Mongolian leather paper cutting
It can be seen from the Paleolithic cultural relics unearthed from various places on the Mongolian Plateau that ancient humans on the Mongolian Plateau used the teeth and antlers of lions and elephants to make sewing tools such as bone awls and bone needles, and also used horsetails, Deer tendons and plant fibers were made into threads and spliced ??with the skins of various downed beasts to make clothes, hats, boots and other clothing. This was the beginning of the hand-made sewing craftsmanship of ancient humans on the Mongolian Plateau. It can be seen from the cave paintings and rock paintings found in various places that during the Western Zhou Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the nomadic people on the Mongolian plateau wore clothing suitable for riding life, including knee-length robes, mink crowns, leather belts and boots. These clothing made of leather are suitable for mountain activities, life on horseback, and easy to trek among water and grass. "Book of Wei" Volume 100 Biography No. 88 "The Lost Wei" records: "In the Lost Wei Kingdom... both men and women wore white deerskin and glutinous trousers." Shi Wei in the Tang Dynasty was a recorded ancestor of the Mongolian people. From the Northern Wei to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Shi Wei All Wei tribes wear leather clothes. The Mongolian people wear leather clothes, which is closely related to their social environment and living habits. The nomadic people live in pursuit of water and grass, and their long-term migration requires strong and wear-resistant clothing. The livestock they raise also make them rich in leather resources. This is the possibility and inevitability of the Mongolian people using leather as clothing. With the integration of ethnic groups and the frequent exchange of goods, the Mongolian people gradually began to wear common clothes, and leather gradually retreated to decorations and daily necessities, such as saddles, horse oranges, riding whips and other horse supplies, wine sets, hats, leather Daily necessities such as boots, interior and exterior decorations of yurts, etc., these have become the main body of leather products.
Traditional Mongolian leather boots have a wide body and an upturned toe. The upper is bronze or brown. The beams and inserts on the upper are tooth green. The inner lining of the boot is felt or leather. Gunpowder pouch made of cowhide with carved patterns. The saddle of the Mongolian people plays a decisive role in their lives. The saddle plays a decisive role in the riders posture to make the rider feel comfortable, and it must also make the horse feel suitable so that it can adapt to long-distance walking. The exquisite saddles are decorated both front and back, with shell or bone carvings inlaid on the leather. Other daily necessities related to nomadic life, such as soft heat, saddle flowers, quivers, water skins and other daily necessities, the rich and colorful decorative patterns are also amazing.
The early Mongolian beliefs had the characteristics of primitive polytheistic beliefs.Shamanism has gone through the entire process from nature worship to totem worship and ancestor worship. This is also the source of Mongolian folk paper-cut patterns. The source of Mongolian folk decorative patterns is life. The animals and plants in nature and the daily necessities of life are all sources of pattern materials. For these common patterns in life, we adopt intuitive copying, abstract and freehand the objective objects, or exaggerate and model the representative points among them. These themes are mainly divided into categories according to categories: 1. Natural patterns: flower patterns include mountain peony, apricot blossom, plum, peony, crabapple, peony, etc.; animal patterns include butterflies, deer, horses, cows, sheep, bats, camels, lions, etc. Tigers, elephants, etc., as well as mountains, water, fire, clouds, etc. 2. Auspicious patterns: blessing, fortune, longevity, joy, panchang, eight knots, Fangsheng, dragon, phoenix, conch, bergamot, treasure lotus, treasure flower, etc. 3. Combination patterns: Combination patterns are the patterns that the Mongolian people are best at using, such as the extension of the long pattern and the cloud head pattern of curly grass, the flame pattern on the plant flowers and leaves, the fish pattern plus the mosaic and leaf pattern, the double fish pattern plus the long pattern, Patterns composed of Pan Chang, Double Dragon, Tuanhua, Cloud Head, etc. 4. Geometric patterns: The result of patterning, geometricizing, simplifying and patterning natural patterns, auspicious patterns and other patterns. It is a pattern composed of changes in points, lines and surfaces, which is derived from the imitation of natural images. The sublimation and abstraction of objects and images, such as the graphics of the yurt, the rotation of the wheel, the twists and turns of the river, the clouds in the blue sky, the blooming flowers in the fields, etc., are all the crystallization of the herdsmen’s observation and condensation in long-term labor and life practice.
These decorative patterns in leather products often express specific content in unique forms. For example, the Mongolian eagle is a symbol of heroes, and the lion is also a symbol of hero authority. As a patron saint and a god of blessings, it plays a guarding and defensive role in the palaces and temples of the Mongolian grasslands. In Mongolian folklore, it is said that the tool for tying a pony is named after an Arhat. This is also a beautiful legend about the origin of the fretwork pattern. There are about fifty kinds of auspicious patterns of various kinds. It is said that the nomads tied leather ropes into various knots for convenience during their work. Later, they gradually evolved into the auspicious knots of the Mongolian people today. The Falun pattern that often appears on daily necessities such as cigarette bags and earrings comes from the wheel. The wooden Mongolian Lele cart is an important means of transportation for the nomadic people besides horses. The Dharma wheel pattern evolved to commemorate the invention of the wooden wheel. The shapes and compositions of these patterns are highly suitable and decorative, and at the same time have national characteristics. Make good use of symmetry, balance and contrast techniques to create simple and solemn patterns. Leather boots, horse gear, etc. will be suitable for different patterns according to their shapes.
