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5.The World
The creatures in the music video Jomon share a profound spiritual connection with the land, viewing it as a sacred, living entity intrinsically tied to their identity and beliefs.
The Jomon world is a seamless tapestry where the natural environment and human culture are intricately woven together. The tribes that inhabit this realm are an integral part of the landscape, their lives, and traditions shaped by the land they call home.
A scene from Jomon: Totems created by The Frogolotls Tribe
Sacred Stone
Stone circles are mysterious monuments of the ancient world, with the most famous examples found across Britain Ireland. These rings of standing stones date back thousands of years to the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age. While their exact purpose remains uncertain, it's clear they held great significance for the people who built them, serving as sacred sites for rituals and ceremonies.
The Frogolotls, a tribe of amphibious humanoids, incorporated stone circles into their unique cultural traditions. For their most sacred dancing ritual, the Frogolotls carefully arranged stones in perfect circles, etching intricate symbols into the surfaces. These engravings depicted the Frogolotls' complex cosmology—a metaphorical representation of two worlds, the mortal realm and the spiritual realm, intertwining and connecting through the power of their tribal dance. The symbols evoked images of intertwining snakes, majestic dragons, and colorful nudibranchs, creatures that embodied the Frogolots' beliefs about the fluidity between the physical and the metaphysical. As the dancers moved in a mesmerizing pattern around the stone circle, it was said the veil between worlds grew thin, allowing spirits to walk among the Frogolotls.
Left. Painting of Stonehenge. Right. Photograph of Celtic spiral symbol.
Landscape
The sacredness of a landscape is heavily dependent on its cultural context, including traditions, rituals performed in the region, and the beliefs of the people living there. Sacred landscapes are revered due to their natural environments and the energies of specific places, such as the power of the land, the wind, and the energy of their locations.
The creatures in the music video Jomon share a profound spiritual connection with the land, viewing it as a sacred, living entity intrinsically tied to their identity and beliefs. These revered natural spaces serve as sites for vision quests, gathering medicinal plants, performing rituals, and renewing their bond with the land. Incorporating these sacred landscapes into the world of Jomon was essential to authentically represent the tribes' reverence for nature and their harmonious relationship with the environment.
The majestic mountains where Hatis Noit sings evoke the breathtaking landscapes of Nepal and Southeast Asia, enhancing the mystical and spiritual atmosphere of the performance.
A scene from Jomon: The flags made from the tribe flutter in the wind of the mountains.
The earth resonates with the voice of Hatis Noit, with gemstones and crystals glowing in response to the dances of the creatures. The landscapes serve as both witnesses and participants in the ceremony guided by Hatis Noit and the tribes.
The landscapes serve as both witnesses and participants in the ceremony guided by Hatis Noit and the tribes.
A scene from Jomon: The elements of the land resonates with Hatis Noit's voice
A scene from Jomon: The landscape and water welcomes the opening of the flower
A scene from Jomon: The Flogolotls Tribe dances with the energy of the world
Vessels
Vessels such as vases and pots held immense significance in many ancient cultures, acting as bridges between the physical and spiritual realms. In several Southeast Asian and Native American societies, these vessels were used to enshrine ancestral souls or remains, allowing the living to honor their ancestors and seek their blessings and protection. Vessels also played a crucial role in ceremonial and ritual practices across various civilizations. Their shapes, decorations, and motifs often depicted cultural narratives, myths, values, and scenes from daily life, providing valuable insights into ancient beliefs and practices.
Certain designs were specifically crafted for important civic or ritual occasions, imbuing them with deeper symbolic meaning. In Vedic, Buddhist, and Jain traditions, vessels symbolized wealth and fertility and were used in rituals as keepers of spirits or proxies for divinity. Elaborate decorative elements with protective motifs were believed to ensure prosperity, fertility, and well-being during ceremonies, especially in Southeast Asia.
Top Image. G, Joffe. Figurative Vessel from the Mwana people of Nigeria, West Africa (2016) [Photograph]. Filled to the Brim.
Middle Image. Vessel found from Goshomae Ruins (2016) [Photograph]. Yamanashi Ken.
Bottom Image. G, Joffe. Figurative "Soul" Vessel from the Mambila people of Cameroon, West Africa (2016) [Photograph]. Filled to the Brim.
Figurative vessels, while often very detailed and expressive like sculptures, remain functional containers. For example, the Mambila people of Cameroon create vessels that could be mistaken for art, yet they are intended to hold practical items like water, food, or medicine.
These vessels can also contain spiritual elements, like souls, life energy, or healing powers. Despite depicting figures and scenes, they are hollow inside and can be filled with various substances, both physical and spiritual.
Sketch for vessels, mixing creature elements
Final rendering of the tools for the Sea Chromo Tribe ritual
A scene from Jomon: The Sea Chromo tribe using ceremonial tools to grind colorful pigments and insects
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