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Nechaeva A.S. Evolution of semiotic representations of ornament in the traditional costume of the Turkic peoples of the Altai Mountains. Journal of Clothing Science. 2026; 11(2). Available at: https://kostumologiya.ru/PDF/12IVKL226.pdf (in Russian).

Evolution of semiotic representations of ornament in the traditional costume of the Turkic peoples of the Altai Mountains

Nechaeva Anna Sergeevna
Altai State University, Barnaul, Russia
E-mail: as_nechaeva@mail.ru
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3833-3962

Abstract. The article investigates the evolution of the semiotic functions of ornament in the traditional costume of the Turkic peoples of the Altai Mountains — clothing, headwear, footwear, belts, and accessories. Based on an analysis of museum collections (the State Hermitage Museum, the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (MAE RAS), the A.V. Anokhin National Museum of the Altai Republic), ethnographic drawings by G.I. Choros-Gurkin, as well as the author’s field materials, the study examines the stages of transformation of ornamental motifs — from the sacred zoomorphic images of the Scythian‑Siberian animal style of the Pazyryk culture (5th–3rd centuries BCE) to abstract geometric signs and tamgas in the Ancient Turkic period, then to stylized decoration in the Soviet era, and finally to re‑sacralization in contemporary ethno‑design. Ornament is interpreted as a stable semiotic system of costume, encoding the wearer’s social status, clan affiliation, age, and marital status. The author identifies the iconographic features and semantics of key motifs — koshkar muyiz (ram’s horn), kul’dya, the Tree of Life, solar signs, and tamgas — depending on their placement on items of the costume complex. Color symbolism (red — life and protection, blue — sky, white — purity, black — fertility) and embroidery techniques (tambour stitch, counted‑thread embroidery, appliqué, gold embroidery) are analyzed. The role of ornament as a marker of ethnic and sub‑ethnic identity is demonstrated. The conclusion substantiates the re‑sacralization of Altai ornament in contemporary craft practices, festivals (the «Magic Felt» competition, the «ShyrdakFest» festival), and ethno‑design projects. Ornament ceases to be mere decoration, regaining its status as a bearer of ethnocultural memory and identity.

Keywords: ornament; traditional costume; semiotics; turkic peoples; Altai Mountains; evolution of symbols; tamga; embroidery; color symbolism

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