| Abstract: | This is a selection of the characteristic wall drawings of the Saora tribe of Utkal, with notes based on the researches of Verrier Elwin. The icons have various purposes: those to promote of the fertility of crops; those dedicated to gods to avert disease and assist in childbirth; "shrine-icons" which provide a resting place for spirits; and those for ancestor-worship. The icons are made for use rather than display. In contrast to their wood-carvings, Saora icons never show sex-differentiation. They are differently interpreted as being paintings, literature (being graphic messages to the spirits), or architecture (providing earthly houses for the spirits), and are a vivid proof of an artistic expression moved by cult and myth. Source of Abstract: Provided by Publisher |
