Protective figure

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Description

heavy and dense wood, black pigment remains, the original trunk recognizable on the backside, hands in typical praying gesture, large head, simple and stylized forms, surface structure strongly marked by weathering, pedestal;
until today this primitive wooden sculptures are carved and dedicated by shamans. The figures are displayed in various places, for example in shelters at the edge of the village, where up to a dozen of such figures may possibly be found. Their only obvious meaning is their protective function: when placed at bridges they should guarantee the purity of the water and a secure crossing of the bridge; when placed at the rim of the village they sureley should protect the village community from malevolent spirits.

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Comparing literature

Stadt Offenburg (Hg.) Als die Götter noch jung waren, Offenburg 2002, p. 22 ff.

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