THE JEWELRY OF KAZAKH WOMEN

Sholpy, early twentieth century, northern Kazakhstan. Source: antiq.kz

Sholpy are the iconic Kazakh hair ornaments often celebrated in legends, poetry, and romance novels. They are just one type of hair adornments that Kazakh women use. They also wore shashbau (the word shash means ‘hair’ in Kazakh), fastened brooches called shashkerme near the base of their braids, and, during migrations, covered their hair with a special sheath called a shashqap.

Hair ornaments held a special place in Kazakh steppe life, deeply woven into its poems, legends, and traditions. And there’s a fascinating explanation for their importance.

For an understanding of the importance of hair ornaments in Kazakh culture, we must go back to prehistory. The study Women’s Hair Ornaments of Kazakhstan in the Bronze Age, by renowned Kazakh archeologists E.R. Usmanova and V.N. Logvin, details hair ornaments discovered in ancient burial grounds in northern and central Kazakhstan.

‘Archeological research into the antiquities of Kazakhstan from the mid-second millennium BCE has revealed the rich and diverse material culture of Bronze Age steppe tribes,’ the scholars write. ‘Among this wealth, hair ornaments stand out as a relatively small yet striking category of finds, typically discovered in female burials.’

The researchers initially proposed dividing these ornaments into two types, a classification they later refined. The first type consists of a pair of bead strands or rings ending in leaf-shaped pendants. These ornaments could be attached to headgear with clasps or woven into hair and are described by the researchers as: ‘The pendants hung freely, creating a jingling effect when worn, while additional details like beads, pendants, or plaques added rigidity to the piece.’

The second type features two or more bead strands combined with intricate arrangements of plates, clasps, beads, and pendants hanging at the bottom. These are mounted onto a base made of braided leather or ribbon. Such an ornament was discovered in a burial at Satan (Karaganda Region), where its components were once firmly secured to leather.

‘Serving as part of the ritual world of burial rites, hair ornaments held aesthetic and practical value but also carried symbolic significance. It is no coincidence that some ornaments were found deliberately broken in burials … This likely symbolized the severing of ties between the deceased woman and the living,’ write E.R. Usmanova and V.N. Logvin.

Centuries later, different tribes and peoples would inhabit the area that is now Kazakhstan, yet the practical and symbolic importance of hair ornaments—and many of their forms—remained remarkably consistent.

Antique sholpy with Russian rubles and Polish zlotys, Karaganda Region. Photo by the author.

Shash kesken, bas kesken, which translates to ‘Cutting your hair is like cutting off your head’, is an old Kazakh proverb that reflects the deep reverence for hair. For generations unnumbered, the Kazakhs have believed that the hair contained part of a person’s soul and life force. This belief gave rise to numerous taboos, such as ‘Don’t step on hair’, ‘Don’t burn fallen hair’, ‘Don’t cut your hair late in the evening’, et cetera. Proper haircare was a must, taught to every girl from an early age.

Traditional hair masks made from ayran (a fermented dairy product) and other treatments helped give steppe beauties their thick, shiny hair, a feature that fascinated many travellers to the region. They also noted the distinctive hair ornaments worn by Kazakh women.

Describing attitudes toward money in the steppe, German ethnographer Richard Karutz wrote, ‘A silver ruble is more likely to end up in a woman’s braid than in a chest.’ These ornaments were called shashteñge or solkebai (the latter term is thought to be derived from the Russian word tselkovy, meaning a full ruble. As the names suggest, these ornaments were often made entirely of coins, most commonly Russian ones. They sometimes featured not just rubles but smaller denominations as well.

A fragment of a modest solkebai is housed in Moscow at the Bakhrushin Theatre Museum. The museum catalog simply labels it as ‘5 kopeks’ with a note saying ‘Belonged to K. Zh. Baisseitova’. This label refers to Kulyash Baisseitova, the ‘Kazakh Nightingale’, one of the first recipients of the title ‘People’s Artist of the USSR’ in 1936, an award she received when she was only twenty-four.

Baisseitova’s shashteñge/solkebai is strikingly simple, made up of coins strung on a cord from the smallest to largest. But this is an exception to the rule. Typically, Kazakh jewellers (zergers) crafted complex designs from coins, attaching them to large plaques. The general term for these ornaments is sholpy, with solkebai being a specific subtype.

‘Hair ornaments such as sholpy and shashteñge were attached to the ends of women’s braids and made from coins (ranging from two to nine), solid or openwork medallions with carnelian inlays, and iridescent mother-of-pearl plaques. These elements were connected vertically using loop-and-ring techniques, forming one or three rows,’ writes Dr T. Kh. Gabitov, a doctor of philosophy and a professor, in his work Culture and Ethnoculture.

This, however, is only the foundation of the piece. The final look depended on the craftsmanship and creativity of the zerger. Techniques such as niello, filigree, enamel, and chasing were combined with materials like carnelian and coloured glass. Over time, this led to various types of hair ornaments, including:

• Tasty sholpy (with stone inlays)

• Shiratpa sholpy (featuring medallions crafted with openwork filigree and granulation)

• Meruert sholpy (using mother-of-pearl)

• Qonyrauly sholpy or syldyrmaq sholpy (with numerous jingling pendants)

The list goes on, showcasing the endless possibilities of the zerger’s designs.

Another popular Kazakh hair ornament is the shashbau, its design hinted at in its name, with the words shash meaning ‘hair’ and bau meaning ‘cord’. It could be made from a silk or wool cord, or a silver chain with elaborate pendants at the ends, or even coral beads. The pendants were attached to two braids, while the chain or cord linked them together and prevented them from swinging forward onto the chest, for instance, during galloping on horseback.

Dr Sh. Zh. Tokhtabayeva, in her book The Silver Path of Kazakh Masters, writes: ‘Pendants take the form of tassels (made of silk, cotton, or wool cords and coral beads), metal ornaments shaped like spheres, stylized snake heads, petals, oval plates, circles, rhombuses, cones, semi-spherical rosettes, double-layered spirals with hanging coins, and more.’

A particularly striking type of shashbau is the shashtülek. This ornament consists of two fabric ribbons adorned with silver elements, often nielloed. Unlike the sholpy, the shashtülek was attached to the top of each braid and matched the length of the hair.

• Shashkerme: A rare and nearly forgotten ornament, this large oval brooch was pinned to the base of the braids and helped secure them.

• Shashqap: A highly functional ‘hair pouch’, this cover for braids was usually made of velvet and decorated with embroidery or silver. The ethnographic designer Tilek Sultan explains that the design of these items varied by region. In some areas, simple pouches were made and slipped over braids, while in others, the shashqap was an extension of a cap resembling those worn by Kyrgyz women.

Hair ornaments, like the sholpy and shashbau, like all Kazakh jewelry, had deep symbolic meaning for the Kazakhs. Their primary purpose was to protect their wearers and the aesthetic appeal secondary.

Kazakh ancestors believed in the protective power of silver and the magic of carnelian, coral, turquoise, pearls, and mother-of-pearl. Hair, considered a vessel for a part of the soul and life force, was carefully safeguarded against the evil eye, envious words, and malevolent spirits.

Usmanova, E.R. and V.N. Logvin. 1998. Women's Hair Ornaments of Kazakhstan in the Bronze Age. Karaganda State University, Kostanay State University, and Lisakovsk Museum of History and Culture.

Tokhtabayeva, Sh. Zh. 2005. The Silver Path of Kazakh Masters. Suleimenov Institute of Oriental Studies, Almaty: Daik-Press.