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Croatian Patterns And Motifs: Surface Design Study

Croatian Culture And Motifs: Surface Design Study And creation.

     After a lot of thinking about interesting patterns and designs I've seen in my lifetime, I realized that some of the patterns most near and dear to my heart are the patterns my Croatian family has used in our clothing and tattoos. So I decided to share some of the knowledge that I know about already and study some new "Kolos" and "Orgada's". 


The Word "Kolo" in my culture means dance, usually these are done in large groups at events such as weddings, anniversaries and birthdays. 

 
However, " Kolo" can also be a motif, which is often a circle design. These designs often have intricate patterns inside of them, such as snowflake like shoots or circles. 
Here are home examples: 



The word "Orgada" means fence is Croatian, however, this can also be a motif of either a half circle, or filleted rectangle with  dainty decorations around it. 
Here are some examples:


lastly, the word "narukvica" means bracelet in Croatian, but is also the name for the final motif which I will be covering, which are elongated patterns which often mimic vines or fences
Here are some examples:




Combined together with all of these motifs are a genre of tattoo's which have been inked onto the women of my culture for over 1000 years. Back when the ottoman empire was in power and had colonized most of the Baltic regions of Europe, they often would raid villages and steal the women who had lived there. Croatian, Serbian and sometimes Bosnian women in the area created patterns to tattoo onto their skin to protect themselves, as the ottoman empire was an Islamic nation and had little to no value for tattooed women. 


Croatian, Serbian and sometimes Bosnian women in the area created patterns to tattoo onto their skin to protect themselves, as the ottoman empire was an Islamic nation and had little to no value for tattooed women. 




This became a widespread practice for women to protect themselves, often mixing breastmilk and charcoal to create inks. To this day, women indigenous to these lands years later still practice this form of tattooing. 




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