Shamans, Supernaturals & Animal Spirits: Mythic Figures From the Ancient Andes

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Band from a Tunic
Warrior with Antler Headdress
Moche-Wari culture, Huarmey Valley?
AD 750-1000
Cotton, camelid wool; interlocking tapestry weave
5" x 3¾"
Literature
Amano Museum 1979b, fig. 41.
A
pair of giant antlers yields a headdress for this otherwisestraightforward
portrayal of a Huarmey warrior garbed in
the standard triangular male breechcloth, and holding a spearthrower
and bladed weapon.
The antlers clearly serve a descriptive purpose, comparing the
prowess, speed and virility of the figure with male deer who
use their bony horns as weapons when vying for dominance.
The fierce clashing sound of interlocking antlers possibly
evoked hand-to-hand combat.
In earlier Moche art, both warriors and enemy captives were
also metaphorically represented as deer. Although the analogy
of the hunt and the kill is a visceral one, the depictions of
wounded deer, seated and dressed like humans, are striking for
their dignity.
Esteem for the animal was evidently kept alive within
Huarmey culture as well, which adapted the symbolism for a
Wari-influenced design of vertically arrayed figures, presented
frontally like the classic staff-bearer icon.
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