WHO: Andrzej Rozwadowski (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland; Honorary research fellow, Rock Art Research Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa)
The ancient art forms of the Minusinsk Basin in southern Siberia, in the land of the Khakas people, will be presented in this seminar. Among them, there is a unique petroglyph assemblage which includes a shaman’s representation hidden in a large crack in the rock. On the basis of the ethnography related to the shamanism of the Khakas people, it will be argued that the petroglyphs may reflect ideas associated with shamanic initiation ceremonies. The unique geographical context of this rock art will lead us to discuss more general questions related to the primal creativity inherent to shamanic experiences.