Ukrainian souvenirs such as pysankas (painted Easter eggs), vyshyvankas (embroidered shirts) and Petrykivka ornamental paintings are common gifts. Another is the stackable Russian matryoshka doll, often mistaken as an authentic Ukrainian souvenir.
But a lesser known traditional handicraft is fast becoming a popular gift too.
Called motanka, it is among the most ancient of Ukrainian household talismans. Often adorning the symbols for life and fertility, they are among the oldest archaeological findings dug up on Ukraine’s territory.
The shapeless and faceless motanka doll is made of natural fabrics and materials, including straw, grain, clay, flax, wool and even corn. A corn cob is often used as a base for the doll, which then gets covered in layers of fabrics, forming the doll’s body. Using any sharp materials like needles or scissors is forbidden, and the dolls are put together with the use of knots. It is believed that one can tie up a bad thought into the doll.
Tetiana Katrychenko has been making motanka dolls for the past four years. The average price for a small and simple motanka doll is Hr 30, while big dolls with complicated decorations can cost Hr 1,000 or more.
Even though motanka dolls nowadays are mostly viewed as home décor items rather than magical talismans, they remain a popular gift for important occasions.
“Parents present such dolls for their children’s weddings. People buy motankas for a baptism,” said Katrychenko, adding that members of the Ukrainian diaspora are her most active customers.
She says foreigners usually do not buy motanka dolls as souvenirs because they are generally not aware of them. So it takes some explaining.
“During the Euro 2012 football championship a foreigner bought three of my dolls. Two were made in the colors of the Irish flag and the third one in the colors of his favorite football team,” says Katrychenko.
Her motankas had success at the International Arts Festival in Istanbul earlier this year too, Katrychenko says. She sold 10 dolls there. According to Katrychenko, there are approximately 100 craftsmen in Ukraine who make motankas in different styles and sometimes using different techniques.
“To make a doll, we take tough cloth, roll it in spiral and make a figurine. Then we wrap the figurine in fabric,” explains Katrychenko.
The most complicated motankas can include embroidery, brightly colored headbands and even necklaces. Making such a doll can take up to 20 days.
Katrychenko says that making motankas is easy enough for everyone to learn. She gives two-hour master classes on motanka-making, and says everyone leaves with a perfect doll after just the first lesson. She warns, though, that tying tight knots to create the dolls can be tiring.
“People sometimes complain about pain in hands after making their (first) motanka doll,” Katrychenko says.
Where to buy motankas in Kyiv
Muzeyna Kramnytsia gift shop near the Honchar Museum (19 Lavrska St.).
Booths with handmade items on Andriyivsky Uzviz Street.
To buy motanka online, go to:
motanka.kiev.ua
rukotvory.com.ua/kramnychka/ct/narodni-lyalki
skrynya.ua/ru/catalog/igrushki-kukly-mishki/kukly-motanki
yalechka.com/narecheni.html
telizhenko.com.ua/rodyna/larysa-telizhenko
motanka.in.ua
Kyiv Post staff writer Nataliya Trach can be reached at [email protected].
