The Ethnography of Stone Lion Cutting Craft in Bakhtiari Territories

Lion is a repetitive motif in Iranian art especialy in visual ones. According to archaeologists , this animal has been reproducted in Iranian arts and crafts along thousands years. As animal symbol, ston lions are installed on the grave of the Bakhtiari strong and important persons as a sign of courage. This is a fieldwork research on current situation of stone lion cutting as a craft, its workshop and the cultural factors affecting its offer and demand in Bakhtiari territories. The observational and interviewal data which are necessory for an ethnographical approach are collected from the region and are got to analyse and interpret by emphasis on their symbolic and semiotic aspects. The findings show that the symbolism and activities related to stone lion cutting have been affected by (adapted to) the Bakhtiari territories as a natural factor and also by the close relationship between humans and animals in Bakhtiari life style as an effective cultural factor. Furthermore, ston lion plays role in healing and fertility rituals because it has special place in Bakhtiari beliefs. So its survival can be explained obviously with the socio- psychological, political and cultural factors.