Forms of transmitting women’s handicraft skills in Bashkir culture

the study aims to examine the historical forms and methods through which handicraft knowledge was transmitted, as well as to investigate contemporary approaches to the promotion and preservation of traditional women’s crafts. The source base includes both published and unpublished materials, including field notes collected by the author in rural settlements of the Republic of Bashkortostan in 2024-2025. The research employs analytical, comparative-historical, and descriptive methods. The results may be applied in ethnographic and cultural studies, as well as in practical efforts aimed at safeguarding ethnocultural heritage. The analysis of the historical and contemporary roles of women’s handicrafts demonstrates a shift in their functions – from a vital necessity to a form of leisure activity. The study identifies diverse mechanisms for transmitting craft knowledge: family traditions, apprenticeship with skilled artisans, collective work practices such as pomochi (“?м?”), village gatherings, women’s community organizations, craft festivals and celebrations, as well as written sources. Women’s handicraft practices served as an important sociocultural medium, facilitating communication and interaction within communities and families, contributing to youth socialization, and functioning as a vehicle for the transmission of cultural values.

Bashkirs, women’s handicrafts, collective labor, craft festivals, handwork