Men's Salmon Skin Robe with Applique

This is a salmon skin suit, the traditional garb of Hezhe (Nanai) men. Making clothing from fish skins is a tradition unique to the Hezhe. A suit consists of a jacket and trousers. There are 6 steps involved in the making of fish skin clothing: skinning, drying, scaling, tanning, dying, and sewing. Fish skin clothing is waterproof, which is important as the Hezhe hunt and fish in the wet, cold forests of Manchuria along the Amur River (Heilongjiang River). To the left of the garments is a pair of fish skin gloves, and on the right are fish skin "Wula," a traditional style of leather shoes lined with wula sedge (Carex meyeriana).