shaman's prayer

today I finished the pigment for “shaman’s prayer”. i’m still so uncomfortable giving titles to my pieces, but people absolutely require it. and I don’t at all like using the word “shaman” because it is so closely tied to culture that its meaning out of context could be confusing or incomprehensible. while shaman had practical meaning for my family a couple generations ago, i’ve not had personal experiences with shaman, nor is my contemporary art piece meant to be worn in a dance. so am reluctant to use this word that doesn’t feel like mine. but because titles are meant to be brief and to hint at the story of a piece, and because the word shares some truth of this mask that I cannot relate without it or story-length title, i hesitantly use it here.