This sukia figure is most probably a shaman. A shaman becomes an actual vehicle to channel the supernatural through ecstatic trance and spirit possession. There is speculation that this sculpture...
This sukia figure is most probably a shaman. A shaman becomes an actual vehicle to channel the supernatural through ecstatic trance and spirit possession. There is speculation that this sculpture was kept in Ancient Costa Rican homes for much the same reasons that a crucifix is hung on the walls of many modem homes. The shaman's eyes are softly closed in a trance-like state and one of his arms looks as though it is balancing the other arm, which holds a tube or pipe to its mouth. A sense of dignity and sculptural monumentality is conveyed by the proportions and by the Buddha-like pose, which may be a ceremonial posture. He radiates a tremendous spiritual energy from an ancient world embedded with metaphysical rituals.