Milyausha: For many nomadic and Indigenous peoples, weaving is an important tradition. This is true in both Latin America and Central Asia. In general, the material itself — wool — is warm and familiar. I love watching how weaving traditions spread; for example, Bashqort women have learned and adopted many techniques from Ukrainian and Belarusian women living in Bashqortostan. I’d like to quote a native weaver from North America, Barbara Teller Ornelas. When asked, “You travel to many countries; what do you find in common?” she replied:

“We are so similar. As if we all grew up as weavers in one family and then went our separate ways, keeping what we learned from our house and taking it with us. Weaving has its own voice. <...> When I explained my work to them, my words were translated into Spanish and then Quechua, and when they told me their stories we translated in reverse. But when it came to weaving, they already knew what I was saying, because there’s a weaving language that is common where other languages are not. The same thing happened when I went to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. I’m explaining my work, and all the weavers are nodding. We all have the same tools: we have spindles; we have carding tools; and we have cones — I felt at home. When I was in Kyrgyzstan, they gave me my yurt, and I was like, ‘This is my Hogan (home).’”

 

Darali: In Udmurt folklore, the word for “beautiful” — bukaris’ — means “brought from afar, from Bukhara.” The etymology of the word goes back to the times of Volga Bulgaria, when caravans from Bukhara brought beautiful fabrics to us. The name I chose for myself — Darali — means “brocade” or “silk.” The Udmurt word for “giant” is rendered as alangasar in the south or zerpal in the north. Zerpal refers to the Komi-Zyrians; it means “from the land of the Zyrians.” Alangasar relates to the nomadic tribes of the Alans and Khazars, about whom the Udmurts had some knowledge and who have survived in our legends as giants. In this way, we have connections both with Central Asia and the North Caucasus that stretch back to epic times.

__________________________

A Hogan is a traditional dwelling of the Navajo people, typically constructed from clay or earth. It usually features a circular shape with a domed roof and serves as a family home. The hogan symbolises a close connection with nature and differs from a yurt by its use of local materials and distinctive construction details.