Box with a lid

Oroche

river Bikin, Ussuri Krai, village Lokhozen

late 19th - early 20th century

storage

Wood (birch bark); leather: natural leather: suede: skin suede; leather; threads: plant fiber; threads: plant fiber (rope); wood: willow: willow; cloth: cotton; paint

height 17.5; diameter 22.0

РЭМ 1870-62

Onyakhi, a round birch bark box with a lid ornamented with a slit curvilinear pattern, black against light background, the core of which is two spiral snakes, one of which with a head is at the top; on the left is a trefoil in a spiral, on the right is a skull-like head shown as 4 spirals similar to the Amur petroglyphs. Close by is a heart-shaped figure formed by 2 snakes with heads, tin spirals at the top, and another 2 wriggling little snakes at the top. Depicted on the lid are 4 anthropomorphic male figures arranged around a circle with a lozenge in the center. Alongside with that, zoomorphic personae are fitted in the anthropomorphic figures. The black ornament against a white background is within a circle with a wavy line inside, which is a snake symbol and image of the world. The entire composition is related to the cult of snakes and ancestors.