Mask of a high-ranked shaman

Udege

Primorsky Oblast, Ussuri Krai

late 19th - early 20th centuries

Leather: natural leather: suede: skin suede (Siberian musk deer); wood; cloth: calico; threads: animal: wool; threads: plant fiber: cotton; cloth: cotton; paint; fur: natural: hide (brown bear); metal: iron; leather: natural leather

length 25.0; width 17.0; height total 46.0

РЭМ 1870-38

Images of a spider (a symbol of clairvoyance, shamanic power) and two frogs (a symbol of vitality) are carved on the frontal part of the mask. On the upper part of the headdress, attached to the mask, there are images of helper spirits (birds and reptiles). The shaman used the mask on the Undi festival - the festival of the renewal of nature and fertility, which also symbolized the renewal of shamanic attributes.