Since time immemorial, sewing, embroidery, and horsehair weaving have been considered important artistic crafts of Yakut women who called their sewing “iis-uus”.

The artworks made by Boturussky craftswomen are widely represented in the collections of the Churapchinsky Museum; the exhibits are notable for the variety of stitches and patterned seams. Such products are distinguished by skillful dressing of fur and leather, constructive design and decorative patterns.

The clothing of the Yakuts, who lived in harsh environmental conditions, has always been marked by multicomponent sets: headdress, shoulder wear, footwear, and mittens. Sakha people combined various materials such as fur, leather and fabrics. Metal and bead ornaments in combination with embroidery with colored threads and appliqué were prevailing decorations.

In the olden days Yakut women wore ceremonial headdresses with horns. Over time, they turned into a hat with horns and a pyramidal column with plumage which, in turn, led to the emergence of the “dyabaka” hat with an ornate “chopchuur” top in the first half of the 18th century.

The Churapchinsky collection contains classic examples of these headdresses from the second half of the 19th century.

A tall domed female hat “dyabaka” is decorated with an engraved silver circle “tuohahta (kun)”, which symbolizes the sky with the sun.

The hat on display is sewn from different skins: beaver, tarbagan marmot, lynx, as well as from squirrel tails. The trapezoidal “chopchuur” top is made of red, green and black cloth, embroidered with small multicolored beads, metal plaques, silver threads and decorated with a silver disk. On the back side of the chopchuur there is a figure that resembles a hare’s ears. The circle on one of the hats is decorated with a floral pattern with niello and gilding.

Probably, the item was made by the craftswoman Ulyana Platonova — Uus Yldyaana.

The decor of the “dyabaka” hat contains certain symbols: the vegetal pattern — wishing fertility, the silver circle “tuohahta” — an amulet, or “ymyy”, which guarded against various evil forces.

An important detail of the hat is the fabric ribbons sewn to the base of the chopchuur falling on the back. Some ribbons have metal plaques with a relief pattern “kymyrdaas” and openwork silver pendants on the ends. Others have patterned embroidery with silver thread, which is trimmed with red cloth. According to researchers’ assumption, the ribbons could represent the gods’ protection of the Sakha people or symbolize maidenly liberty in pre-marital life.