Kazakh embroiderer in Xinjiang keeps ethnic memory alive with craft

While most Kazakh people in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have bid farewell to their past nomadic life, Hatima Ainaidou persists in keeping their ethnic memory alive with a handcraft she inherited from her family.

The 46-year-old Kazakh woman, a municipal-level inheritor of Kazakh embroidery, runs a company in the Urumqi County of Xinjiang. She has been dedicated to promoting folk culture for more than 20 years.

"Kazakh embroidery is commonly used in carpets and tapestries found inside Kazakh ethnic yurts and clothing as well as other ornaments and articles for daily use," Hatima told CGTN. 

"It is an important way for Kazakhs to decorate our lives, express our feelings and inherit our culture, and it has been included in the list of representative items of national intangible cultural heritage," she said. "Kazakh embroidery has a long history of over 2,000 years. In the very beginning, it was embroidered on the fur of certain animals, such as on deerskin to decorate the saddles and the yurts."

At that time, it was also a vital part of Kazakh marriage rituals, as it was seen as one of the most important parts of the dowry. 

"There is an old saying in the Kazakh culture that it is very difficult for girls to get married if she does not know how to embroider," she said. "Therefore, almost all Kazakh girls will start to learn embroidery as long as they are able to hold needles. And you can see it everywhere in their daily life."

Hatima said she learned embroidery skills from her mother, and her mother learned it from her mother – Hatima's grandmother – who was a famous embroiderer in the region.

"Ever since I can remember, I could always see my mother and two elder sisters sitting on the bed and embroidering on scarves, bed covers, blankets, pillows and handkerchiefs. Gradually, I became interested in this traditional skill and later became obsessed with it."

Hatima then devoted herself to refining her skills and promoting the traditional skills. 

To better inherit the skills and help local embroiderers, Hatima founded a small handcraft village cooperative company in Shuixigou Village in 2016.

"There are many skillful embroiderers in and around my village, but many of them were jobless. Some of them have to take care of their family members and stay at home, while others have no access to sell the products," Hatima recalled, adding that the products they made are usually just decorations in their houses.

The embroiderers employed in the company can work from home to take care of their family members without giving up their jobs. And they don't have to worry about selling their work either, as Hatima is responsible for that. 

Now, about 22 embroiderers are working at the company, for many of whom it is the first job in their lives. 

"Many sisters in our company told me that the best part of the job is not just the salary but the new way of life they have gained, as their skills have been recognized, and they become more proud, confident and themselves."

With the rapid economic, technological, and social development, people's needs for this kind of culture have also changed. To adapt to new market trends, Hatima tries to innovate while maintaining the traditional features of her craft.

"The bold and unconstrained rhododendron, or goat horn flower, is the most representative pattern in Kazakh embroidery. However, its stitches are relatively thick and not suitable for the needs of modern consumers. So now we combine our traditions with techniques from Su embroidery, Shu embroidery, and other embroideries into our current products."

"With the improvement of technology and the integration with other embroidery techniques, Kazakh embroidery has become more widely used and become more and more popular, such as in clothing, shoes and hats, bags, home textiles in our daily life," she said.

Hatima told CGTN that she feels very happy and proud to see Kazakh embroidery become more and more popular and that neighboring embroiderers employed by her small company are living better lives.