The Evenki were a shamanic culture. Many of the classic shamanic characteristics that would later be reflected in cultures all over the world were originally documented by Russian and European explorers while observing the Tungus and related people’s religious life. The word “shaman” has its roots in the Tungus word saman which means “one who knows or knows the spirits.” This includes the three-world system, the shamanic journey or soul flight, the use of altered states of consciousness, animistic belief in spirit, and so forth.

used techniques: black and white photography, digital paint, retouch, recoloring