• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.65 no.4
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• pp.124-136
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• 2015

Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is the area with the most Muslim populations in China and the costume of this ethnic minority group was influenced from its surrounding environment and religion. Headgear is one of the important costume elements of Muslim ethnic minority such as Kazakh, Kirghiz, Uzbek, and Tadzhik people, and each group has developed narious forms of it. Especially, we can notice characteristics of headgear in Xinjiang Uygur and four ethnic minority groups through women's headgear pursuant to motive of wear, classification of type, differences and comparability with other areas. Thus, purpose of this study is to investigate women's headgear of Muslim ethnic minority in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Based on local data at the Xinjiang Uygur Museum, the study referred to Chinese ethnic minority costume and literature data as well as advanced researches related to Islam, and analyzed characteristics of women's headgear of four ethnic groups in connection with Muslim formation background in Xinjiang Uygur. Women's headgear of Muslim ethnic minority in Xinjiang Uygur can be largely divided into three types; cylindrical, conical and hood type. Headgear was influenced not only by natural environment and weather for protection of body, but also by Islam. Along with strong desire for decoration and expression of racial features, it was used as a means of race discrimination and representation of identity. The religion of Islam within these four ethnic groups grew in accordance with tradition of existing nomadic tribes and regional characteristics, and women's headgear developed in various ways added with religious precepts and nomadic features. Taking everything into consideration, it is found that women's headgear of Kazakh, Kirghiz, Uzbek, and Tadzhik people developed, adopting their own living style and features of minority races instead of remaining identical to the headgear type of Muslim countries in other area.