Shaman's headdress

Khakas

East Siberia, Yenisei Guberniya, Minusinsk Uyezd

late 19th - early 20th centuries

Costume

Cloth: cloth; shell; feather; cloth: cotton

height total 53.0, d 29.0; length of ribbons 133.0

Peoples of Siberia and Far East

РЭМ 2524-4

The bird is the patron spirit of the shaman. Long multi-colored stripes sewn to the crown of the cone-shaped hat symbolize its plumage, the presence of eagle owl wings in the upper part of the bottom of the crown emphasizes that the eagle owl was the main patron spirit of the Karakyz shaman in her ritual practice. Cowrie shells on the top of the hat are a symbol of fertility and strength of the shaman.