they have been preserved, at best, as museum exhibits, Dating, most often, to the time when the upper dress or the entire festive women's set was made. Meanwhile, made of silver, pendants-buttons could belong to an earlier historical period, since such jewelry was transferred and inherited, even after the dress was worn out or decayed. But to establish their production period would require a special expertise.
In the last 20 years, the development of jewelry art of the Adyghes, as well as the wide interest of modern Circassian women in the gold embroidery, would allow to restore the forgotten "clinging and banishing" old accessories. Reconstructed breast-worn pendants with bells or pear-shaped buttons, made of silver, "framed with galloons and soutage, which were connected to each other by a neck cord", could become a great removable accessory for Circassian women of different ages, as well as a family relic-amulet, which would pass from mother to daughter, and then to subsequent generations by inheritance. Certainly, making a set of oval buttons or silver bells can be expensive. And such a set should contain from 14 to 18 pieces, if taking into account the detailed description of breast-worn pendants with bells or "zhgyru" from the catalog "The objects of culture of the Adyghes in the Russian ethnographic museum collection". But today, skilled craftswomen can easily replace them with buttons or "danlech", knots of happiness, made with using of the ancient technique of Adyghe gold embroidery - weaving.
Recreating the lost and contributing to its renovation, promoting it among the masses, modern Circassian masters contribute to the preservation of the original culture of the Adyghe people.

Bibliography:
1. Dmitriev V. A., Mastafov V. B. "The objects of culture of the Adyghes in the Russian ethnographic museum collection". Saint Petersburg, 2016. Pp. 124-125
2. 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. Exhibits 65, 90.
3. Studenetskaya. E. N. Clothing of the North Caucasus peoples at the XVIII-XX centuries. Moscow, 1989, P. 202

Written by Fatima Teuchezh with participation of ethnographer, candidate of historical sciences Nuriet Teuchezh.