OMG that Artifact!

Shaman’s Tambourine

Shor (Siberia, Kemerovo)

The Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography

“A tambourine has a complex cosmological symbolic meaning that originates from the archaic beliefs of the peoples of northern Asia about the structure of the Universe. In this system of beliefs, the he-deer embodied the celestial sphere and the sun, and the she-deer embodied the middle world. This is vividly expressed in the painting that covers the outer surface of the tambourine and depicts the three spheres of the Universe: the upper sphere is filled with images of anthropomorphous spirits, animals and birds of the upper world, the middle part is represented by a horizontal line with “grids”, and the lower part contains fish and reptiles that embody the lower world. In the shaman mythology, a tambourine implied the image of a mythical deer, the main helper-spirit of a shaman and his draft animal that he rode to travel to other worlds. This tambourine was often used in shaman rituals aimed at a family’s well-being and easy childbirth.”

Shaman’s Coat

Selkup (Siberia, Ket River)

The Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography

Ritual Vessel

Udege (Siberia, Amur)

The Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography

“This ritual vessel is called sufulyachi mafa-gilyamani. This is a cylinder-shaped vessel made of a rectangular piece of birch bark that was purified and boiled down in water. The neck and the bottom are decorated with a spiral pattern and symbolic images of birds painted in black and red paint over a carved outline. Fifteen bear penises are attached to the upper part of the vessel. It is designed for keeping ritual spoons used to serve boiled bear meat during a bear feast. In the mythical beliefs of the Udege people, as well as of many other peoples of the Amur region, the bear was viewed as the ancestor of people, their relative and totem, as well as the master of forests, mountains and animals and the patron of hunt. Bear hunting and the feast that followed it was accompanied by numerous rituals that played an important role in the sacral life of the peoples of the Amur region. This feast is usually referred to in literature as the “bear festival”. When a bear carcass was cut, the hunter who killed the animal received its penis and handed it over to his wife or another close female relative. This organ symbolized the relation between the man and the bear and was considered a powerful charm that could help heal infertility or alleviate childbirth.”

Female Shaman’s Dress

Tofalar (Siberia, Irkutsk)

The Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography

Shaman’s Costume

Nvikh

The Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography

Shaman’s Costume

Siberia (Tunguska)

The Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography

Shaman’s Mask

Nvikh

The Peter The Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography

This mask made of copper embodies the patron-spirit of a territory inhabited by an Evenk patrimonial group. Such images were an important element of cult structures in the shape of a conic tent erected in the center of the territory inhabited by a patrimonial group.

The patron spirit was viewed by the Evenks as the main protector of the people who inhabited its territory. It provided for their well-being, promoted their economy, protected them from the evil spirits who caused diseases and death, and protected the children. Among the Evenk people who inhabited Transbaikalia, the cult of the patron spirit developed under the strong influence of the culture of Buryatia, Mongolia and Tibet where it was associated with the beliefs about patron-spirits of mountains. Cult conical structures made of stones (called oboo in Buryatia, ovoo in Mongolia and labtze in Tibet) were an embodiment of the sacred mountain protected by the patron-spirit. The cult of mountains originated from the earliest concepts of the universe embodied in the image of the World Mountain, whose top represented the celestial sphere, its foot – the world of people, and a cave or any other aperture was viewed as a pass to the lower world. Sacrifices to patron spirits were usually made once a year, in the summer, and only took place more often in the event of disasters. All people inhabiting the protected territory participated in the ritual that was performed by the most respected and knowledgeable elders. The ritual was followed by a feast, shooting competitions, fights and games. Collective sacrifices were important events in the life of the people inhabiting the protected territory, and were celebrated as solemn occasions. On territories populated by a shaman’s patrimonial group, the patron-spirit also served as the shaman’s ancestor spirit, which made it even more powerful.”

“Big” Shaman’s Headdress

Nvikh

The Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography

“This headdress of a “big” Evenk shaman (avun) made of steel was part of a full ritual costume worn by a shaman for very important rites and rituals. The structure of this headdress reflects its symbolic meaning and contains an archaic image of the model of the Universe. The hoop embodies the concept of the closed space of the world of people and solid earth. Two crossing arcs symbolize the parts of the world and the seasons. The cosmic vertical that reflects the sacral center of the Universe is embodied in the horns of the mythical deer that stands for the sun in the mythical beliefs of the peoples of northern Asia. The deer was one of the main characters in the myth about the celestial hunt and embodied the archaic concepts of the day and night and the cosmic order. The horns also symbolized the sacred deer – the helper spirit of the shaman, his draft animal that he rode to travel to other worlds. Long cloth ribbons embody snakes and lizards, the shaman’s powerful helpers that accompany him in his “travels” to the lower world. They also symbolize the sacred birch – the totem tree of the shaman. It is also associated with the World Tree that symbolizes the Universe as a whole and Axis mundi – the cosmic axis connecting the spheres of the Universe. Such ritual headdresses were conditionally referred to as “crowns”.”

Shaman’s Costume

Mongolia

The National Museum of Mongolia

“This is an elaborate shaman’s costume. The Caftan is of cotton with a woven geometrical pattern. The gown hanging over the chest has a nickel-plated brass mirror to ward off evil spirits. On the left arm is a dagger with a wooden handle with copper fittings as well as an iron blade. At the top of the shoulder blades, two tufts of owl feathers which, together with triangles of material hanging down from the underside of the sleeves, symbolize its ability to fly. The feathers of an eagle are also found at the top of his crown which consists of a cap of black wool and a red band across the front upon which a winged lion is mounted. It is made of chased copper and has, in addition to the wings, the claws of a bird. Skins of small animals, eagle feathers, and even bird claws highlight the connection between the shaman and the natural world. Above are round brass bells. The entire face is concealed by a black silk fringe. At the sides and the back of the cap are numerous snakes of material with coral eyes, as well as funnel-shaped iron rattles. The shaman’s drum which matches this costume has a round frame of two layers of birch wood, a handle of leather, wound with silk and cloth, and above it a wire which is stretched across carrying seven coins of Chinese-Manchurian-origin rattles and bells. The outside of the drum-skin is painted with the flaming sor on a small altar, cloud-symbols, garuda, dragon, tiger and lion, all indications of how strongly the so-called “yellow shamanism” was overlaid with Buddhist elements. The wooden drumstick has a fur-covered head and a metal stick with eight rattle–rings.”

The Unicorn in Captivity (from The Unicorn Tapestries)

1495-1500

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

“”The Unicorn in Captivity” may have been created as a single image rather than part of a series. In this instance, the unicorn probably represents the beloved tamed. He is tethered to a tree and constrained by a fence, but the chain is not secure and the fence is low enough to leap over: The unicorn could escape if he wished. Clearly, however, his confinement is a happy one, to which the ripe, seed-laden pomegranates in the tree—a medieval symbol of fertility and marriage—testify. The red stains on his flank do not appear to be blood, as there are no visible wounds like those in the hunting series; rather, they represent juice dripping from bursting pomegranates above. Many of the other plants represented here, such as wild orchid, bistort, and thistle, echo this theme of marriage and procreation: they were acclaimed in the Middle Ages as fertility aids for both men and women. Even the little frog, nestled among the violets at the lower right, was cited by medieval writers for its noisy mating.”