11 Oct Ayami (Shaman figure), Nanai People, East Siberia

This shaman figure, made of bone, is depicted wearing a hat with seven heads representing ancestors, historically important clan members or wise men.

The heads are the shaman’s helper spirits or guides in the world underpinning the world of the living; the world before and after the now.

The spirit helpers provide the shaman with multiple perspectives which is the essence of wisdom, the stock-in-trade of shamans.

The triangular shaped head, pointing down and perfectly balanced on the torso, implies an open mind.

The figure has a disproportionally large head (40% of its body vs 14% of a natural body), implying that the head plays an outsized role in the shaman’s work.

The figure is sexless, implying the shaman’s perspective is nondual.