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Shamanism in Moche Art and Iconography

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Shamanism in Moche Art and Iconography &RH 395 Spring 1994 Shamanism in Moche Art and Iconography. The Shaman and His Deity by Ed Barnhart Flnal Paper AHH 39; Spring 1994 TabLe-~-f-C~nt~!_t.z. Tntr~ductiori..................................,........~~ 7 Modern Peruvian Shamanism ...............................4 'The Shaman and His Deity in Moche Ark ....................JF The Hur~ners.................................,............B Tiahuenaco-H1.1ari..................................~.....9 Psracas Necropolis/Na~ca........~. u~...........o.sv.....il~J Cha~in..................................~.......~......l.3 'The fires~?ntation Ceremony. ..............................I& Floating Spirits .................................u...n.,, 17 I'he Decapitator. .......................................19 The Puppy........ ..........................................I: 7 -2 Se>:~talPnttery..... ....................................23 The Mesa de Hrujo.. ......................... ............L.~?17 r- Manioc....... ...................................... #-..26~ The Sione Novice E:cperience.. ...........................28 Conclusion....................... ............u..s..v..,,2Y Bibliography ............................ "........m......31 List of Figcu-cs.. ........................................,7.. r .. Introduction. The Moche are the major focus of this paper. 01-LI~S, sex, puppies, and headhunting will be shown to be related to anti ent Moche shamanism. Shamani em was instit~ltional ized in Moche c~~ltureand there were standard methods of depicting the shaman. These methods of depicting shamans in Moche art were not unique to them. Chavin, Paracas, Nazca and Tirhuanaco-Huari art all display essentially the same iconography when depicting I. shamans. Thro~rghthc e:cwmination of this art it becomes clear that there was only one deity, with many aspects and at.tendants, who is the master of the spirit world as such was the patron deity of shamans. The concept of t,his deity reigned western South America for at least 2000 years and still survives in part into today (Figure 1). Various ethnographic accounts of shamanism from modern and contact period sources will be used as supporting kvidence r .- througho~ltthe paper, Eastern Peruvian cul turcs di5CL1~SE.!d Wj. 11 b~! tho Cul ina, the Watisi genka, and the Shipibo-Conibo. From Flcl.~ador and Sc~~.~Cl?ernColombia the cult~lresof the Jivaro, Desana, and Siona will be discussed. From western Peru, enhtnographies from the 1940's and 5(:~'sin the areas once occ-upied by the Moche and the Nazca will be used(Figure 2). Some scholars would find 6ault .J in the use of modern Amazonian ethnography as a tool to interpret pre-TI-rca art. It is tho cnntention of this paper, however, that the pra,ff~lsinnof jaguar and snake jconography in pre-Inca art of the Andes and the coabtal regions of Peru is strong evidence that the cultures who prod!.~ced it were heavi l y in+luenced by Amezoni, an l.deology. Mod~Peruvi.annSham_ani~m There are many indigenous cultcrre groups living in Peru and the surrounding areas today. Each of them have distinct traditions and mytholngiec,, the majority of whj.c:h are undoubtedly of New World origin. @e curitnfn that binds these cult~rres together is shamenism. Again, each group have their own ?;hamanic traditions. The $01lowing, however, are elcments of shamanism all indigenous cultures in modern western South America share: C1)k All siclrnrss is supernatural attack irom th; athmr world. Evil spirits, acting on their own or at the request of a shaman, are the perpetrators. The healing shaman divines the identity 0.f the attacker and repels the malevolent power. .- ($) jpil shamans have the power to heal and harm. Thoy are bath L feared and rv~spnctedin their cornfnuni ties. The power ig the game i.n both; the abi1i:ky to contact the otl-leu-warld, the place 0.6 Heal.inf~is a group endeavor. Healing rituals are rarely i performed with only the healer and patient. Shamans have attendants, who are also his apprentices, to assist them. Often the shaman will also request the participation of relatives and commcrni ty members. $&aIlucinogenic drugsare ingested to allow the shaman to make contact with the other world. - Spirit companions, guides and guardians are consulted and at times convinced to da a shamans bidding. The otherwarld where shamans contact spirits and the afterlife, where people go to aCter death, are the same place. TheShaman_a_nUsJeitY_..a-M.Rch.e-Art Father Antonio de la Calancha, an Hug~tetinemonk in Northern ': Peru published in 1638 that curers, Oquetlupuc, were public officials of high privilege and ware providrd for by the statg. 'There are a +ew images in Moche art that have been recognized as healers for many years. Individuals shown "laying on hand'' (Figures 3 and 5) and individuals holding a tharactcrietic vessel and accompanying dipping stick(Figure 4) have both bsen identi+ied as healers. The vessel is a lime gourd used to crush coca leaves and lime to chew. The lime helped to liach minute . .- of cocaine out of tho leaves (von Hagen 19645 104,. It is the hypothesis of this paper that the headdresses worn by the z3- individuals in Figures 3 and 4 are only worn by people with ahamanic powsr. Further, the individuals depicted with jaguar heads projecting from their foreheads are impersonating the deity that Elizabeth Nenson called the Fanged Ueity(Penson 1972;27). The snaC::es caming off the Del t of th@ h@sler in Figl..rre 5 are also reserved sol ely for the depictions of shamans. .The four individl.lalcs in F'ig~lre6 wear both l.::'inds of headdresses shown in the previous figures. Three of the men nit wi.th lime gourds while the fourth stands head and hands held Lip towards a dout:)led headed arch which represents the sk:y. Floating. ara~lnd~1.1.1. fo~lrmen are lar'gv9 dots which may be e:.:plainecl as entoptic forms seen in the first stages of hall~~ciriations(Ostcr :l.Y?0;87). Supporting e!vj.dence for that e::pl.anat,ion can be found j.n the lower- 1,rf.t carner of Fig~.tre4. 'The two plants thrz.rc may be identified as; San Pedro cactu!ii; and the Misha Negra plnn.t, both '; are lhal lucinogr?nic plwnts employed by the moder-n Mochc? shaman in hr.a:l..irlrJ r'i. tual so. The ?jt~\r~clirlg man's moi.lth is oper~ I. t is proposec:l 'that he is singing. Singing is a standarF.d methnd of cal.lin$; oi.lCr the spirit.: enlp:l.oyecl by modern shamans irl west.ern Sontt~lAmerica. Tri OLI%i ~na and IMatisigenl.:a healing rit~.ra:ls, the shaman reqr.rires a chart-1% n,i women whn call the spirjts out of the forfist w5.t.h their sing:ing (1'01 lock 1992~33arid Haer 1992;90). Ilodern Nazca and Plorhr? ter-ritory shamans do the singin9 them~elvegwh1.1~ . .- a-ktendarits perSorm the actions(Hadingl1arn 1987i247 and Gillin 1947; 121). Tn S:i.ona society each spirit has a speci.iic song, the more song:; one k:nows, the mnre pawer he has!Matte!son L.angrlon 1'7c9;lg 5::;) " There are many ntheie- depictions of men weari.nc] a jag1.1ar headdress such as the one displayed in Figure Si;(Figures 7-9). There is, however, another contest in which the same headdress is worn by a deity(Figurrs 1Ct-13). This deity has charactel-istics which separate him from the depictions of shamans. Round eyes, elongated fangs, wrank:le lines an his face, snake earrings and the jaguar headdress are his principal elements. The "Fanged Ueity" is Elizabeth Benson '5 term for this Deity (Denson 1972;27) .. In the same way as the deity is the master 0.f the spiritrs, the Shaman emulates him in costume to identify himself as a human master of spirits. The Desana say that a deity named Viho Hahse was placed in tne Milky Way by the Sun a5 an intermediary between the worlds. 'i His name comes from the word Viha which means hallucinogenic snuf.f. He is lord of the spirit world whom the Deeana payes visit during trance(Heiche1-Dolmatoff 1968; 411). It is also said that th19 Sun created the jaguar as his representative on Earth (ReicheX-Dolmatoff 1968; 28). ~ukdredsbf milea to the south in Bolivia, Aymara is the name of a great feline deity that is both a protector and a destroymr(Hadingham 1987;247). Modern lil~lechuasick are said to suffer from attacks by Ccok, flying .- feline minions of the Mountain/wcather Deity (liadingham 1987; 248). All of these beliefs may well be relatmd to concepts about shamanism and the other-world that developed long before Inca society began. Music is another component of ritual well known to be connected to shamanism and the calling out of spirits. Many of the individuals playing flutes or horns displayed in Moche art can be seen wearing the jaguar headdress(Figure5 14-16). Musicians are most often shown in ceremonial or processional scenes. Fj.gure '17 shkws a Yanamamo shaman playing a set o.F pipes , . over three piles of Banisterapsis vines, a hallucinogen boiled into a drink used during healing rituals all over the fimazon. Tb!-!.u_r,!e_rr The Runners are a frequent theme in Moche vessel paintinge. The 5tandard runner scene shows a singe file row of men running I. across a landscape of cactus and pllnts(Figures 18-20). tan alternate sccne is one in which the men are replaced by anthropomarphs(Fig~~res21-24). In both versions nf the scene most of the runners wear the jaguar headdress of the shaman. Some marly rcholars connected them td ths iniza and chimu messengers who ran along the roads(Way1e 1965;67). Others be1 ievad them to be warriors (Ubbclohde-.,Doering 1992; 183). Elizabeth Benson suggested the bags the runners carry may hold . Lima bvans ~tsedfor divination purposes (B@!nson 1972; $13).
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