Opanci “oputaši” in Herzegovina has been used as everyday shoes till the mid-20th century, although some older people used it until seventies. According to the soles material peasant shoes are: “leather”, “okovani”, “koritaši” and “šlaufari”.
“Leather” shoes have had the soles of beef or pork skin. A piece of dried, then by water softened skin, would bent over wooden mold in the shape of the foot so that the edges of the leather would raised about 1,5 cm along the mold. Then these edges would “oputom” (dried, tightly cut and twisted string of sheep skin) densely connected over mold with special needle “opančaricom”, creating the upper part of the shoes – “naplet”. The beak (elevated lathered end above fingers) is shaped by the same piece of leather. From the beak to the bottom of the leg, due to stability of “napleta”, a wattle would be placed, which would end on the foot bow and lower leg by knot from “opute” or pieces of leather. Making of the back part of shoes “pripleta” had been very demanding. Peasant shoe had been fixed on the leg by “obuvačom” (a ribbon of more fibres stranded by “opute”) so the ends of “napleta” would linked from the inner part of the leg to the outside where the “obuvača” passed through the already mentioned knot because of tightening the “napleta”. Sometimes, a small leather belt with a muzzle was used instead of “obuvača”.
Peasant shoes “koritaši” as well as other types of shoes, are made in a similar way, but soles of rubber that were factory-made and which were already shaped according to the foot has been used here. “Šlaufari” for the sole had a piece of used tire interior of motor vehicles, and “okovani” from outside tires of the vehicles.
It should be noted that by its structure all of these types of shoes had the same shape for both legs. Just by “obuvača” or by the belt it was known, because these two are fixed on “napleta” on the inside and was tied or buttoned up on the outside of the foot, whether that shoe is left or right. (Andrija Zeljko)
