Ethnoastronomical perspectives on Saami religion

There are several difficulties in interpreting the pictures on the Saami shaman drums. Some of the figures found in the space between the central sun sign and the edge on some fifty drumskins occupy positions within certain quadrants like similar figures in our traditional western star charts. The p...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Sommarström, Bo
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: The Donner Institute 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ojs.abo.fi/ojs/index.php/scripta/article/view/576
id ftaboakademiojs:oai:ojs.ojs.abo.fi:article/576
record_format openpolar
spelling ftaboakademiojs:oai:ojs.ojs.abo.fi:article/576 2023-11-12T04:25:27+01:00 Ethnoastronomical perspectives on Saami religion Sommarström, Bo 2014-03-04 application/pdf https://ojs.abo.fi/ojs/index.php/scripta/article/view/576 eng eng The Donner Institute https://ojs.abo.fi/ojs/index.php/scripta/article/view/576/1153 https://ojs.abo.fi/ojs/index.php/scripta/article/view/576 Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis; Vol 12 (1987): Saami Religion; 211-250 2343-4937 0582-3226 Comparative Religion Religious Studies Cultural Studies Ethnology Sami (European people) -- Religion Christianity Astronomy Stars Symbolism of sky Solar system Drum Symbolism Astrology info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Peer-reviewed Article 2014 ftaboakademiojs 2023-10-27T13:20:05Z There are several difficulties in interpreting the pictures on the Saami shaman drums. Some of the figures found in the space between the central sun sign and the edge on some fifty drumskins occupy positions within certain quadrants like similar figures in our traditional western star charts. The present study continues the theme of by making a comparison of the pictures on the edge and the central figure complex (the sun sign). As the analysis has been extended, it has also become possible to adopt a new position with regard to the overall picture. This has led to observations that the zodiac can be discerned more or less clearly in the mass of constellations, that the positioning is decided by orientating the drum in relation to the height of the sun and thus to the Saamis' calendar, to the seasons and to the cardinal points. It is moreover probable that the drums were connected, at least indirectly, to a commonly held idea about the natural elements and their connection with people's basic temperaments. In other words: the similarity between the Saamis' "magic drums" and the astrolabes found among the European neighbouring peoples has been further reinforced, provided one means by this the basic pattern of the figures and their arrangement in a holistic system which we could regard as a psycho-cosmogram. It is even possible that the Saami shaman, noai'de, if he peered from underneath, through the semitransparent drumskin, could understand the horoscope diagram with its reversed constellations/signs as was used by his colleagues in the rest of Europe—as a theistically sanctioned cosmological projection, in contrast to the natural reproduction by the Saami drum of the apparent anti-clockwise rotation of the stars once every twenty-four hours. Article in Journal/Newspaper saami sami sami Åbo Akademi: Open Journal Systems
institution Open Polar
collection Åbo Akademi: Open Journal Systems
op_collection_id ftaboakademiojs
language English
topic Comparative Religion
Religious Studies
Cultural Studies
Ethnology
Sami (European people) -- Religion
Christianity
Astronomy
Stars
Symbolism of sky
Solar system
Drum
Symbolism
Astrology
spellingShingle Comparative Religion
Religious Studies
Cultural Studies
Ethnology
Sami (European people) -- Religion
Christianity
Astronomy
Stars
Symbolism of sky
Solar system
Drum
Symbolism
Astrology
Sommarström, Bo
Ethnoastronomical perspectives on Saami religion
topic_facet Comparative Religion
Religious Studies
Cultural Studies
Ethnology
Sami (European people) -- Religion
Christianity
Astronomy
Stars
Symbolism of sky
Solar system
Drum
Symbolism
Astrology
description There are several difficulties in interpreting the pictures on the Saami shaman drums. Some of the figures found in the space between the central sun sign and the edge on some fifty drumskins occupy positions within certain quadrants like similar figures in our traditional western star charts. The present study continues the theme of by making a comparison of the pictures on the edge and the central figure complex (the sun sign). As the analysis has been extended, it has also become possible to adopt a new position with regard to the overall picture. This has led to observations that the zodiac can be discerned more or less clearly in the mass of constellations, that the positioning is decided by orientating the drum in relation to the height of the sun and thus to the Saamis' calendar, to the seasons and to the cardinal points. It is moreover probable that the drums were connected, at least indirectly, to a commonly held idea about the natural elements and their connection with people's basic temperaments. In other words: the similarity between the Saamis' "magic drums" and the astrolabes found among the European neighbouring peoples has been further reinforced, provided one means by this the basic pattern of the figures and their arrangement in a holistic system which we could regard as a psycho-cosmogram. It is even possible that the Saami shaman, noai'de, if he peered from underneath, through the semitransparent drumskin, could understand the horoscope diagram with its reversed constellations/signs as was used by his colleagues in the rest of Europe—as a theistically sanctioned cosmological projection, in contrast to the natural reproduction by the Saami drum of the apparent anti-clockwise rotation of the stars once every twenty-four hours.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Sommarström, Bo
author_facet Sommarström, Bo
author_sort Sommarström, Bo
title Ethnoastronomical perspectives on Saami religion
title_short Ethnoastronomical perspectives on Saami religion
title_full Ethnoastronomical perspectives on Saami religion
title_fullStr Ethnoastronomical perspectives on Saami religion
title_full_unstemmed Ethnoastronomical perspectives on Saami religion
title_sort ethnoastronomical perspectives on saami religion
publisher The Donner Institute
publishDate 2014
url https://ojs.abo.fi/ojs/index.php/scripta/article/view/576
genre saami
sami
sami
genre_facet saami
sami
sami
op_source Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis; Vol 12 (1987): Saami Religion; 211-250
2343-4937
0582-3226
op_relation https://ojs.abo.fi/ojs/index.php/scripta/article/view/576/1153
https://ojs.abo.fi/ojs/index.php/scripta/article/view/576
_version_ 1782339657595355136