Tangible Visions: Northwest Coast Indian Shamanism and Its Art

About this book

Northwest Coast Indian art is famous for its spectacular totem poles house posts feast dishes boxes and painted house fronts. Less well known but equally important is the art made for use by shamans particularly those of the Tlingit Tsimshian and Haida tribes. This volume presents the first comprehensive illustrated study of the various kinds of painted and carved objects that were carried and worn by shamans as they went about their duties. In order to form alliances with animal spirits Northwest Coast shamans deprived themselves of food water and sleep during long vigils in the wilderness. The spirits that came to them in dreams and visions at such times could then be summoned to assist in healing and divinatory sances. Much of the ceremonial paraphernalia represents the helping spirits in the shamans service. Certain examples which show complex juxtapositions of many animals and human figures depict the dreams or trance experiences of the shaman at the time he was forming his alliances. This study places Northwest Coast shamanism in a world-wide context and demonstrates the ways its practices and beliefs are similar to those found elsewhere. Throughout the book are archival photographsportraits of shamans and their decaying grave housesas well as descriptions of their lives exploits and performances. A discussion of the complex iconography which includes such creatures as land otters devilfish oystercatchers mountain goats and drowning men. The heart of the book is a catalogue of the objectsmasks amulets storage boxes drinking cups clothing drums rattles figure sculptures soul catchers staffs crowns and combsemployed by shamans. More than five hundred photographs a large number published here for the first time show the finest examples of Northwest Coast shamanistic art in museums and private collections throughout the world. This ground-breaking study brings attention to a corpus of Northwest Coast art that until now has not received the attention it merits. It will be of importance to scholars and the general reader as well as those interested in the history and practice of shamanism.