Russia/Mongolia
Late 20th century
Cotton, velvet, silk, metal
The Buryats are an indigenous people from the Lake Baikal area who live in the Buryatia Republic of Russia, on the northern border of Mongolia. Their history, language, religion, and way of life are closely related to that of the Khalkha Mongols. The conical hat resembles an ovoo, a stone shrine used in Mongolian traditional religious practices for the worship of Heaven and the sky spirit, Tengri.