Apatani shamans on a ritual platform
These men are sitting on a ritual platform during an Apatani feast Murung (Feast of Merit), : the men on the right and left are shamans : On the left is Nada Bida, the main shaman; on the right is another man, who is the secondary shaman in this long, complex feast : Both men wear a woven headdress,...
| Full title: |
Apatani shamans on a ritual platform [electronic resource] English. |
|---|---|
| Format: | Photo |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[S.l.] :
[s.n.],
1945.
|
| Series: |
SOAS Digital Library.
FURER. RSA. PHOTOS. |
| Subjects: | |
| Online access: |
Click here to view record |
| Summary: |
These men are sitting on a ritual platform during an Apatani feast Murung (Feast of Merit), : the men on the right and left are shamans : On the left is Nada Bida, the main shaman; on the right is another man, who is the secondary shaman in this long, complex feast : Both men wear a woven headdress, special shawl and large hoop earrings, and carry a ritual fan made of hornbill feathers, all of which identify them as shamans : Nada Bida appears to be tying a string of bamboo to a dried rat which will be used later during a ritual in the feast sponsor's house, : this scene on the platform is part of a day-long ritual procession : Each year, several Apatani families celebrate this three-week long feast, involving mithun and cow sacrifice, public chanting by the shaman and complex gift-giving between the feast sponsor and various kin and ceremonial friends : During the procession, which takes place more than a week after the large animal sacrifice on the first day, the shaman leads a long line of young boys and men belonging to the sponsor's clan : Dressed in ceremonial finery and brandishing their machetes, they walk through the entire Apatani valley only 8 kilometres long and 4 across, visiting all nine villages and each ritual platform in each village : at every platform, they perform a simple dance and are given food and drink. |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[S.l.] :
[s.n.],
1945.
|
| Subjects: | |
| Series: |
SOAS Digital Library.
FURER. RSA. PHOTOS. |
| Access: |
© 1945, The Estate of Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf. The Estate is currently (2015) represented by Nicholas Haimendorf, son of Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf. ----- Creative Commons (by-nc-nd). -- This image may be used in accord with Creative Commons license Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs. |
| Place of Publication: |
India -- Arunachal Pradesh -- Lower Subansiri District -- Apatani River valley. |