Materializing the Invisible: Some Preliminary Notes on the Study of Shamanic Artefacts

This paper aims to offer some preliminary notes towards investigating the relationship between material objects considered as (representations of) spirits, entities, and non-human or extra-human dimensions produced within sha- manic cultures or contexts, with particular attention to those images that, in fact, materialize and make visible what usually does not appear. In other words, as already asked by Webb Keane (2013, 4) in his essay “On Spirit Writing”: in what way do humans produce the immaterial through materiality? In addi- tion, the paper takes into account and discusses relevant literature addressing the profound significance of shamanic ritual objects beyond their mere materiality or historical-religious value, particularly focusing on their role as performative agents in musealization dynamics as well as in contemporary indigenous identi- ty-revitalization processes.