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Crab-Like Grotesque |
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The reproduction rights for this image belong to Jim Zintgraff.
It may not be reproduced without written permission.
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| Myths explain the origin of the cosmos, the ordering of the universe and the workings of the human mind. Thus the tales are peopled with strange and unnatural characters, all of whom bear upon the conduct of everyday life. Several figures that deviate from the strict artistic code that mandated how shamans were drawn may well be characters derived from such an oral tradition. Although the tales told about these cultural heroes or demons are long dead, they survive in living color on the rockshelter walls of los tres rios, where they appear both benign and malevolent. Possibly, these fantastic creatures were born in shamanic visions and immortalized through art. The profile figure with a human figure clutched in his hands from the Pecos River may well illustrate the fate of the shaman in the spirit world, where he is often rent to pieces by monsters and reassembled from his bones. |
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