THE AURYN JOURNAL
Notes on jewellery, materials, memory, style and the small details that make an object feel personal.
LATEST FROM AURYN
Who is Yemoja? The Yoruba orisha of the Ogun River who became the ocean mother Yemayá of Cuba and Iemanjá of Brazil, honoured with great sea festiv...
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How did the Taíno explain the Sun and Moon? The cave of Iguanaboina, recorded by Ramón Pané in the 1490s, and the zemís Boinayel and Márohu.
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Who is Simbi? The Haitian Vodou spirits of springs, rivers and fresh water, their roots in Kongo religion, and their association with knowledge and...
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What do petroglyph symbols mean? Why rock art cannot be decoded from a chart, and how archaeologists and communities read it in context.
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What does pikorua mean? The Māori twist represents enduring connection, intertwined paths and relationships across time and distance.
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Who is Obatala? The Yoruba orisha who shaped the first human bodies, 'king of the white cloth', a deity of purity, wisdom and calm.
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What does the Nunavut flag mean? The red inuksuk, the blue North Star of Niqirtsuituq, the colours of land, sea and sky, and the artist behind the ...
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What does Nge-Nge mean? The Mapuche textile motif of paired eyes, described by weavers as a window through which the soul is shown.
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What does the hawk mean in Mapuche culture? Ñamku, the bird that links people and the spirit world, in the culture of the Mapuche of Chile and Arge...
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Who is Makemake? The creator god of Rapa Nui, the birdman competition at Orongo, and the dwarf planet that now carries his name.
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Who are the lwa of Haitian Vodou? An introduction to Erzulie, Agwe, Simbi and Gran Bwa, their domains, vèvè and ceremonial flags.
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Who is Gran Bwa? The Haitian Vodou lwa of leaves and forests, his vèvè and ceremonial flags, and his relationship with sacred trees.
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Who is Erzulie? The Haitian Vodou family of lwa of love and womanhood, from the refined Ezili Freda to the fierce, protective Ezili Dantor.
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Who is Babalú-Ayé? The orisha of epidemic illness and recovery, his Yoruba roots as Ṣọ̀pọ̀na and his close Cuban bond with San Lázaro.
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Who is Agwe? The Haitian Vodou lwa of the sea, patron of sailors and fishermen, his ship Imamou, and the offerings sent out to him on the water.
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Who was Pacha Kamaq? The deity of the great oracle sanctuary of Pachacamac near Lima, older than the Inca, and the painted wooden idol dated to AD ...
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Who were the Bacabs? The four Maya sky-bearers who held up the heavens at the corners of the world, their colours, and the Bacab of the south.
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What are the Nazca Lines? The geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa in Peru, how they were made, what the 2024 AI survey found, and what they may have been ...
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