Behind the figure of an Evenk hunter, the museum displays traditional wooden skis, which are just over 130 centimeters in length. They helped the inhabitants of Transbaikal to travel over snow and hunt in winter.
Evenk skis differed from those used by other peoples: they were short and wide. Usually, they were made shorter than an average human height, and were 26 to 28 centimeters in width. They had a curved shape, birch bark was glued onto the places for the feet, so that the skier would not slip.
Before making skis, craftsman searched for a suitable tree: a straight, smooth trunk without knots at the bottom. Most often either larch or spruce was chosen since they were strong, light and bendable.
After that, planks were cut from the wood with an axe. Then they were dried and shaped with carpentry tools. The middle part of a ski was the widest and the ski gradually narrowed towards the edges. The ends of the planks were sharpened and inserted into a special frame which slightly curved the item.
After the skis were completely dry, four holes were drilled in the middle for foot bindings. At the same time, Evenk women prepared kamys — a strip of reindeer-leg skin. There were 2 to 5 pieces prepared for each ski. They were sewed together and then the material was twisted around a thick stick. Thus, they formed a roll of fur. They attached it to the tail part and uncurled it along the length of the ski which was pre-covered with an even layer of thick fish glue.
The edges of the kamys were bent a few centimeters and glued to the skis as well to prevent the material from slipping off when skiing. After that, the skis were clamped with small planks, dried again and left for some time.
They also made a strap that could be used to carry the skis on the shoulder. It was made of old moose rovduga (buckskin) — soft leather — and smeared with grease. The strap was attached to the tail part with a wooden spike.
Each pair of skis also came with one ski pole. Its height was equal to the height of a person. The pole was made of birch bark with a circle interlaced with straps on the lower end and a metal hook on the upper end. To make the pole comfortable to hold, it featured a ledge, and just above it an indent for the hand. Some Evenks attached a piece of reindeer horn with carved drawings instead of the ledge. The pole helped to slow down during descents, to hold on to trees during ascents and to knock snow from branches.
Evenk skis differed from those used by other peoples: they were short and wide. Usually, they were made shorter than an average human height, and were 26 to 28 centimeters in width. They had a curved shape, birch bark was glued onto the places for the feet, so that the skier would not slip.
Before making skis, craftsman searched for a suitable tree: a straight, smooth trunk without knots at the bottom. Most often either larch or spruce was chosen since they were strong, light and bendable.
After that, planks were cut from the wood with an axe. Then they were dried and shaped with carpentry tools. The middle part of a ski was the widest and the ski gradually narrowed towards the edges. The ends of the planks were sharpened and inserted into a special frame which slightly curved the item.
After the skis were completely dry, four holes were drilled in the middle for foot bindings. At the same time, Evenk women prepared kamys — a strip of reindeer-leg skin. There were 2 to 5 pieces prepared for each ski. They were sewed together and then the material was twisted around a thick stick. Thus, they formed a roll of fur. They attached it to the tail part and uncurled it along the length of the ski which was pre-covered with an even layer of thick fish glue.
The edges of the kamys were bent a few centimeters and glued to the skis as well to prevent the material from slipping off when skiing. After that, the skis were clamped with small planks, dried again and left for some time.
They also made a strap that could be used to carry the skis on the shoulder. It was made of old moose rovduga (buckskin) — soft leather — and smeared with grease. The strap was attached to the tail part with a wooden spike.
Each pair of skis also came with one ski pole. Its height was equal to the height of a person. The pole was made of birch bark with a circle interlaced with straps on the lower end and a metal hook on the upper end. To make the pole comfortable to hold, it featured a ledge, and just above it an indent for the hand. Some Evenks attached a piece of reindeer horn with carved drawings instead of the ledge. The pole helped to slow down during descents, to hold on to trees during ascents and to knock snow from branches.
