What do you think this object might do? The objects on display here are tools, which means they have a specific function. What function could they have? What do you see that makes you guess that? After you've thought about what purpose these objects might have, click through to learn more about them! Guiding questions to keep in mind: 1) What can objects teach us about the past? 2) What do the everyday objects we use reveal about our lives? 3) How is the production of cloth shaped by the culture and geography of the region? 

The mannequin pictured here demonstrates how to use the prialka. The user sits on the horizontal base to keep the prialka steady.  The flax is tied to the upright blade, and as the user spins, pulling the flax through the top of the blade into thin threads, she winds the thread around a wooden spindle. Do you think this looks like an easy task or a difficult one? Girls as young as 6 years old would begin learning to spin, as spinning would be a very important task throughout their lives. What are some activities you started learning when you were very young? Have you gotten better at them since then? 

This object is called a "prialka." The prialka is an important part of the process of producing linen. Linen, made from flax, was used to make clothing, towels, and other important household items. In the Russian North, women were responsible for the entire process of turning raw flax into usable linen. Women planted the flax seeds, harvested the flax, broke the plants apart, combed the fibers, spun them into thread, and wove that thread into cloth that could then be turned into wearable or usable items. 

Spinning was a task that sometimes took place communally, in front of other people, so having a beautifully decorated prialka was a point of pride for many women and girls. During events known as "posidelki," a peasant tradition, women and men of a village would gather together for both work and entertainment. This could be an opportunity to see if there was anyone you'd be interested in marrying, and having an especially beautiful prialka could be one way to get noticed! 

What material do you think the prialka is made from? 

If you guessed WOOD, you're right! Each prialka that you see in the display would have been carved from a single piece of wood. By using the natural shape of the lower part of the tree trunk, the prialka is inherently strong and sturdy. 

While each prialka varies slightly in size, the "blade" (the decorated part) of most of the prialkas in our collection is around three feet tall and the seat (the part resting on the shelf in the photo) is around two feet long. 

Standards for Learning: What's this mysterious object?

National Core Arts Standards