Producer unknown to us
Shaman Garment
Asia, Central Siberia, Yenisei Region, Evenks
Before 1867
Leather, metal, glass beads
Gustav Klemm (art historian)
Purchased by the museum from heirs of the Klemm collection in 1870
NAs 1941
This shaman garment is part of the collection of Gustav Klemm, a Dresden court counselor and librarian. It was purchased in 1870 as part of the museum’s founding collection. The exact details of its acquisition remain unknown.
Shamanism, a socio-religious phenomenon, was widespread across Siberia and still exists in some rudimentary forms today. Similar practices were observed in Central and Northern Asia, as well as in polar regions of Europe and America. The term "shaman" originates from Tungusic languages spoken in Northern China, Eastern Siberia, and Mongolia. It first appeared in Chinese records in the 12th century and entered European languages following Russia’s colonization of Siberia in the 17th century.
Shamanic beliefs are based on a world divided into various realms inhabited by benevolent, evil, and hybrid beings. Humans inhabit the middle realm. The realms influence one another, and as a result, daily life, especially interactions with spirits, is governed by numerous behavioral rules and taboos.
Shamans held high societal status as intermediaries between humans and the spirit world. Their primary role involved undertaking spiritual journeys to the upper and lower worlds through trance-induced soul separation. Shamans also healed illnesses – understood as spirit-caused – and conducted rites of passage.
Individuals could become shamans only through a calling from the spirits, often manifested as a severe illness accompanied by fever and hallucinations, interpreted as an initial journey to the afterlife. Training under an experienced shaman and formal consecration followed. At this stage, shamans received protective and helper spirits to aid them in navigating the spirit world and ensuring their safe return.
The more protective and helper spirits a shaman had, the stronger and wiser they were considered to be.
During rituals, shamans wore special attire. This ensemble included boots, leggings and a coat, all decorated with iron figures symbolizing spirits. Belts with metal bells created loud rhythmic sounds during dances. The shaman’s primary tool, their spiritual "mount" during trance journeys, was a drum struck with a mallet.
Marita Andó, Irma Schubert