A mosaic of Eurasian cultures

A life-size “yurk” or wooden dwelling used by Kazak nomads, shown here wearing traditional wedding costumes, is on display at the National Folk Museum of Korea, Seoul. / Courtesy of National Folk Museum of Korea Exhibition fetes 20 years of Korea-Russia ties  By Lee Hyo-won At a glance, 19th-century “Menkva” figurines, native to the Khanty tribe in western Siberia, look just like Korean “jangseung” — traditional wooden village guardians that act like scarecrows of sorts against evil spirits. Russia, for Koreans, is often perceived as a geographically close yet distant place, but a current exhibition in Seoul shows just how deep cultural ties actually are between the Eurasian neighbors. “Path Toward: The Cultural Unity of the Peoples of Eurasia” is ongoing through March next year at the National Folk Museum of Korea in Seoul. Featuring over 600 Eurasian and Korean artifacts on loan from the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology in St. Petersburg, the event comes in time for the 20th anniversary of bilateral ties between Korea and Russia. Visitors of the museum will be surprised to see how relics from the Russian ethnographical museum show the meeting points of different Eurasian cultures. The northernmost Yakut people, for example, eat raw horse meat like the natives of Jeju Island, said the National Folk Museum’s curator Vanya Lee. Another interesting fact is that Ondal, a warrior who marries Princess Pyeonggang of the Goguryeo Kingdom (37 B.C.-A.D. 668) in the traditional legend, was mislabeled a “fool” — due to this Yakut warrior’s inability to speak Korean rather than lack of intellect. Ondal remains a common name for baby boys among the nomadic people. Such stories interweave the colorful artifacts from the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology, which is Russia’s oldest state museum and one of the world’s largest and most reputable historical ethnographical institutions. The exhibition begins with an introduction of St. Petersburg and early collections of the museum, such as an intricate 18th-century needle holder fashioned with seal bones by the Chukchi people, who are indigenous to the Arctic Bering Sea region of Russia. The next part of the exhibition displays the ethnically diverse culture of Eurasia, from traditional costumes of the Finn-Ugric and Slav peoples to a representation of a 19th-century Islamic market and even a life-size “yurk,” or wooden dwelling used by Kazakh nomads. Moreover, visitors will be able to see intricate craftsmanship from centuries past, such as a delicate late 19th-century coat made of salmon skin worn by females of the Nanai people (who live along the Armur River bordering eastern Russia and northeastern China) or gilt religious mask belonging to the Evenks from the same period. The latter are native to the Russian North, and were deeply influenced by shamanism, like Korea, and the Evenks believed that the mask, symbolizing the ghost spirit of their ancestors, would protect them. A shaman’s headdress, with a deer antler-like structure, also calls to mind the golden crowns of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-A.D. 936). Rare traditional Korean relics belonging to the Russian museum, moreover, are displayed at the third section of the exhibition. Among them is an exquisite silver and gilt gold candlestick with dragon and phoenix motifs, which belonged to Russia’s first consul general in Korea, Karl Ivanovich Weber. The diplomat also took back home a celadon glass with lotus flower patterns that dates back to the 19th century — given to him as a present by Empress Myeongseong, wife of King Gojong, in a special red “hanji” (Korean paper) box. “This is a chance for Korea and Russia to introduce their cultures to each other, particularly in Russia, where Korean culture is not so well known,” Yuri Chistov, director of Peter the Great Museum, told reporters last week in Seoul. “But I believe that Koreans and Russians both have great interest in culture, and I am particularly impressed with how well Korea preserves its cultural treasures.” The exhibition follows a successful showcase of relics from the National Museum of Korea earlier this year at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. “Path Toward: The Cultural Unity of the Peoples of Eurasia‘’ runs through March 14, 2011. The museum is located in the northern part of Gyeongbok Palace (entrance of Samcheong-dong), near exit 5 of Gyeongbok Palace Station on subway line 3. Admission is free of charge. Introductory texts are in Korean and Russian, but English-speakers shouldn’t have too much trouble exploring the exhibition since labels are also provided in English. The museum also offers fun sideline events, such as voting for the most impressive artifact and displays of magnet paper dolls dressed in traditional Eurasian costumes. For more information, call (02) 3704-3114 or visit www.nfm.go.kr (Korean and English).