{"product_id":"tangible-visions-northwest-coast-indian-shamanism-and-its-art-9781885254160","title":"Tangible Visions: Northwest Coast Indian Shamanism and Its Art","description":"\u003cp\u003eNorthwest 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45279832211509,"sku":"ByrdShop_1885254164","price":141.51,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781885254160.jpg?v=1780612761","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/tangible-visions-northwest-coast-indian-shamanism-and-its-art-9781885254160","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}