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...

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Published in:Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis
Main Author: Bo Sommarström
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Donner Institute 1987
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.30674/scripta.67164
https://doaj.org/article/e326cad95b38409694b0a06b6a7a7e11
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spelling ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:e326cad95b38409694b0a06b6a7a7e11 2023-05-15T18:08:13+02:00 Ethnoastronomical perspectives on Saami religion Bo Sommarström 1987-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.30674/scripta.67164 https://doaj.org/article/e326cad95b38409694b0a06b6a7a7e11 EN eng Donner Institute https://journal.fi/scripta/article/view/67164 https://doaj.org/toc/0582-3226 https://doaj.org/toc/2343-4937 doi:10.30674/scripta.67164 0582-3226 2343-4937 https://doaj.org/article/e326cad95b38409694b0a06b6a7a7e11 Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis, Vol 12 (1987) Sami (European people) -- Religion Christianity Astronomy Stars Symbolism of sky Solar system Religion (General) BL1-50 article 1987 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.30674/scripta.67164 2022-12-31T14:41:56Z 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 Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis 12 211 250
institution Open Polar
collection Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles
op_collection_id ftdoajarticles
language English
topic Sami (European people) -- Religion
Christianity
Astronomy
Stars
Symbolism of sky
Solar system
Religion (General)
BL1-50
spellingShingle Sami (European people) -- Religion
Christianity
Astronomy
Stars
Symbolism of sky
Solar system
Religion (General)
BL1-50
Bo Sommarström
Ethnoastronomical perspectives on Saami religion
topic_facet Sami (European people) -- Religion
Christianity
Astronomy
Stars
Symbolism of sky
Solar system
Religion (General)
BL1-50
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 Bo Sommarström
author_facet Bo Sommarström
author_sort Bo Sommarström
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 Donner Institute
publishDate 1987
url https://doi.org/10.30674/scripta.67164
https://doaj.org/article/e326cad95b38409694b0a06b6a7a7e11
genre saami
sami
genre_facet saami
sami
op_source Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis, Vol 12 (1987)
op_relation https://journal.fi/scripta/article/view/67164
https://doaj.org/toc/0582-3226
https://doaj.org/toc/2343-4937
doi:10.30674/scripta.67164
0582-3226
2343-4937
https://doaj.org/article/e326cad95b38409694b0a06b6a7a7e11
op_doi https://doi.org/10.30674/scripta.67164
container_title Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis
container_volume 12
container_start_page 211
op_container_end_page 250
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