Mansi Drawings

Drawings by Nikolay Timofeevich Pelikov.

1. The chum is built from birch barks. A hunter stalks a wild deer. Below most likely are depicted some shaman rituals.
   On the shaman’s clothes can be seen small anthropomorphic figures of “celestial people” - shaman's warriors. Images of animal helpers of the Lower World - a bear, an otter and a snake. The otter helped the shaman with its slyness and agility, the snake with wisdom, and the bear with power.
2. The hunter returns to his dwelling (chum). Narta is light, not freight. The elk on the right, and the deer on the left, have noticed the hunter and will soon be gone.
3. Mansi camp. Smoke is coming out of the chums. A woman meets her husband. Deer graze nearby.
4. The hunter approached the elk for a sure shot from behind and the elk will be killed. The animal doesn't even look in the direction of the hunter.
5. Judging by the clothes, on the right is a woman that arrived on deer sleigh and wants to bring her luggage inside the chum. A man is watching her. But why is her face bearded? Mansi men pluck out their beard and mustache.
6. Mansi is ushering the elks to go forward with a trochee, but a shaman with arrows is blocking their way. His assistance is close by.
   Smoke comes from the chum. Back in the time they simply laid an iron sheet on the ground and made a fire on it. In the mountains, in winter, two logs were laid along the chum, and on them a sheet of iron and a hearth were ready and the snow did not melt much under the fire.
7. A woman and a man in their chum. At the top right, three shamans are performing a ritual.
8. Hunting moose with a bow. Did something happen to the first hunter smeared in the picture? Only the skis are visible. The elk does not acknowledge the hunter, busy eating young shoots of a tree.
9. Bearded grandfather and a grandson with braids. Both are armed. One with real gun and the other with a children's gun.

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