Portraits of Belief #36 - Shaman Alexandr (Smoke)

Artist: DJ Furth Edition: 1/1 Alexandr, also known as Sasha, is descended from a long line of Buryat shamans. His shamanic practice is that of the darkhan or blacksmith shamanic order, which involves licking and performing rituals with a red-hot iron. Shaman Alexandr was generous enough to invite us along to witness a ritual performed at a sheep farmer’s (Portrait #16) home in order to help him find a bride. In this portrait, we see him blowing on fragrant dried grass from his hometown, the smoke of which is used to cleanse the ceremonial space. He never expected to become a shaman and became gravely ill at which point he began having dreams where spirits spoke clearly to him and gave ...View all