An (anonymous) Evenk woman describes the figurative representations on a shaman’s costume

00:00 – 00:55

The shaman’s costume is decorated with representations of various animals, including fish and birds. It also features depictions of animals that are said to have existed long ago and that, according to tradition, were known only to the shaman. During the ritual, the shaman could transform into different forms: as a bird, he flew through the air and could observe how people and other beings lived. In the form of a fish, he moved underwater and knew what was going on in rivers and lakes. As an animal, he moved through the forest. The shaman is described as a child, friend, and helper of nature and the forest. Finally, the narrator laments that people have become estranged from shamans and have consequently largely forgotten their knowledge.
(Subtitles: cc)

Self-recorded, Neriungri District, Republic of Sakha, September 2024.
Editing: Nadezhda Mamontova.