Ringing Tone and Drumming Sages in the Crevice Cave of Pirunkirkko, Koli, Finland
Pirunkirkko (“Devil’s Church”) is one of the famous caves in Finland. Tradition says that this crevice leading into the mountain was a meeting place for sages, who typically used sound to contact the spirit world. Today, the place is visited by practitioners of shamanism, who organise drumming sessi...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
De Gruyter
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Open Archaeology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2022-0328 |
| _version_ | 1797435670818455552 |
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| author | Rainio Riitta Hytönen-Ng Elina |
| author_facet | Rainio Riitta Hytönen-Ng Elina |
| author_sort | Rainio Riitta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Pirunkirkko (“Devil’s Church”) is one of the famous caves in Finland. Tradition says that this crevice leading into the mountain was a meeting place for sages, who typically used sound to contact the spirit world. Today, the place is visited by practitioners of shamanism, who organise drumming sessions at the back of the cave. This article examines Pirunkirkko and the related traditions from the perspective of acoustics, hypothesising that the acoustic characteristics of the crevice might have played a role in the ritualisation of the place and the power of its rituals. Methods employed include impulse response recording, spectrum analysis, archival research, and interview of a shamanic practitioner. The results indicate that the back of the cave houses a distinct resonance phenomenon. A standing wave between the parallel walls generates a ringing tone at 219–232 Hz that stays audible after sharp impulses or vocalisations at the same frequency. The local folklore or the interviewed practitioner does not mention this phenomenon at all. Instead, they speak about the “spirit of the cave,” “special energy,” or “new horizons” opened up by drumming. This leads to reflection on cultural frameworks of thought that guide sensory perceptions leading to differing experiences and interpretations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:50:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9a96b301cc834f63863c570324f94b1b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2300-6560 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:50:40Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | De Gruyter |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Open Archaeology |
| spelling | doaj.art-9a96b301cc834f63863c570324f94b1b2023-12-01T07:19:05ZengDe GruyterOpen Archaeology2300-65602023-11-019152153910.1515/opar-2022-0328Ringing Tone and Drumming Sages in the Crevice Cave of Pirunkirkko, Koli, FinlandRainio Riitta0Hytönen-Ng Elina1University of Helsinki, Department of Cultures, 00014 Helsinki, FinlandUniversity of Eastern Finland, Karelian Research Institute, 80100 Joensuu, FinlandPirunkirkko (“Devil’s Church”) is one of the famous caves in Finland. Tradition says that this crevice leading into the mountain was a meeting place for sages, who typically used sound to contact the spirit world. Today, the place is visited by practitioners of shamanism, who organise drumming sessions at the back of the cave. This article examines Pirunkirkko and the related traditions from the perspective of acoustics, hypothesising that the acoustic characteristics of the crevice might have played a role in the ritualisation of the place and the power of its rituals. Methods employed include impulse response recording, spectrum analysis, archival research, and interview of a shamanic practitioner. The results indicate that the back of the cave houses a distinct resonance phenomenon. A standing wave between the parallel walls generates a ringing tone at 219–232 Hz that stays audible after sharp impulses or vocalisations at the same frequency. The local folklore or the interviewed practitioner does not mention this phenomenon at all. Instead, they speak about the “spirit of the cave,” “special energy,” or “new horizons” opened up by drumming. This leads to reflection on cultural frameworks of thought that guide sensory perceptions leading to differing experiences and interpretations.https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2022-0328archaeoacousticsresonancecavesvernacular healing traditioncontemporary shamanism |
| spellingShingle | Rainio Riitta Hytönen-Ng Elina Ringing Tone and Drumming Sages in the Crevice Cave of Pirunkirkko, Koli, Finland Open Archaeology archaeoacoustics resonance caves vernacular healing tradition contemporary shamanism |
| title | Ringing Tone and Drumming Sages in the Crevice Cave of Pirunkirkko, Koli, Finland |
| title_full | Ringing Tone and Drumming Sages in the Crevice Cave of Pirunkirkko, Koli, Finland |
| title_fullStr | Ringing Tone and Drumming Sages in the Crevice Cave of Pirunkirkko, Koli, Finland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ringing Tone and Drumming Sages in the Crevice Cave of Pirunkirkko, Koli, Finland |
| title_short | Ringing Tone and Drumming Sages in the Crevice Cave of Pirunkirkko, Koli, Finland |
| title_sort | ringing tone and drumming sages in the crevice cave of pirunkirkko koli finland |
| topic | archaeoacoustics resonance caves vernacular healing tradition contemporary shamanism |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2022-0328 |
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