Amulets

Sheila Paine

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The author is an expert on ethnographic embroideries. During her travels she became interested in the use of (textile) amulets.

Review

Sheila Paine, the author, is well known to many readers as an expert in ethnographic textiles, in particular embroideries. Embroidered Textiles: Traditional Patterns from Five Continents, was published by the Paul Haupt Verlag in German (see picture) and by Thames and Hudson, London. She is also an exceptionally gifted travel book writer. During her search for a special triangular textile amulet, she created three books: 1) The Afghan Amulet: Travels from the Hindu Kush to Razgrad, 2) The Golden Horde: Travels from the Himalaya to Karpathos, and 3) The Linen Goddess: Travels from the Red Sea to Prizren. Only the latter title is still available from the London publisher Pallas Athene (e-mail: afw@pallasathene.co.uk), where it is priced at £ 14.99. I was able to acquire the former books from an antiquarian bookseller. Having read them, I was no longer surprised that the author's interest shifted from the function of amulets in embroideries to studying the subject of amulets as a whole. She is thorough in her treatment of this subject without succumbing to the fashionable trends of our times (the worship of goddesses and crystal gazing of the New Age trend). She refers to the wearers of the amulets themselves, to the literature of collectors and to museum collections. The fact that this is not a historic phenomenon is shown by modern-day exorcists using the cross and incense in Italy, by Prince Andrew's copper bracelet for rheumatism and by an amulet protecting against car crashes with a price tag of Euro 300,000, which the author came across in the Middle East. In this book, Sheila Paine gives many examples of objects that protect against negative forces - against the evil eye, witchcraft, enemies, sickness or accidents. They are dealt with in short thematic chapters, first in terms of protection against dangers (epidemics, war, bad luck when travelling, etc.) and then in terms of viewpoints, (body & soul, trade & industry, witchcraft), as well as motifs, colours and objects. The author is also looking for higher principles underlying this kind of popular belief, e.g. the division of the world into three realms, the underworld (water creatures and reptiles), the middle world (people) and the upper world (birds, spirits etc.) She distinguishes between areas in the world where people tend to protect themselves against the evil eye (Europe, Near East, Central Asia) and others where they are more afraid of earthly powers (Africa). In the concluding chapter, Sheila Paine describes how she had an amulet for her journey made by a healer in Cameroon. She traced the ingredients and found out that the tiger fat could not have come from the zoo in the nearby town because the place has no zoo. She knows, however, that many Africans protect themselves against Aids with this sort of amulets because they have no medication. A splendid book, half of which deals with textiles or textile-related objects that are mostly from the author's rich collection! - The only thing I miss now is a book, a kind of cultural atlas, that illustrates the relationships between the different cultures and reconciles them with the latest research on the migrations of peoples. But perhaps this will be a task for a network of ethnographers from all corners of the earth.

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