Shamanism among the indigenous cultures of North America: Selected aspects of archaeological traces

Radosław Palonka; Katarzyna Ciomek; Aleksandra Dylak

doi:10.26881/etno.2024.10.10

Autor

Radosław Palonka Uniwersytet Jagielloński https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2520-810X
Katarzyna Ciomek Uniwersytet Jagielloński https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4396-2962
Aleksandra Dylak Uniwersytet Jagielloński

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26881/etno.2024.10.10

Słowa kluczowe:

Adena, Hopewell, Mississippian tradition, Barrier Canyon style, San Juan Basketmaker, Casas Grandes, Pueblo, shamanic burials, rock art, pottery iconography

Abstrakt

Certain forms of shamanism existed in many communities worldwide, including some of the indigenous cultures and tribes of North America, from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico and the desert areas of the Southwest, California, and northern Mexico. At least several American Indian and Inuit societies are known to have practised shamanism in both
pre-Columbian and other historical periods (even until very recent times). We can conclude this on the basis of various archaeological and ethnographic sources, including specific burials, interpreted as shamanic, as well as iconography of pottery and rock art imagery (paintings and petroglyphs) placed on rocks, boulders, and canyon walls, which offer
a profound insight into the beliefs of ancient societies. This article presents selected examples of archaeological evidence of shamanism in several cultures of the Eastern Woodlands and the Southwest of the pre-Columbian North America, with an emphasis on rock art depictions, and to some extent burials, the iconography of pottery, and other artefacts.

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Biogramy autorów

Radosław Palonka - Uniwersytet Jagielloński

dr hab. prof. UJ w Instytucie Archeologii Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego w Krakowie. Specjalizuje się w archeologii, antropologii i sztuce kultur tubylczych Ameryki Północnej, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem obszaru Południowego Zachodu USA i północnego Meksyku. Od 2011 roku kieruje projektem w regionie Mesa Verde (pogranicze Utah i Kolorado), analizującym tubylcze osadnictwo, zmiany społeczno-kulturowe oraz sztukę naskalną z różnych okresów.

Katarzyna Ciomek - Uniwersytet Jagielloński

doktorantka w Szkole Doktorskiej Nauk Humanistycznych Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, na kierunku Archeologia. Aktualnie przygotowuje pracę doktorską dotyczącą sztuki naskalnej w regionie Mesa Verde w Kolorado. Zainteresowania: zagadnienie sztuki naskalnej okresu prekolumbijskiego, a także wytwórczość i ikonografia ceramiczna na terenie Południowego Zachodu Stanów Zjednoczonych.

Aleksandra Dylak - Uniwersytet Jagielloński

studentka studiów magisterskich na kierunku Archeologia w Instytucie Archeologii Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego w Krakowie. Zainteresowania: sztuka naskalna Ameryki Północnej, szczególnie na Południowym Zachodzie, praktyki szamanistyczne, proces tworzenia i powstawania rytów oraz malowideł naskalnych.

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