Markers of Ukrainian identity: embroidered shirts of the Luhansk region from the collection of the national museum of folk architecture and folkways of Ukraine
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/1728-2640.2025.160.16
Keywords:
folk attire, Luhansk region, Slobozhanshchyna, Ukrainian identity, Russian aggression, cultural heritage, embroidery, museum collection, ethnographyAbstract
Background. The scientific relevance of the study of the phenomenon of folk attire of the Luhansk region as a significant factor in the construction of Ukrainian national identity within the context of the ongoing Russian military aggression, the escalation of which occurred in 2014 and 2022, is substantiated. The destructive impact of the occupation forces on the cultural heritage of the specified region is argued, which determines the urgent need for documentation and scholarly interpretation of the specifics of traditional clothing.
Methods. The application of a complex scientific approach is articulated, involving an integrated analysis of published works by relevant domestic scholars, primary field ethnographic materials (in particular, narrative sources), and archival collections of pertinent museum institutions. Particular attention is focused on the study of the corpus of embroidered shirts from
the Luhansk region, preserved in the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Folkways of Ukraine. Descriptive-analytical, comparative, and historical-ethnographic methods were employed to identify the regional specifics and pan-Ukrainian typological
features of folk attire.
Results. A systematized analysis of the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the collection of embroidered shirts from the Luhansk region, represented in the holdings of the NMFAPU, is presented. The dominant features of the cut, ornamental motifs, techniques of ornamental sewing (geometric, phytomorphic, and syncretic) of women's and men's shirts are identified. The color palette, the localization of embroidery elements on the structural parts of clothing, and the range of applied stitches are
characterized. The correlation of local Slobozhanshchyna traditions with elements characteristic of other ethno-cultural regions of Ukraine, particularly Kyiv region, Poltava region, and Chernihiv region, which reflects migration processes, is established.
Conclusions. The significance of the folk attire of the Luhansk region as an integral component of the national cultural heritage and an important identification marker of the region is summarized. The imperative of its preservation and further scholarly investigation, especially in the context of the destruction of cultural values in the temporarily occupied territories, is emphasized. A conclusion is formulated regarding the autochthony and, at the same time, the integration of the traditional clothing of the Luhansk region into the pan-Ukrainian cultural continuum.
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