Blacksmith

The darkhans of Buryatia, a Buddhist region of Siberia, were master craftsmen and blacksmiths, highly esteemed for their artistic skills, ability to work with fire, and shamanistic talent. Dashi Namdakov, a descant of darkhans, first learned the craft not long after a Buryat shaman cured him of a life-threatening illness as a young man. Today, Namdakov carries on his ancestors' ways, and is internationally celebrated, continuing to create art that conveys a Buddhist-shamanic spirituality, and a distinct flavor of the supernatural.