Journeying to the spirit world, cross on a shaman item

European Museums, The British Museum

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Cross pattern on a shaman item.

Journeying to the spirit world

In ancient Central and South America shamans sought hidden knowledge by making 'soul flights' into the spirit world.

The gold objects that were treasured possessions of priests and shamans illustrate the kind of transformation the shaman underwent when making this journey. Animal spirits protected the shaman, who often took on the attributes of the animal he represented. Some gold objects held lime made from burnt and powdered sea shell. Shamans chewed this together with coca leaves to aid contemplation.

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Cross pattern on a shaman item

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Source:  London, United Kingdom