Shaman’s amulets were receptacles of their spiritual power, often illustrating the kinds of journeys the shaman traveled in their quest for such power. Amulets were sometimes sewn to a shaman’s kilt, or strung as part of a necklace of bone and ivory pendants. On some occasions amulets were warmed by a fire and held against a patient’s body to focus their healing energy. Some were left with the patient to continue their treatment in the shaman’s absence.

This small amulet packs a lot of visual punch for its size. The larger image may represent a fish, with its back arching high from its head to the tail end. Beneath the fish and appended to it is a humanoid figure in a contorted state. The body is in a seated position, its feet below the lower jaw of the fish. The man’s elbow and hand rest along his lap, while the head is entirely inverted, perhaps a reference to the man traveling on a spiritual journey with the spirit fish, in a disembodied state.

Steven C. Brown

References: For similar examples see Allen Wardwell, Tangible Visions: Northwest Coast Indian Shamanism and its Art, (New York: The Monacelli Press, 1996), pg. 184, no. 240; this book has a large chapter devoted to amulets on p. 165-194.