When Art tells a Story

When looking at the definition of shamans, it is explained in its roots as belief practitioners in several prehistoric Siberian societies.[1] The term itself is misused, and the practitioners of beliefs in western European Upper Paleolithic are themselves misinterpreted. Prehistorians also tend to compare prehistoric European beliefs to other societies in other parts of the world, such as South Africa and North America. Although prehistorians could be right about the human conscious to be universal, belief practices are determined by other factors, such as weather conditions, ways of obtaining food, and location.

After evaluation of my previous entries about shamanism in Upper Paleolithic parietal cave art, I have determined that although the discussed parietal art has been conducted in various forms as images relating to shamanism, there is still ideas that don’t fit to a majority of other parietal arts. The issue prehistorians face when discussing beliefs of the Upper Paleolithic is that the concepts are interpreted within the context of the nearer past. Since images and objects are the only way to understand prehistory, there can be too much room for interpretation.

After looking at my analysis from my last two entries, I wanted to shine light on how prehistorians that I have been referencing, specifically Lewis-Williams and Clottes, have misinterpreted research and established theories noted as common within the field.

I wanted to negotiate the interpretation of cave walls as a thin-membrane separating the other realm and this world. I will also connect it to specific parietal art such as the handprints and the Spotted Horses. To begin, prehistorians have studied parietal cave art primarily through previous hypothesis and interpretation for the art. It is believed that images of creatures, like the Spotted Horse, were a way for the conscious mind to interpret hallucinations.[1] However, for the referred common hallucination, zoopsia, the hallucination of animals are in its full form. Whether speaking or not, as described of personal experience by Mike Williams, the animals aren’t always deformed, usually the strange creatures are of seeing masked humans or illusion of self.[2] Furthermore, to create a horse with such dimensions can be influenced by the conditions of the cave at the time, the culture within the specific society, and the things hunted and gathered by the community. With horses not usually hunted, the amount of horses made must symbolize as something other than informative. Additionally, horses, since not usually seen up close, could be drawn in abnormal ways in caves due to the humans viewing them from a distance or when the animals are in motion.

Addressing the handprints, prehistorians have considered the handprints as an entrance or exit from the other realm.[3] This is believed, by prehistorians, that it was ritually done with the idea that the humans were hallucinating through drug or other forms to reach an altered state of consciousness. However, some have interpreted, due to the situation of the cave and the time frame it would have been created, that these hallucinations were not always intentionally dosed by the society or shaman. With pockets of carbon dioxide gas and sensory deprivation in the cave, the humans could conduct the creation of the images with the idea that the spirits themselves were guiding them.[4] Although luring away from the belief practices, the handprints could well easily be classifications of existence. It can be interpreted as signatures. Ideas that stray away from shaman beliefs are difficult to find, but the point stands that all shamanistic influences on parietal cave art are just hypothesis. Although taken as truth for some people, it can be debunked as secular works of art.

[1] Mike Williams, Prehistoric Belief: Shamans, Trance and the Afterlife (Gloucestershire: The History Press, 2010), 34-35.

[2] Williams, Prehistoric Belief, 41.

[3] Clottes and Lewis-Williams, Shamans of Prehistory, 94.

As part three of my research about shamanism in Upper Paleolithic parietal cave art, I have found another image in Pech Merle. The ‘wounded man’ is one image found in the cave that has stirred debate among prehistorians.

Initially, the image is seen as evidence of ritual violence due to the multiple lines protruding out of the figure. With about nine lines sticking out of the anthropomorphic body, we can interpret at least two of the lines were the arms. Yet, the others are perceived as spears.[1] To depict images of a wounded man brings to question what situation would allow this severity of attack. Especially, with a brace-like image touching the figure, the clues to what the image could translate to is even more obscene.

In one instance, Lewis-Williams has reinterpreted figures seemingly wounded as spiritual rather than physical. As most of his shamanistic interpretations with parietal art, Lewis-Williams suggests that the image has to do with trance and hallucination.[2] The spears would be symbols to the feelings that are associated with altered states of consciousness. Actions like taking hallucinogens, deprivation of senses, meditation, and even rigorous dancing could manipulate or increase specific senses, such as touch and sight. In relation to shamans, Lewis-Williams negotiates that the spears parallel to the pricking sensation that are triggered by altered states of consciousness, and types of hallucinations would consider the piercing feeling sourced by arrows, knives, or other forms of puncturing.[3] Furthermore, there is the symbol of the brace signs. With the touching of the back of the head, prehistorians have suggested that it can be translated as the connection to the other realm believed to be just past the thin-membraned cave walls.[4] This link has been suggested in multiple situations between anthropomorphic figures and the brace signs.

Another image in the cave that I researched are the handprints, both negative and positive. Similar to the ‘wounded man’, handprints can be found among other west European Upper Paleolithic caves. Although some view the hands as signatures for artists who created the images or those who have visited the caves, others believe it associates with the shaman belief of the other realms.[5] The shamanistic value that these handprints are interpreted to have are that with their hand painted on they are either entering the other realm in negative prints, or creatures would be able to enter this world in positive prints. Under the criterion that Upper Paleolithic humans practiced beliefs, the ideas are qualified; however, these intentions are only hypothesis and cannot be determined as definite.

Studies of shamanic influence in parietal cave art has been heavily reliant on the idea that hallucinations helped in the creation of the images. Only a small portion of parietal art have been thoroughly studied to hypothesis as influenced by shamanic practices; there are still a great amount of, currently believed, secular parietal art.

[1] Aldhouse-Green and Aldhouse-Green, Quest for the Shaman, 208.

[2] Aldhouse-Green and Aldhouse-Green, Quest for the Shaman, 208

[3] Lewis-Williams, Mind in the Cave, 277.

[4] Lewis-Williams, Mind in the Cave, 279.

In relation to a previous post, I have uncovered some information about Pech Merle’s Spotted Horses in association with shamanism. In this French cave, the prominent panel, due to its size, independence from other images, and natural contour of the rock, can be seen as artistically valuable within Upper Paleolithic conditions.

As shown in the image, the Panel of Spotted Horses shows a natural contour of the rock on the right hand image.[1] Rather than enhancing the form of a horse, the artist had deformed the head.[2] This action may be considered due to light source, illumination perhaps from the right-hand considering nearby objects.[3] In such, the artist would perceive the image, with senses limited, projecting a more anatomical relief. Furthermore, the panel shows comprehension of Pointillism, an artistic form popularized in Modernist art, to shade and fill the horses mass.[4] Additionally, the two spotted horses have one over the other. Although there is no base line to identify as the ground, the horses do not seem to just float on the cave surface. It seems to show comprehension of layering and concept of foreground and background. The skills Upper Paleolithic artists have through their art can tell how the human mind in Upper Paleolithic parallel to the human mind.

In relation to the artistical values, the panel shows Upper Paleolithic humans, expanding their understanding of visual attributes and conducting deformities to their subjects. Analysis by prehistorian, like Paul G. Bahn, attempted to relate these actions by Upper Paleolithic humans with alternative states of consciousness.[5] He interprets this image could show how one may perceive horses in a trance.[6] Though it can explain the abnormalities of the image, it does not necessarily show how it can relate to shamanism. It could prove the notion of the evolution of the human brain, as Bahn suggests, but does not necessarily claim it aided so-called shamanistic tasks, such as explaining the unknown.

However, other prehistorians, like Jean Clottes and David Lewis-Willliams, take on a different standpoint, believing that the Spotted Horse show definitive attributes of shamanism. Going back to the distortion of the head, while the rock suggests a naturalistic horse, the artist deliberately distorts one. As it is a surreal form of a horse, it could be a ‘spirit-horse’ that is recognizable as a species but clearly not ‘real.’ [7] Although comprehensive, and when discussed, shows promise of an idea, the analysis is not universal. It can only translate to this one image, it cannot explain other parietal art that contain artistic attributes like it.

With the research so far, some parietal art of the Upper Paleolithic does show promise of having shamanistic roots. Yet, the artistic values correlate with other seemingly secular images, like the bison. Horses were common among parietal cave art; however, it is not definite why the Spotted Horses are considered shamanistic and other horse images are not. So far, the qualifications for a shamanistic work of art has no prominent attribute. In such, viewing one image out of one whole cave cannot say a cave is used for shaman practices.

[1] Clottes, Jean, Cave Art (London: Phaidon Press Ltd, 2008), 84.

[2] Clottes and Lewis-Williams, Shamans, 89.

[3] Nowell, “Paleolithic Art to Pleistocene Visual,” 241.

[4] Nowell, “Paleolithic Art to Pleistocene Visual,” 241.

[5] Paul G. Bahn, Prehistoric Rock Art: Polemics and Progress (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 36.

[6] Bahn, Prehistoric Rock Art, 36.