Ruunpe - Ainu Robe
Purchased in 1904 at Louisiana Purchase Exposition
White cotton applique on blue cotton
118 cm tall x 142 cm wide
Cat. 88004
© The Field Museum
A112799c
Museum documentation from 1905 refers to this item as a "man's costume of blue cloth", which differentiates this piece from the Ainu attush - an article of clothing made for daily wear and woven from elm fiber. Cotton cloth, obtained solely through trade, was rare and it took many small pieces sewn together to make one robe such as this. Its value suggests that it was only worn on special occasions or during rituals.
This particular robe has been decorated with white applique, which was also the product of many small pieces cut to shape and sewn together. The embroidery was done with a cord stitch around the chest in blue. Red cord stitch was added around the sleeves. A patterned cloth of flowers, originally bright orange and white, was added to the bottom, around the collar, and around the end of the sleeves.
Women designed the robes and did all of the sewing. General patterns and motifs were specific to certain regions and these ideas were passed down from mother to daughter. It was possible to identify a wearer's home region by looking at the general design of their clothes. It was up to the individual seamstress, however, to embellish their project in a totally original way by adding embroidery or patterns that fit the wearer-to-be's personality. It could take over a year to complete one robe. The men who wore these robes, such as the one above, were very proud of their wife's design and artistic skill.
(Commentary by Stev Weidlich)