Buryat Shaman's Horse-Staff
Ritual staff of the Buryat shaman, carved from birch wood and topped with a horse's head; senior shamans who had passed the fifth consecration carried iron-tipped versions. In Buryat belief the horse-staff served as the shaman's mount to ride through the spirit world, and it remains a recognised emblem of Buryat shamanic practice alongside the drum. The staff is held upright in the ritual tent, its butt struck on the ground to punctuate the songs, and its carved horse-head top is draped with ribbons and small bells. The iron-tipped staff was a privilege of the senior shaman, and a shaman's deg