“Material works” in sacred space: ritual attributes in the context of symbolic information (archetypes, images and symbols)

Abstract

The object of this research is ritual attributes applied in different ceremonies, associated with the spirits Ichchi and celestial deities of Aya, which possess a superior modeling and communicative function. The article describes the ritual sacred items that were not used in everyday life, such as the sacrificial spoon of the Aya-shaman, kumis ladle, fortunetelling spoon, and spatula of the potter. Interdisciplinary approach allowed applying a historical-cognitive method of research, which views an item as a narrative text and a creative tool for transforming the sacred space. The novelty consists in the fact that despite the sufficient examination of correlation between a myth and a ritual, semiotic aspects of functionality of one or another item, organization of the sacred space, etc. of the Sakha people, these ritual attributes did not become a subject of semiotic study and determination of their structural-functional role within the mythical-ritual space of the Sakha people. The conclusions is made that these ritual attributes have a mediating function that establishes a communicative link between the Aya-shaman and transcendental space; in all ritual acts they are involved in modeling a stable life environment. It is revealed that mixing of raw materials (kumis, clay) was similar to the act of creation of Man and Nature, and the Aya-shaman performed the function of a demiurge. The author believes that all these functions could underlie a single ritual attribute – the sacrificial spoon, which later became a prototype of the shamanic drum mallet.