Russia · Pottery / Sculptural Ceramics
Дымковская игрушка (Dymkovskaya igrushka)
A matrilineally transmitted clay figurine tradition of the village of Dymkovo, near Kirov, in which women hand-mold, kiln-fire, whitewash, and vividly hand-paint red-clay figures of ladies, horsemen, birds, and animals descended from ritual whistles once made for a spring festival meant to "wake up" nature after winter — each animal form carrying its own specific folk meaning, so that whistling into a bear is believed to bring strength, into a pig a rich harvest, into a cow household prosperity, and into a ram a happy life.
Risk level: Endangered · Not currently inscribed on a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list under this specific technique; Russia ratified the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2006 and could nominate this technique in the future.
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