There are many rituals around the world in various religions which are concerned with the spiritual properties of smoke. None more well-known internationally (mainly through old western movies) than the north american native ceremony of "smoking the peace pipe". This ritual, performed at the beginning of ceremonies, opens the participant to understanding and connectedness to Wakan Tanka. The traditional herbs can include tobacco and chanshasha.
The pipe in this group loosely emulates a north american native pipe, it has a buffalo figure on the underside, python skin, mink and magpie feathers. The buffalo is a symbol of abundance and prayer, the pipe is like a speeding arrow sending the prayer to the great spirit. The mink is for creativity and playfulness, the magpie playfulness and wisdom and the snake denotes wisdom.
The stoppered medicine bottle is in the shape of a medicine man's head. It has emu feathers symbolising strength and endurance.
A buffalo fetish accompanies this set

More fun stuff based on part of our Peru experience.
The rattle at top is losely based on a shipibo-conibo rattle. It's usually made out of a gourd and incised with patterns. The sound of the rattle keeps the shaman rooted in the present.
The snake head object is a talking stick. Only the carrier of a talking stick is allowed to speak, until he passes it on to the next participant. I made it a snake because snakes have various meanings, the christian meaning of "evil" is not a common one. Snakes mean renewal, rebirth, are a symbol of the earth mother and mean wisdom in many cultures. The shaman speaks of the future with wisdom.
The rhino fetish is also symbolic of wisdom, but also past lives. The shaman acknowledges the ancestors and teaches lessons from the past.

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Natural Mystic

Here's one straight from the jungles from all over the world. This rattle's influences are a complete melting pot of different shamanic traditions from all over the place. The front design has echoes of shipibo-conibo geometric designs and the back is derived from an african akoko, incorporating australian native sensibilities.
The antler has a texture like deer and a shape reminiscent of gazelle.
The reclaimed furs are coyote and bobcat from north america and kangaroo. The skins are cobra and python from s/e asia.
Feathers are gold pheasant and chicken (milliners like to call this coque).
The whole thing is 40cm tall and pistachio shells make it rattle.
thanks for looking

Soul Cleansing

Incense is something which also permeates a lot of belief systems. It is used as a way of preparing sacred spaces for ritual and cleansing the soul.
Fans are used for the dispersal of the smoke. This smudging fan is 75cm tall, the whole structure is made out of glass, including fused tubes for the turkey feathers to slot into. The turkey is also known as the "eagle of sacrifice" or "give-away eagle" by native americans and it is highlighted with red pheasant feathers symbolising the sacrifice; these are held in place with Peruvian ceramic beads which we brought back with us. The handle is made to look like a jaguar jawbone. The other animals used are vintage coyote and kangaroo, emu feathers, buckskin and lizard.
With this fan is a medicine bag to hold the incense. I tried to make it look like leather, with folds to give the illusion that it is full. The design on the "bag" is a Peruvian Nazca design and shows the hummingbird, messenger to the gods. The spiral is a symbol of eternity