Apologies for my absence. The demands of my job have kept me from posting new things on the blog, but I assure you that good things are coming. I’m actively researching, restoring and taking photos for upcoming posts that I hope you will find interesting.
In the meanwhile, I wanted to share something very dear to my heart with all of you. This is my first ethnography-themed book, The Serbian Folk Costumes of Northern Dalmatia. This region is where my mother came from, and it has always held a certain fascination for me that directed a lot of my learning and collecting.
Alongside the personal collection, the region of Northern Dalmatia is a fascinating area within the Dinaric Ethnocultural zone. The beliefs and costumes retain many archaic features that allude to the lives of the migratory pastoralists that lived in the unforgiving karst and highlands just beyond the Adriatic coast. A preponderance of wool in clothing, design elements steeped in symbolism and magical meaning, all contribute to the allure of studying and understanding this region and its people.
Covering the microregions of Bukovica, Cetinska Krajina and Ravni Kotari – the three districts of Northern Dalmatia that are historically Serb-inhabited – the book outlines the characteristics of the costumes and material culture found there. With many fantastic images of pieces that are in my own collection, as well as some from those of friends, I believe that the reader will get an excellent introduction to the ethnography of Dalmatian Serbs.
You can purchase the book directly through Blurb – my distributor. Softcover, hardcover and e-Book versions are all available. Check out a preview and I hope you’ll like what you see.
I’m posting a few of the featured photos, below. (click to enlarge in a slideshow). And, on that note – back to the grind!
Свилен конац Silken Thread 