Name:

Negliubka textile tradition

The second item name ICH (adopted in a particular community, the local version):

Weaving and embroidery of towels, interior items, making of the traditional costumes

Corresponding to (s) Community (s), group (s) or individual (s) described:

The bearers of textile traditions (weaving and embroidery of towels and other interior items, making of traditional costumes) are the descendants of the older generation of the village of Negliubka, Vetkovsky district, Gomel region and surrounding settlements, representatives of the younger generation of Negliubka craftsmen, as well as children and teenagers, participants of clubs (the “Nitok” association at the Negliubka rural weaving center; weaving circle "Junyja tkachyhі" (“Young Weavers”) at the Negliubka secondary school; a weaving circle at the Vetkovsky District Creativity Center for Children and Youth based on the Negliubka secondary school)

Habitat:

Short description:

Textile traditions of the village of Negliubka and the surrounding villages are a unique phenomenon of Belarusian folk art: for almost half a century, the famous Negliubka towels have been iconic for Belarus. The richness and variety of weaving and embroidery techniques, complex polychrome, and a large ornamental fund are the main features of the element. Weaving uses the brocade (single-thread and double-thread), cross-stitch (cross-stitch “under the canvas”, two-sided and one-sided cross-stitch), selective, slit-tapestry, and multi-thread techniques. Embroidery uses a wide range of techniques, including set, cross-stitch, satin-stitch, “stitching on cuts”, chain stitch, and two-sided stitch-“painting”. In addition, complex connecting seams (“Negliubka net”) and textile weaving are widely used.
Negliubka towels are made in white-red, white-red-black colors, and also have complex polychrome (up to 25 colors and shades in one item). Woven towels are distinguished by their richness of ornamentation: mirror-symmetrical arrangement of ornaments (3-9 patterned ornamented stripes at each end), the use of several dozen types of complex geometric and floral ornaments, and finishing the ends of the towels with looped fringes made of red, white, and black threads. High artistic qualities, distinctive polychrome and complexity of ornamentation characterize numerous products of local craftsmen: multi-colored bedspreads, tablecloths, curtains, and other interior items. Negliubka traditional costume is one of the most archaic and complex costumes of Belarusian folk clothing, in which a white ornamented shirt, a small-checkered women's skirt, a cloth apron, a breast apron ("zapina"), a wide red belt, a patterned woven scarf are harmoniously combined. When creating a traditional costume today, almost all of the weaving and embroidery techniques listed above are used. Nowadays, masters transfer the techniques proper to the Negliubka tradition through training in groups organized at the Negliubka rural weaving center, weaving circle "Junyja tkachyhі" (“Young Weavers”) at the Negliubka secondary school, and at the Vetkovsky District Creativity Center for Children and Youth.

Category:

Traditional Craftsmanship » Textile

Origin:

The historical roots of the element are associated with the peculiarities of the social, economic and cultural development of the region. The new settlements on the territory of the former Malorossiya, founded at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries, the social status of the population (monastic, state peasants), the multinational composition of the population (autochthonous Belarusians, Russians, Ukrainians) and other conditions contributed to the territorial isolation and the formation of a unique cultural and artistic tradition in the vicinity of Negliubka. In the 19th century. Negliubka was one of the largest settlements of the Surazhsky district (about 3,000 inhabitants). At this time, the traditional costume was actively developing: the silhouette and decoration techniques changed, the ornamental fund expanded, and new items of clothing appeared. Traditional Negliubka costume reached its perfection. During the 20th century, the artistic tradition of making Negliubka towels and interior items continuously developed. On the basis of the ancient red-and-white Negliubka towel of the weft weave with 3-5 narrow patterned borders, at the beginning of the 20th century, a new type of red-and-white towels with enlarged geometric ornamentation began to form. In the 1930s, the traditional combination of red-and-white towels was enriched by the introduction of black ornaments into the weft weave, the ornamental fund significantly increased due to the emergence of new patterns of weft weaving and the transfer of older ornamental elements to a new technique. One-sided weft was sometimes combined with the techniques of weft and slit-tapestry weaving, the ends of the towels were richly decorated with fringe and lace. The modern stage of the development of Negliubka towels began in the middle of the 20th century with the development of complex polychrome in Negliubka weaving. In the 20th century the interior of a traditional village house was significantly enriched by the appearance of new objects and their decorative design. In the 1970s, a unique style of the Negliubka interior was formed, filled with brightness and joyful solemnity. The uniqueness of the Negliubka artistic tradition became widely known in the 1970s thanks to a number of large exhibitions and cultural events. At the All-Union Exhibition-Competition of Masters of Folk Art, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of V.I. Lenin (Moscow, 1970), Belarus was represented by ten art works, six of which were Negliubka towels by E.S. Barsukova, T.F. Dzeranok, M.A. Prikhodzko, E.Ya. Suglob. Since then, Negliubka has become known as a distinctive center of modern hand-woven weaving and embroidery. Excellent examples of the skill of Negliubka craftsmen were demonstrated not only at exhibitions of decorative and applied arts in the USSR, but also in Italy, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Belgium, France, Canada, and the USA. A feature of holding these exhibitions on the territory of the USSR was the combination of various objects in the expositions (woven and embroidered towels, bedspreads, tablecloths, etc.) and the obligatory invitation of the authors themselves, who simultaneously demonstrated traditional original clothing. In order to support the unique cultural phenomenon, in 1976, the “Young Weavers” circle was organized in the Negliubka secondary school. It was initially directed by the famous Negliubka craftswoman T.F. Dzeranok. Her successor was T.M. Khrushcheva. Since 1985, a weaving class from the Svetsilovichi Educational and Production Plant has been organized at the school as a form of vocational training. In 1976, the only photo album to date, “Art of the Village of Negliubka,” was published, dedicated to the vibrant art of Negliubka masters (author-compiler – M. P. Zhabinskaya, photos by V. Zhdanovich)

Language or dialect used:

Eastern Gomel dialect

Material objects that are associated with the practice of the element:

Woven and embroidered items are actively used in traditional and modern village interiors, which form a harmonious and holistic textile ensemble. Among home interior items, towels play the main role: they occupy an honorable place in the Red Corner along with mittens and curtains. Mirrors and frames with family photos frame woven and embroidered towels of various sizes. Particular attention is paid to the decoration of the beds: wall hangings often with images of birds and flowers, motley multi-colored bedspreads on the beds themselves, richly embroidered canopies with lace, slides with embroidered pillows. For the production of woven items, looms ("looms") are used, threads (linen, cotton, mixed, synthetic), modern linen and cotton fabric are used for embroidery of interior items and clothing. The interior of the church is decorated with woven and embroidered products of local craftsmen. Wells in the village, or crosses with icons near the wells, are still decorated with woven and embroidered towels today

Other intangible elements associated with the practice of the element:

Textile objects created using traditional technologies and knowledge are used in festive and ritual practices by local residents and immigrants to other countries of the world: - festive decoration of homes and churches for Christmas and Easter - decoration of wells for Epiphany - decoration of crosses near village wells and revered springs - use in wedding and funeral and memorial rites

Transmission model element in the community:

Today, knowledge and skills inherent in the are passed down from generation to generation (masters of different generations), through training in circles at the Negliubka rural weaving center and school. Exhibitions, master classes are held, and a visual collection of the ornamental fund is being created at the weaving center. The center for supporting and reviving textile traditions in the village of Negliubka is the Negliubka rural weaving center (Decision of the Vetkovsky district executive committee No. 1020 of October 7, 2010 “On the reorganization of the Negliubka rural house of culture into the Negliubka rural weaving center”). Three masters are working in the center: L.V. Kovaleva, T.P. Suglob, E.M. Dzyamchykhina. Today, 10 children and adults are the members of (engaged in) the “Thread” circle based at the center. The leaders of the circles together with the children, having mastered the basic techniques of weaving and embroidery, produce towels, costume elements (shirts, shawls, scarves, girl's headdresses, original (traditional) jewelry) traditional for Negliubka, souvenirs. Master L.V. Kovaleva restored the weavers’ lost technique. Masters and students use the restored costumes in practical activities. The members of the Weaving Center take an active part in the district, regional and republican exhibitions of decorative and applied arts. In 2011, an amateur association of weavers "Katelochki" was founded at the Weaving Center, which is visited by Negliubka craftsmen of the older generation, who are passing on skills and knowledge to masters and students. The Center operates a room of Belarusian folk life and the history of weaving "Tales of Life". The masters of the Weaving Center have developed and produced a variety of souvenir products based on local technologies and ornaments (towels, napkins, handbags, grasses, etc.). In 2013, the masters of the Weaving Center wove towels that were handed over to the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in China. Thanks to the support of the Department of Culture of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee, a souvenir shop and a small museum room of the history of local crafts were opened at the Center. In January 2015 the team of the Negliubka Rural Weaving Center was awarded a special prize of the President of the Republic of Belarus for significant achievements in the revival and development of folk crafts, preservation and popularization of traditional technologies for the production of Negliubka towels (Decree No. 650 of December 30, 2014 “Awarding a special prize of the President of the Republic of Belarus to workers of culture and art in 2014”). No less important today is teaching traditional craftsmanship to children in the “Young Weavers” group of the Negliubka secondary school under the leadership of A.R. Kautunova. The group is currently attended by 10 boys and girls. The Negliubka school has a weaving group from the Vetkovsky Center for Children and Youth Creativity under the leadership of L.R. Charnushevich, where 12 children of middle and high school are taught weaving. Teachers support the local tradition of making towels and other textile items. Teachers and students actively participate in exhibitions and festivals organized by the district education department. In 2013, Irina Dzyamchykhina took first place in the “Textiles” nomination (age category 13-16 years) at the XVII Republican exhibition of decorative and applied art of students “Christmas Star”. In 2012, the regional Belarusian Towel Festival was held in Negliubka to support the local tradition. The regional weaving festival “Krosentsy” has become annual since 2013, and is held with the support of the department of ideological work, culture and youth affairs of the Vetkovsky district executive committee and the Vetka Museum of Old Believers and Belarusian Traditions named after F.R. Shklyarov. Significant work in support of the Negliubka textile tradition is currently being carried out by the Vetkovsky Museum of Old Believers and Belarusian Traditions named after F.R. Shklyarova, where the largest collection of Negliubka weaving, embroidery and clothing is kept. Negliubka towels and a distinctive costume as unconditional cultural and artistic values are convincingly represented by the museum through museum expositions, excursion and scientific activities, as evidenced by numerous publications and publications of museum employees Negliubka textile tradition is promoted by the museum: in the weaving workshop, technological techniques for making Negliubka towels are demonstrated, appropriate souvenir products are offered

Negliubka, weaving, embroidery, handmade towels, Negliubka traditional costume

Abtract from the National Register (EN).pdf

Abtract from the National Register (EN).pdf