Indigenous trade of the Russian/Polish 'Babushka' Floral Scarf

Photo credit Etsy site:
 https://www.etsy.com/hk-en/listing/671377408/russian-floral-scarf-vintage-scarf-lurex

The Masani' Scarf

Anywhere you go today in Indin' Country you will most likely see the visual candy of the colorful rose flower scarf.  In 2020 the scarf is worn and used by a plethora of Indigenous  North American people from infants to the elders.  This scarf is no doubt 'beautyful,' but its beauty also lies in its rich history of how the Indigenous people have appropriated it into their lives and community.

Growing up in the Indigenous southwest community in northwest New Mexico, USA - the floral scarf was worn exclusively by my elder desert matriarchs. It was and is the Dine' (Navajo) grandmothers who adorned their heads with the mentioned Russian/Polish Babushka scarves.  For the Dine' grandmother's the scarf was/is a treasured women's accessory item. It is worn when at celebratory events or when Navajo women travel to urban communities in the nearby bordertown communities.  It is an item that an elder Dine' grandmother wants to be seen in, in a sense maker her feel special and 'beautyful.'

As a young girl, I fluidly recall my own 'Masani' (maternal grandmother) wearing her floral scarf.  She had a closet full of her wonderful women's items that I would love to open and just look at.  Her special travel suitcases were filled with her most treasured items, and I was very aware of how priority they were to her.

Today, one can walk in any bordertown community of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico and you will most likely spot a 'beautyful' Dine' grandmother wearing such a scarf.  So the tradition of adorning oneself with this scarf carries on into the new decade, but it is also changing its initial use in diverse ways by the new generations of Indigenous people both in and out the American southwest.

The Russian Floral Scarf

Historically this type of scarf was worn exclusively by the elder Russian/ Polish women community of people. The 'babushka' scarf was worn for the purposes of shielding the women's head, her hair, ears and face too.  It is then primarily a gender based article of accessory, as historically it is the females who wore them.

From Wikipedia is quoted:

The first shawls were produced in the small town Pavlovsky Posad in the Moscow Oblast in the middle of thf 19th century.  The basic tone of the woolen shawls is usually black while the composition of the motives is a mixture of large and small floral ornaments.  Mostly roses are the motives on the scarfs. The shawls were often worn with traditional Russian folk costumes.

It seems then the scarfs were adopted by the Indigenous European Gypsy community of people, and so were then made mobile in their travels with the gypsies.  As with most cultures the culture is meant to morph and change, so as with scarf and its purposes.

Scarf Trade Item

So you may be asking, Why do Indigenous women in the Americas wear this scarf?  Though the scarf was initially produced and worn exclusively by the elder women in the Russian and Polish communities it is now a global item.  Here in Indin' Country the scarf arrived as a trade item of the early male explorers of the northern Native communities of Alaska and Canada.  Eventually the scarf made its way to the people of the desert southwest to the people of the Dine' (Navajo ) and Pueblo communities of women.  For the Dine' women it was worn on her head in a scarf cover fashion. For the Pueblo woman the scarf in a larger version with added fringe, was worn as part of her traditional women's garment, on the back as a free flowing accessory.

Neo-Indigenous Designs

This trade item has become a relevant part of the 21st century Indigenous north American women's everyday attire and it will continue to be used in diverse ways. It is used to make clothing items such as skirts and shirts, as earrings, as aprons, etc.

As mentioned the scarf has become a staple design in the Indigenous community of art / folk art / craft creators. The people who create art items are utilizing this prized scarf in very new ways for the new generations of Indigenous people.

In American pop culture the scarf has also been in the spotlight and has become somewhat of a trendy fashion vibe for both male and female individuals.  In today's world of fast fashion and technology chaos the history of this scarf seems to be unknown, I hope that we learn such histories in the future.

I am happy to share this information with you, Ahe'hee' / Thank you very much for reading my blog.  I pray for good things in 2020 and to be more inspired.

Blessings in all things,

Venaya Yazzie

New Mexico

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