Shamans and Divinities

in Pre-Columbian Ecuador

Content

The catalogue for the exhibition Shamans and Divinities presents the masterpieces in the collections of the national museums in Guayaquil, Bahia, Esmeraldas and Quito and touches on four cultures of the Ecuadorian coast: Chorrera, Bahia, Jama-Coaque and Tolita. The catalogue explores the social and religious context, looking first at the sacred knowledge (meditation, ornaments, the role of music, the shaman’s clothing), and then at the various rituals that enable the sacred knowledge to be put into practice, before ending with the transformation of the shaman into a temporal deity. Richly illustrated with often hitherto unseen works, this publication immerses us in this little-known civilization.

Description

22 x 28 cm • 240 pages • hardback • €42
Joint publication musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac / Actes Sud 2016
ISBN: 9782330038021