Snaga-uruki
Kaushatar cycle
Not everything that the tribe need, can be obtained by hunting or plundering, some goals are more abstract. Such needs can be fulfilled by uruki spirits that are called Frumi. Tribe Snaga sometimes needs to perform ritual - Kaushatar in uruki tongue to achieve various goals. Most common are to grant victory in upcoming battle, to foresee the future, plead for bigger plunder in raid or bigger game in hunt. Kaushatar can be used to curse the woes or to protect the tribe, there are as many rituals as there are wishes and no result is certain.
Kaushatar that you are about to witness was conducted as follows. Long before it began the tribe started to make preparations, each decorated in his own way to look as splendid and terrifying as possible. The costumes consisted of leather and cloth masks, jewellery of bone and feathers, headbands, arm bracelets. On exposed parts of their bodies magical symbols and glyphs were painted with charcoal and colourful clays. Meanwhile the venom-brewer Bagathrular and shaman Dushatar are preparing the magical potion in copper pot, later during the ritual, the potion is heated on fire and sometimes it’s set on fire too, because it’s made from strong brandy, and when poured into the fire as an offering to Frumi it burns violently with blue flames. Before the dawn everything is ready, uruki collect their drums, rattles, and other instuments and by the light of single torch the wander to the site of the ritual.
The centre of the ritual is great pile of wood for bonfire and around which circle of fur is spread out for sitting. Outer circle is made of various totems depicting Frumi. After the bonfire is started and uruki are seated, the pot with magical potion is heated and first slow rhythms of instruments start to sound. Sometimes the music fades as the pot goes from hand to hand and more they drink, the more wilder the music gets and more often various incomprehensible throat incantations can be heard. Gradually everyone gets carried away by the rhythm, fall into the trance, their movements gets faster and faster and start to swirl in wild dance. Uruki seem to merge with the flames burning so violently as if it even didn’t need the wood. Dancing bodies swirl frantically taking frightening and horrific forms until the reality of the unfolding scene can be hardly believed. Their own wild spirits seems to grow into unnatural sizes much larger their physical bodies. The roar, the music and the dance suddenly changes rhythm culminating into the cacophony just before everything stops in burst of blue flames and drown in silent glowing of the fire. After the fire loses its power and flames fade uruki bodies are lying on the ground with their spirits caught in realm of dreams. After a good while when the fire extinguishers completely they rise heavily and slowly return to camp, muttering:
Guri ti ash bajrak. Guri ti Snaga.
Ubo udalgatat ashti. Ubo gimbatat ogh. Ubo gimbatat mokh.
Ubo gimbatat bajrak, lati ur globi tul.
Maudhul cycle
In the middle of the camp there is always big fire, not only for cooking and to provide heat, but it’s also uruki social place, where the tribe gathers, to rest, eat, drink and talk. Many of the stories told there are rooted deeply in the past, most of them are about fighting, hunting and bravery, some about the world and how things are arranged in it. Some stories are funny, some scary, some are needed to give important lessons of life. The most popular stories are told about misfortune, bad luck or various accidents in uruki life, and to those they laugh the most often, even when if it happened to them. As uruki are very malicious, the biggest laughter and rolling on the ground happens when story is told about how someone died by accident or as result of his awkwardness.
On the central campfire many cauldrons, kettles and hooks with meat are hung, everything either stolen or made by the tribe itself. Near it large tent canvas is raised to provide shelter from sun and rain, decorated with pictures of deeds of the tribe and its members. Each warrior has his own tent, each different from the rest, made from various canvas and leather pieces, with his possessions, furs and blankets for sleeping, crockery and all sorts of treasures and nonsense rubbish that he sees as treasure. The tent and nearby space is decorated by magical amulets, bones, skulls, bunches of herbs, barrels and chest for stolen goods, drums, broken plates and pieces of armor and whatever presents uruki culture. Near the camp there are small and sometimes very strange and horrifying altars for uruki gods and spirits that are called Frumi. Each of Frumi has its name and powers and is worshiped in its own way.
Rarely, when the tribe plans to stay on some spot for longer time, they even rise lighter fortification made of sharpened logs and traps.
Ogh cycle
Ogh means journey in uruki tongue. It’s part of tribe’s life, because Snaga don’t have permanent home, as they migrate between summer and winter campsites to get better prey and conditions for living. Also by moving often they are not so easily found by enemies. On the other hand migration makes communication with other uruki tribes more difficult and they need others for trading, planning wars and raiding. Communication is maintained by network of stalkers, trackers and runners, who are able to travel long distances quickly and carry chieftain’s orders, tribe’s location and other important information. For Snaga tribe ogh has also other meaning, when days are almost completely dark and everything except for grog is frozen, ushatari of Snaga embark on Traf the journey into the frozen hills and darkest forests, leaving rest of tribe safely in winter campsite. They take unseen paths through Darkness, facing unspeakable horrors, white cruelty of frost and silent sleep of winter itself for measureless time until they find proper cave to shelter them. Inside they spread their fur and sit around the fire, smoking and cooking potion in a copper cauldron. As potion is brewed it goes from hand to hand, form mouth to mouth and with it talking stick goes as well, that allows ushatar to talk to the others, and tell about his dreams, plans, fears and other important matters that were and are going to be. When potion is finished and everything told, drums and Frumi, mighty spirits of nature, will talk to those who listen and carry ushatari into last dream of the year. In the morning entrance of the cave and everything outside is white with fresh snow, although the day before there was no sign of it, days start to get longer and darkness to fade as Frumi were pleased and allowed new things to happen.
Maukum cycle
About pictures
The foundation of the entire project are authentic photographs taken mostly outdoors, by our friend and photographer Cyril “Cer” Gaja. First photos were taken at the end of 2013 and we are still working on it until now. Interesting locations in Moravia and date of shooting are selected specifically for each photographic series to enhance the atmosphere of the photos. Our favourite locations are in Moravian Karst and Highlands and we don’t visit them just for shooting, but we always stay there for few days and nights and living the camp life of the tribe. Sometimes we use spare time to work
together on our equipment. It is worth mentioning a few important details regarding the costumes and equipment in the photos. These are mostly custom, fully functional products of each of us, starting with basic clothing, combat armour and weapons, camping equipment, tents and accessories. Costumes are not created for photo shooting, but we spend all the time outside whether it is just weekend camping or longer hike. Costumes are made to keep you comfy through all seasons, appearances are but secondary matter, we are concerned about functionality and durability of all our equipment. We use entirely natural materials and excluding the weight and the volume it’s comparable with modern outdoor equipment, if you know what material to use.