Shamanism

The main task of a shaman is to establish contact with spirits to drive away troubles, provide luck in the forthcoming hunting season, find out about the outcome of planned deeds, and, primarily to return back the soul of an ill person. A Tlingit shaman wore a special costume during his rituals that consisted of a suede breastplate with a necklace made of ivory pendants and a suede apron with a magic pattern. The shaman received his power from a stone ring on his neck and arrows with blunt tips and images of lizards and owls had magical meaning. Headdresses of different forms (in the form of a bird, an animal or a spirit) as well as wooden masks also helped the shaman.

Shamanism of Siberian peoples is studied most profoundly. Indian shamans were a little different from Siberian ones. It was usually considered, that falling into a trans, an Indian shaman traveled to the world of spirits to communicate with them, while a Siberian shaman was more often possessed by spirits who filled his body. Tambourine was the main ritual object of a Siberian shaman, while the Indian shamans more often used rattles. The Tlingit rattles depicted ravens, cranes, frogs, etc. The tambourine was also typical of the Eskimo people, which can be seen as a prove of their recent (compared with Indians) Siberian origin.

Rattle. USA, Russian America. The Tlingits. The first third of the 19th cent.