A Soulcatcher or soul catcher (''Haboolm Ksinaalgat'', 'keeper of breath') is an

amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects ...

''(Aatxasxw)'' used by the

shaman Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritu ...

(Halayt) of the Pacific Northwest Coast of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

and

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

. It is believed by

Tsimshian The Tsimshian (; tsi, Ts’msyan or Tsm'syen) are an Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Their communities are mostly in coastal British Columbia in Terrace, British Columbia, Terr ...

that all soulcatchers were constructed by the

tribe, and traded to the other tribes.

Construction

Soulcatchers were constructed of a tube of bear

femur The femur (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates with ...

, incised on one or both sides, and often ornamented with

abalone Abalone ( or ; via Spanish , from Rumsen ''aulón'') is a common name for any of a group of small to very large marine gastropod molluscs in the family (biology), family Haliotidae. Other common name In biology, a common name of a taxon o ...

shell. Bears had powerful

ic connotations among the people of the Northwest Coast. Soulcatchers were decorated with a

sisiutl The sisiutl is a legendary creature found in many cultures of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, notably the Kwakwakaʼwakw people group. Typically, it is depicted as a double-headed sea serpent. Sometimes, the symbol feature ...

-like animal: a land-otter or bear head at both ends of the tube, and an

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

face in the middle. This form may have represented the ability to shift shapes, or the mythological land-otter

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

, implying the ability to travel between the three realms: air/god realm ''(kijek)'', earth/human/animal realm ''(takijek)'', and water/spirit realm ''(tekijek)''. The land-otter was the source of all shamanic power. A

's helper spirit may have resided in the central head. The soulcatcher was plugged at both ends with shredded

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae *Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona * ...

bark, to contain the lost soul, or to hold a

malevolent spirit In mythology and folklore, a vengeful ghost or vengeful spirit is said to be the spirit of a dead person who returns from the afterlife to seek revenge for a cruel, unnatural or unjust death. In certain cultures where funeral and burial or crema ...

"sucked out" of a patient. The amulet was usually worn as a

necklace A necklace is an article of jewellery that is worn around the neck. Necklaces may have been one of the earliest types of adornment worn by humans. They often serve Ceremony, ceremonial, Religion, religious, magic (illusion), magical, or Funerary ...

. Soulcatchers ranged in length from 16 cm to 21.6 cm (6" to 8{{frac, 1, 2"). There are a few examples of wood soulcatchers, and a Haida example covered with

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

sheeting.

Use

Sickness incurable by secular (herbal) means was believed to be caused by "soul loss" through: *Dreaming, which was thought to be the soul leaving the body and traveling to the spirit world. If the soul was unable to return to the body by morning (due to disorientation or supernatural interference), chronic illness would follow. *Being frightened out of the body *Being enticed out by

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

To cure the patient, the

would wear the soulcatcher as a necklace. He would then travel to the spirit world by calling helper spirits using

trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

music, employing helper-spirit masks, and magical implements such as staffs. Shaman might also work in groups, constructing a representation of a shaman's Land-Otter canoe and " dantsikw" spirit boards (see

) as a vehicle to travel to the spirit world. Once the errant soul was located, the shaman would "suck" the soul into the soulcatcher, and return to the patient. The soul would then be "blown" back into the patient. Another use of the soulcatcher was to suck malevolent spirits out of a patient.

References

*Bancroft Hunt, Norman. "Shamanism in North America." 2002. Firefly Books. Buffalo. *Wardwell, Allen. "Tangible Visions: Northwest Coast Shamanism and its Art." 1996. The Monticelli Press. New York.

External links

Soulcatcher Gallery (over 55 historical examples)

Native Excellence by Fred Stern
American Indian relics Animism in North America Shamanism of the Americas First Nations culture Indigenous American philosophy Religious belief and doctrine

Construction

Use

References

See also

External links