museum chuvash

THE ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM

IN SCHOOL 60

CHEBOKSARY CHUVASHIA RUSSIA

Enter a different world and this is what you do when you visit our ethnographic

museum.

It was founded in 2000 by the Chuvash language teacher Ludmila Fedotova.

The museum contains more than 1000 exhibits. Most objects belonged to peas-

ants, because the monuments of ethnic culture were more often preserved in

villages.

The exhibitions of the museum reflect the traditional way of life the Chuvash

lived in the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries.

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The interior of a Chuvash dwelling astonishes by the beauty and elegance of richly

embroidered towels, curtains, napkins and table cloths. The floor, a wooden chest

for keeping clothes and the benches are covered with bright woven runners.

A collection of garments introduces visitors to Chuvash folk costumes which are

are very expressive. They were sewn of homespun or bought textiles. Chuvash wom-

en embellished them with embroidery and braids. The basic garment for both men and

women was “kepe”. “Kepe” is a kind of shirt cut into a shape of tunic.

Our museum has got a rich collection of headbands “surpan”. It is a towel – shaped

rectangle of linen. Surpans were made of white cloth and decorated with woven or-

naments, embroidery and laces or fringes on both ends. The oldest item dates back

to the 19th century.

The museum also possess a collection of wooden utensils for keeping and serving

food and drinks. A greater emphasis is placed on wooden dippers, vessels and special

utensils for brewing. The largest deeper is 114 cm long.

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Almost every Chuvash village had its own potters. They used local clay to produce

crockery. It was well known for their dainty forms and lines. The exhibition of pot-

tery contains pots, jugs, bowls and plates of different size and shape.

A fine display of birch- bark, willow rod and bast articles amazes by the light and

soft natural colour. Wicker-work was wide-spread all over the territory. The masters

used with great skill the natural colour of birch bark, rod and bast. Rod was used for

the wicker-work of small baskets, boxes and birch bark for bags, plates and dishes

The exhibition of weaving equipment is presented with a wonderful collection

of looms, distaffs and carved spinning wheels. The looms stay with the threads

pulled tight.

The guides will show you how Chuvash women wove cloth.

The whirring of a spinning wheel and the rhythmic clacking of the loom create

a special atmosphere of by-gone days.

Visit our museum and discover a traditional world of

the Chuvash.