Tungus-Manchu Traditional Beliefs. Part 2: Zoomorphic Complex

This article describes the zoomorphic complex of Tungus-Manchu beliefs refl ected in mythology, ritual practices, shamanism, and decorative and applied arts. Those beliefs are regarded as a coherent whole within the cultural system. The typology of the zoomorphic complex shows that the key fi gures were the serpent-dragon, the deer, the bear, and the tiger. In traditional worldviews and rituals, they were related to cosmogony, ancestor cult, hunting and fi shing rituals, healing, and initiation shamanic complexes. The semantics of animal images depended on their place in the cultural system, religious ritual, and artistic communication. Comparative analysis demonstrates both ethno-cultural specifi city and universal archetypal characteristics, as well as connection with ancient regional beliefs. The Tungus- Manchu zoomorphic complex originated within the East Asian traditions, having been infl uenced by cultures such as the Old Chinese, Korean, and Jurchen.

The fate of African mask in the works of French-speaking writers in West and Central Africa

The article examines the attitude of contemporary African writers to the traditional zoomorphic and anthropomorphic masks. In the 1960s–70s, for the supporters of the theory of negritude, the sacred mask embodied the spirit of ancestors and an inextricable connection with tradition. In a transitional era (the 1990s – the early 21st century), the process of desacralisation of the mask has been observed and such works appear in which the idea of the death of tradition is carried out. The article consistently examines the history of the emergence and strengthening of interest in the image of the African mask as the most striking symbol of African traditions on the part of cultural, art and scientific workers and the reflection of this symbol in the works of representatives of Francophone literature in West and Central Africa in different periods of time. The article concludes about the transformation of the views of the studied writers on the future of African traditions from an enthusiastic and romantic (as, for example, in the lyrics of Léopold Sédar Senghor or Samuel-Martin Eno Belinga) attitude to the images of the African past and tradition – masks, ancestor cult – to despair and bitterness from the awareness of the desacralisation of traditional objects and images and the profanation of tradition under the pressure of the realities of the present day (drama by Koffi Kwahulé). The attitude of African writers to the image of the mask, which is directly related to the themes of preserving traditions and the search of their identity by African literary heroes, is gradually changing, demonstrating the pessimistic view of Francophone African writers on the future of African traditions.

Echoes of the Tragic in the Sacred Landscape of Ancient Salamis: A Geospatial Analysis of Hero Cult

What follows is a geospatial analysis of the sacred landscape of Ancient Salamis, an island polity located in the Saronic Gulf, which has been traditionally identified as the seat of the House of Telamon, from where Ajax the Greater (Αἴας ὁ Τελαμώνιος) reputedly launched his expedition to support the campaign against Troy (Iliad. 2.557). In particular, this analysis focuses on the relationship between two sanctuaries purported to be dedicated to Ajax and possibly coexisting during the late Classical and early Hellenistic periods (Figure 1): the first, the principal Temple of Ajax (ναὸς Αἴαντος) reported by Pausanias (Hell. Per. 1.35.3) to have been located at the Classicalperiod town at the Bay of Ampelakia; and the second, situated at a rural location some 12km away amidst the remains of a Mycenaean citadel at Kanakia and neighboring cult precinct at Pyrgiakoni at the far western side of the island excavated and identified by Yannos Lolos in 2005 (Lolos 2012: 47ff).1 Strong archaeological evidence suggests that this rural location (Figure 2) was the site of chthonic votive practice (ibid.: 49) often associated with hero or ancestor cult during the later Classical and Hellenistic periods and during a time when Athenian affiliation with the island and the figure of Ajax was officially sanctioned as a consequence of the political re-engineering of the Athenian polis under Kleisthenes.

Farewell to the Gods

A pre-Columbian building decorated with polychrome mural paintings was recently discovered at the site of Pachacamac, near Lima. Hundreds of offerings were scattered across the rooms and corridors of the building. They included extremely diverse objects from across the Andean region: parrot feather adornments and seeds from the Amazon; black stones from the mountains, chosen for their unusual shapes; unmodified and sculpted shells from the Equatorial region; ornate cups inlaid with mother-of-pearl in the style of the Northern Coast; metal; Inca ceramics, etc. In this chapter, the use of this peculiar building—probably a kind of sanctuary—and its links with pilgrimage, healing practices, and ancestor cult are discussed. Most of the offerings were placed within and around the structure at the moment of its abandonment following the Spanish invasion. The possible meanings and causes of such an unusual ritual are reviewed and discussed.

THE ANCESTOR CULT AMONG THE ALANS

Статья посвящена проблеме культа предков у алан. Письменные источники и археологические данные позволяют установить связь данного куль- та с погребально-поминальной обрядностью и идолатрией. Продолжение соот- ветствующей культовой традиции алан представлено среди материалов тра- диционной культуры осетин. The article is devoted to the problem of the ancestor cult among the Alans. Written sources and archaeological data help build connection of this cult with funeral and memorial rites and idolatry. The continuation of the corresponding cult tradition of the Alans is presented among the materials of the traditional culture of the Ossetians.

Remnants of the Snake Cult Among the Khakas (Late 19th to Mid 20th Century)

On the basis of folklore and ethnographic data, some of which are introduced in this article, the Khakass mytho-ritual complex relating to the snake is reconstructed. It is demonstrated that these beliefs were central to the traditional Khakass worldview, and the snake was endowed with elaborate symbolic meanings. It was a sacred animal, associated with ideas of life and death. It played a key role in mystical initiation practices, including those related to shamanism, and it was perceived as a patron spirit. Among the Khakass traditional beliefs was the idea that the elect could marry snakes, which turned into beautiful girls. Such a union, short-lived as it was, brought wealth and luck. Also, the snake was associated with elements and landscape features, such as water and mountains, linked to the ideas of sacred center, fertility, and the ancestor cult, which were central in the Khakass worldview. This reptile was often believed to be a mountain spirit, a mystical patron, and donator of magical capacities. Thereby beliefs about snakes were part of Khakass folk medicine and domestic magic.