“Everything in nature has a consciousness.” Lindsa, Nanai shaman, 2013
In the Amur Oblast in Siberia, they used to make clothes from Siberian salmon and burbot. Salmon played a very significant role in society, and thanks primarily to their size, they were also suitable for making clothing. The Siberian salmon is a giant that could live for over 50 years and grow over two meters long. It took approximately 60 big salmon weighing at least 50 kg to make a garment. Today, most mature fish weighs between 15 and 30 kg. Like many other large fish species, they have become smaller due to overfishing.
The water-repellent fish-skin garments of Amur were often richly decorated, especially the ceremonial garments and shaman’s costumes. In traditional societies, the relationship between humans and nature was one of respect and mutuality, in which all creatures were part of the same complex world.