The displayed needle case is made according to ancient Nenets traditions. The needle case is one of the main attributes of women’s handicrafts. It emphasizes the sacred nature of a woman’s world, embodies the female spirit, and highlights the important role of the homemaker. Through needle and thread, the “sacred female bond” is continued, uniting many generations across centuries.

A Nenets girl receives her first needle case from her mother, grandmother, or godmother. She keeps it in a special handmade “tuchan” bag, sewn from reindeer forehead skins, or in an ornate fir bark box. She treasures these valuable possessions throughout her life. A tuchan and a needle case should always be at hand so that the owner can quickly mend her husband’s and children’s clothes, as well as the walls of the chum tent made of reindeer hides. The tuchan and needle case are kept next to a woman’s bed, on the women’s side of the house.

Each element of the traditional Nenets needle case has its own practical and spiritual meaning. The round needle case is made of cloth, lined with canvas, and trimmed with red cotton. The front surface features a mosaic of blue, red, and green cloth. The needle case is decorated with red beads, transparent and multicolored buttons, pendants, and metal wire. The variety of colors emphasizes the contrast with the muted color palette of northern nature.

The needle case features two pieces of swanskin — this bird symbolizes the birth of the world. On the side of the case, there are leatherette straps, decorated with beads, stringed on a bone plate. The plate has two longitudinal holes, through which tendons are threaded. They are used as strong and durable threads for sewing traditional winter fur clothing.

Such threads are usually made of deer back tendons. They are thoroughly dried and carefully separated into thin fibers by hand. Each fiber is twisted into a thread in one direction from one end to the other. The thread is passed between the lips to moisten and fasten. Each thread has a length of up to half a meter. They are not thicker than small factory-woven threads but are characterized by great strength and elasticity.