Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

KABARDDINKA

Date Range From

1900

Date Range To

1910

Materials

SATIN, VELVET, COTTON

No. Pieces

1

Height

13.8

Length

26.5

Width

4.9

Description

QUILTED FORM-FITTING CAP WITH PADDING ALONG TOP SEAM FROM FRONT TO BACK, FOR MAINTAINING U-SHAPE. EXTERIOR IS COVERED IN PEACH-COLORED SATIN WITH WOVEN FLORAL PATTERN. FLOWER ON FRONT, FORMED WITH FOUR PLEATED CIRCULAR PIECES OF SATIN FABRIC OF VARIED SIZED, ARRANGED ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER, IN ORDER OF SIZE. BOTTOM IS LIGHT PINK, WITH MAUVE, THEN BRIGHT PINK, AND GREEN ON TOP. CENTER IS MADE OF BUNCHED METALLIC THREAD. GREEN SATIN RIBBON EXTENDS ALONG SIDE OF CAP FROM EITHER SIDE OF FLOWER, WITH POINTED END. BLACK VELVET STRIP ALONG BOTTOM BORDER, 3.5CM IN WIDTH. LINED ABOVE VELVET WITH SAME METALLIC THREAD. INSIDE IS LINED WITH SOFT COTTON, WHICH HAS SMALL HOLE NEAR THE TOP. ALL HANDSTITCHED.

Subjects

CLOTHING-HEADWEAR

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

History

CAP WAS WORN UNDER SHAWL. WORN IN THE BEGINNING OF LIFE IN CANADA. MADE FOR ELSIE (KONKIN) MORRIS (DONOR'S DAUGHTER) BY GREAT AUNT HANYA SEMENOFF (SISTER TO DONOR'S FRATERNAL GRANDMOTHER ANASTASIA KONKIN). THE CAP WAS MADE AS AN EXAMPLE BUT WAS NEVER WORN. FOR MORE HISTORY, SEE P19950067001-GA. DOUKHOBOR ARTIFACT. *UPDATE* IN 2010 NICOLE HEMBROFF, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT, CONTACTED ELSIE MORRIS NEE KONKIN (WHO DONATED THE ARTIFACTS ON BEHALF OF HER MOTHER) IN ORDER TO OBTAIN MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE HISTROY OF THE OBJECTS AND THEIR CONNECTION TO THE DOUKHOBORS OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA. SEE BELOW. MORRIS SAID THIS HAT WAS MADE FOR HER BY HER GREAT AUNT, HANYOSHA SEMINOFF. MORRIS NEVER WORE THE CAP BUT THOUGHT “IT WAS SO PRETTY.” HER GREAT AUNT MADE IT AS A SOUVENIR PIECE. THE HAT WOULD HAVE BEEN MADE FROM STORE BOUGHT FABRIC. MORRIS SAID, “IF YOU SEWED, YOU SAVED EVERY LITTLE SCRAP OF FABRIC. MAKING HATS LIKE THIS WAS A GOOD WAY TO GET RID OF THE SCRAPS.” ACCORDING TO MORRIS, WOMEN WORE THEM ON THEIR HEADS WITH A SHAWL OVER TOP. SHE REMEMBERED THAT SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO WORE CAPS WERE TREATED POORLY BY OUTSIDERS, WHO WOULD PELT THEM WITH COW DUNG. THE STYLE OF HAT ORIGINALLY CAME FROM THE RUSSIAN DOUKHOBORS WHO CAME TO CANADA. WHEN THEY WERE IN FASHION, WOMEN WORE THEM EVERY DAY. THE COMBINATION OF THE SHAWL AND THE CAP HELPED TO COVER THEIR HAIR. MORRIS SAID, “YOU ONLY REVEALED YOUR HAIR TO YOUR HUSBAND OR TO OTHER WOMEN.” SHAWLS WERE LATER WORN ONLY FOR CHURCH SERVICES KNOWN AS “SOBRANYE” OR “GATHERING.” EVENTUALLY, DOUKHOBOR WOMEN STOPPED WEARING THEM. MORRIS SAID HER MOTHER CONTINUED TO WEAR HER CAP FOR MANY YEARS BECAUSE IT WAS SO WARM. FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE PERMANENT FILE. *UPDATE* IN 2017 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT RUTHANN LABLANCE CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF CLOTHING, INCLUDING AN APRON DONATED BY ELIZABETH KONKIN. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WAS COMPILED USING ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. ELIZABETH KONKIN AKA ELSIE MORRIS IS THE DAUGHTER OF WILLIAM KONKIN AND ELIZABETH P. KONKIN (NEE WISHLOW). ELSIE WAS MARRIED TO TERRANCE GORDON “TERRY” MORRIS. TERRY PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 88 ON OCTOBER 25, 2012. WILLIAM KONKIN PASSED AWAY MARCH 3, 1977 AT THE AGE OF 72. ELIZABETH KONKIN (NEE WISHLOW) WAS BORN IN CANORA, SK ON JANUARY 22, 1907, THE DAUGHTER OF PETER AND ELIZABETH WISHLOW (MAIDEN NAME UNKNOWN). AT THE AGE OF 6 SHE MOVED WITH HER FAMILY TO A DOUKHOBOR SETTLEMENT AT BRILLIANT, BC, THEN LATER HER FAMILY MOVED TO A DOUKHOBOR SETTLEMENT AT SHOULDICE, AB. IT WAS HERE THAT SHE MET AND MARRIED WILLIAM KONKIN. IN 1939, THE COUPLE MOVED TO THE VAUXHALL AREA TO FARM UNTIL THEIR RETIREMENT, AFTER WHICH THEY MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE. ELIZABETH PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 93 ON APRIL 8, 2000. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR COPIES OF THE ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. THE KONKINS WERE A RUSSIAN-SPEAKING FAMILY FROM THE TOWN OF SHOULDICE, ALBERTA, NEAR CALGARY. THEY AND MANY OTHER RUSSIAN FAMILIES COMPOSED THAT TOWN'S DOUKHOBOR COLONY. IN 2016, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN CONDUCTED FROM A TWO-PART INTERVIEW WITH KONKIN'S DAUGHTER, ELSIE MORRIS. A FULL HISTORY OF THE KONKIN FAMILY WAS CREATED USING THAT INTERVIEW AND CAN BE FOUND WITH THE RECORD P20160003002.

Catalogue Number

P19950067004

Acquisition Date

1995-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail