Design of Applied and Decorative Art Elements Based on the Example of Nanai Shaman's Culture

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Paciﬁc Science Review xx (2015) 1e8 www.elsevier.com/locate/pscr

Design of applied and decorative art elements based on the example of Nanai shaman's culture

Maria Gaidysheva*, Alexey V. Parnyakov

School of Arts, Culture and Sport, Far-Eastern Federal University, Russia

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Abstract

This article describes the history of the culture of Nanai shamanism. The object of my work is the development of applied and decorative art handiworks through the culture of Far-Eastern indigenous people, for example of Nanai shamans. When learning the culture of Far-Eastern indigenous people, we have managed to bring in elements of Nanai culture into the design of modern things, such as the dreamcatcher. Copyright © 2014, Far Eastern Federal University, Kangnam University, Dalian University of Technology, Kokushikan University. Production and Hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Nanai culture; Shaman; Spirit; Talisman artistic handiwork; Tree of life; Dreamcatcher

Introduction (2 thousand people) live in China. They speak the Nanai language, which falls within the Tungusic lan- The Nanai People, Nani (self-designation e “na- guages of the Altaic language family. There are some tives”, “local people), or Golds (former name), are dialects and sub-dialects. The writing system is indigenous people from Russia. They live downstream Cyrillic. The Russian language is also expanded among of the Amur river and the right feeder of the Ussuri the Nanai People [1]. river in Khabaravsky and Primorsky Krai of the Russian Federation (Fig. 1). The population in Russia General information is 10,5 thousand people. Some of the Nanai e “Hezhe” The predominant religious faith of the majority of Far-Eastern indigenous people is shamanism e faith in spirits. Shamanism is a faith in the interaction between * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: [email protected] (M. Gaidysheva), a human and spirit with the help of a shaman who gets [email protected] (A.V. Parnyakov). in touch with spiritual powers. This religion is preva- Peer review under responsibility of Far Eastern Federal Univer- lent in the area of the Far East and Far North. sity, Kangnam University, Dalian University of Technology, Shamanism has always been regarded as an occult Kokushikan University. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pscr.2014.08.025 1229-5450/Copyright © 2014, Far Eastern Federal University, Kangnam University, Dalian University of Technology, Kokushikan University. Production and Hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fig. 1. Scheme of the settlement of the Nanai people.

phenomenon penetrated by mysticism, age-old tradi- fishes. Guardian spirits are usually spirits of dead an- tions and unresolved contradictions [2]. cestors of a shaman (Fig. 2). The shaman is an intermediary between people and Shamans have various social functions that pene- the spirit world, having guardian spirits and helper- trate all spheres of material culture. A shaman is an spirits. Helper-spirits often assume the similitude of essential part of significant events in the life of a wild animals (tiger, bear), birds (eagle, owl), and human, including weddings, birth, illness, death, field

Fig. 2. Nanai shaman.

Please cite this article in press as: M. Gaidysheva, A.V. Parnyakov, Design of applied and decorative art elements based on the example of Nanai shaman's culture, Pacific Science Review (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pscr.2014.08.025 + MODEL M. Gaidysheva, A.V. Parnyakov / Pacific Science Review xx (2015) 1e8 3 rituals and season rituals. In all of these events, the i.e., healers, idol spirits, hosts of localities, water and shaman represents the key or one of the key roles. His taiga (Fig. 4). main tasks are the treatment of illnesses, tribesmen The Nanai Peoples also wore seveks e a personal welfare, and the farewell of dead souls to the spirit amulet that offers protection from evil spirits (Fig. 4). world. The tree of life was specifically important for a As a rule, each shaman has a specific ritual outfit: shaman. The Shaman's tree was regarded as a personal skirt, gown, jacket, and headwear. Sometimes, Tree of Life that he “gained” from spirits during his depending on nature of the shamanic ritual, only information, which allowed him to travel to heaven and dividual items of this outfit are worn. With regard to the underworld. In addition, Nanai's images of family the shamanic attributes and fitting, it includes a trees on wedding gowns symbolised the idea of fertility tambourine with maul belt; jewelleries; breast collar and future generations (Fig. 5). It was thought that metallic discs tools hung on the breast, back or waist; these trees grew in the sky. Each family had their own and ritual masks and various staffs. The shamans also tree with souls of people living on its branches, which had many figures for spirits, which were called sewens went down to earth disguised as birds. (Fig. 3). Shamanism has always attracted people; thus, we A sewen is an intelligent spirit that is very active, decided to use shamanic elements in modern life. but being an aerial creature, it exhibits subtle power. A dreamcatcher is an Indian talisman or amulet that However, a sewen is a figure with human features protects a sleeper from evil spirits. This amulet has where a shaman settles as a spirit. This is material become very popular not only among inhabitants of the because it is made of metal, wood, bone, elm, and American continent but all over the world. A dream- straw or is pictured on a piece of fabric or paper. The catcher is an attribute of shamanism (Fig. 6). sewen represents an abstract figure of a human, wild Legend says that if you hang a dreamcatcher above animal, bird, amphibian and reptile. Sewens are spirits, a bed, it will catch the bad dreams in the web while

Fig. 3. Shamanic ritual attributes.

Fig. 4. Sewens.

Fig. 5. Shaman's tree of life (on a tambourine).

Fig. 6. Dreamcatcher. letting the good dreams through the middle hole. With nightmares each night. The woman did not know how the ﬁrst light of the morning sun, all of the bad dreams she could help her child and decided to seek the advice will disappear. of an old she-spider (shaman). The shaman ordered the In addition, there is a legend about a woman from woman to make a circle from a willow and cotton ﬁbre, the Sioux tribe whose child was conquered by which indicates the net of life, and to hang it above the

Fig. 7. Elements in the dreamcatcher.

Fig. 8. Manufacturing technology of artistic handiwork.

Fig. 9. Market of the project.

bed. Her advice helped. Since then, dreamcatchers my dreamcatcher, I used a tambour (frame), leather have enabled people to see joyful dreams. cords, threads, feathers, beads, and iron trinkets (Figs. Although there are many variations of dream- 7 and 8). catchers, they essentially consist of a small circle of It is the belief that beads or feathers in the web wood that is tied with thread to resemble a web with a catch strength and knowledge from the dreams and small hole in the middle. The shape of the dream- are sent to the one who is sleeping with the catcher is a circle because it represents how the sun or dreamcatcher. moon travels each day across the sky. The idea of designing this handiwork was based on Instead of a classic web, my dreamcatcher contains the fact that a dreamcatcher is an attribute of the image of the tree of life. Thus, when I constructed shamanism (Fig. 9).

Fig. 10. Dreamcatcher as interior item.

As a result, when learning the culture of Far-Eastern References indigenous people, we have managed to incorporate elements of the Nanai culture into the design of a [1] A.V. Smolyak, Shaman: Lichnost', Funktsii, Mirovozzreniye: modern talisman, which can now be used as a tattoo, (NarodyNizhnegoAmura), Nauka, Moscow, 1991 (In Russian). e accessories, bijouterie and interior design items [2] S.V. Bereznitskiy, Istoriyaikulturananaitsev. Istoriko etnogra- ﬁcheskiyeocherki, Nauka, St-Petersburg, 2003 (In Russian). (Fig. 10).