Pre-Columbian Pottery Sun God Shaman. Colima, Western Mexico. c. 100-400 AD

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Pre-Columbian Pottery Sun God Shaman. Colima, Western Mexico. c. 100-400 AD:
$695.00

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

Artifacts, Antiques & Fine Collectibles

Pre-Columbian Sun God Magical Shaman

Colima, Western Mexico

c. 100—400 AD

NOTE: This ancient artifact is legal tobuy/sell/own under the U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER14, and is guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

Provenance/History: This pre-Columbian pottery artifact is about1,800 years-old and was recovered from the ancient Colima culture in WesternMexico prior to 1970.

It is in Very Goodto Excellent, Museum Quality condition and has a wonderful patina.

SUMMARY

Thisstanding Shaman pottery figure is from a Colima shaft tomb in West Mexico, anddates to from about 100 to 400 AD. Theseearly (Tico) types of flat figures, sometimes called \'gingerbread\' or‘flat-man” figures are abstract in form, often with bowed legs, pointy heads,and large noses.

Becauseof the visions and effects of peyote, Colima shaman were thought to speak tothe gods, transform themselves into gods, and ensure the regeneration of thesouls of those elite members of their society who had died.

Thisshaman’s twisted headdress represents the Sun’s rays and his ability to speak toand perhaps even transform himself into the Sun God \"Tao Jreeku,” who was thought to be the Father and creator of theuniverse. Among the Colima’s modern descendants,the Huichol People of today’s West Mexico, still believe it is the shaman whosepower causes the Sun to rise. Manyanthropologists believe these shamanistic powers may have been common among theshaman of the pre-Columbian Colima culture as well.

Ondisplay at the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Museum’s, MesoamericanDepartment is a very similar Shaman wearing the same style of dramatic, Sun Rayheaddress that depicts the rays of the Sun shining from his head, as well as asingle, large horn protruding from his forehead. Althoughthe exact meaning of the protruding horn is still debated by anthropologists,it is only the pottery figures of shaman that we find this appendage.

Shamans were thought tobe able to communicate directly with supernaturals, sometimes achieving trancewith the help of hallucinogens, sometimes seeming able to transform themselvesinto gods or their animal counterparts. These shaman were frequently depictedas horned.

Recent interpretations ofMaya epigraphy and archaeology conclude that one of the roles filled by therulers of the great Maya cities during the Classic era (ca. 250 AD—900 AD) isas the premier shaman of the city. Thus, since rulers frequently performed asshamans, and were considered to become supernatural after death, theidentification of the horn as a conch shell spire does not rule out itsdesignation as a symbol of shamanic power.

{REF: Univ. of Pennsylvania’s Penn Museum’sMesoamerican Department. In addition to his horn, this clayfigurine (#60-7-20, from Colima, A.D. 100-400) wears what appears to be aheaddress in the form of the sun’s rays. See Expedition: Vol. 1, Number 46, pgs 22—25.}

Becauseof the visions and effects of peyote, shaman were able to speak to the gods andensure the regeneration of the souls of those elite members of their societywho had died. These Shaman were highlyregarded by members of their tribes and through shamanic trances and visionswere thought to communicate with the Gods and affect the lives of the livingand the dead.

Thisstanding male shaman is shown with a single horn protruding from his forehead,a clear identifier of his elite status in this ancient society. {You can see his protruding horn best in the side photos # 3 & 6}. In addition to this horn and his Sun Godheaddress mention above, he also wears: a geometric designed cloak that isvisible on both sides of the figure; ear spools; a necklace; and has remnantsof the black paint designs that adorned his body from headdress to knee.

Thatthese garments have been reserved for priests, rulers, and shamans is evincedin figurines recovered from Tlatilco in central Mexico (ca. 1200 BC.) and theOlmec region (ca. 1000 BC.) in what are now the states of Tabasco and Veracruz.Nose rings and necklaces adorning these figures are additional proof of theirelite status.

CONDITION:

At about 5.5” tall x 2.75” wide at his sholders, thisexceptional piece is larger than most examples, and is solid and intact, withno repairs and/or restorations. It is invery good, museum quality condition with only tiny scratches, surface wear andminor abrasions that are all period appropriate for a piece of this age. This shaman does show some loss of the blackpaint that once adorned this lovely statue. Under magnification, one can see the tiny dendrite crystals that form on pottery when it has been buried for millennia.

SHAMANSAND SHAMANISM IN MESO-AMERICA

Unlikepriests—who communicate with the gods through offerings, prayer, and publicritual—shamans interact directly with the supernatural through trance, spiritpossession, and transformation. The word “shaman” is of Siberian origin, andmany of the beliefs and practices of Mesoamerican shamans contain much that isSiberian, including ecstatic trance, supernatural flight, and animal spiritcompanions. Priests may be part of a religious or political hierarchy, whileshamans depend on personal magnetism and successful performance.

Shamanismmay have come to the Americas with the first people to cross the Bering Straitland bridge. Evidence for its practice has been found from Alaska to thesouthernmost regions of South America. Eminent anthropologist Peter Furst hasidentified 3000-year-old Olmec sculptures as human shamans in the act of transformingthemselves into jaguars.

Asthe Mesoamerican cultures developed from villages to cities, the roles ofshaman and priest became intermingled, with shamanic practices surviving inmuch priestly ritual. Today, the shaman as healer is still part of traditionalculture among the Maya of highland Guatemala, southern Mexico, and Belize. Thegeographic and cultural isolation of the Huichol of west Mexico allowed them tomaintain their culture in a relatively intact state during the centuries sincethe Spanish Conquest; shamans and shamanism have been, and continue to be, partof their daily lives.

TheHuichol People

Amongthe Huichol of today’s West Mexico, it is the shaman whose power causes the Sunto rise. A similar belief may have been common among the people of thepre-Columbian Colima culture as well.

Asthe Mesoamerican cultures developed from villages to cities, the roles ofshaman and priest became intermingled, with shamanic practices surviving inmuch priestly ritual.

Today,the shaman as healer is still part of traditional culture among the Maya ofhighland Guatemala, southern Mexico, and Belize. The geographic and culturalisolation of the Huichol of west Mexico allowed them to maintain their culture ina relatively intact state during the centuries since the Spanish Conquest;shamans and shamanism have been, and continue to be, part of their daily lives.

Theancient cultures of Jalisco, Colima, and Nayarit have descendants that live inthe modern area of the Huichol, a culture that maintains its Pre-Columbianidentity and religious practices, including shamanic trance and visions.

Note:

Each object I sell is professionally researchedand compared with similar objects in the collections of the finest museums in the world. I have been dealing in fine antiquities for almost 50 years and although certainly not an expert in every field, I have been honored to appraise, buy, collect, and enjoy and recently sell some of the finest ancient art in the world. When in doubt, I have worked with dozens of subject matter experts and appraisers to determine the condition and authenticity of numerous antiquities and antiques. This documentation helps to insure you are buying quality items and helps to protect your investment.

Please look at the 4x macro photos carefully as they are part of the description.

The stand and AA battery 9 are NOT included in this sale.

Member of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) and the Authentic Artifact Collectors Association (AACA).

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