The article is devoted to the analysis of the historical and ethnocultural transformations of Kyrgyz shamanism in the 20th – 21st centuries. Attention is focused on the evolving roles, practices, and worldviews of sacred specialists such as bakshi, bubi, kuuchu, and dubana. The impact of major historical factors, including the gradual Islamization of the region, Soviet anti-religious policies,...
The article dwells upon connection between the two most important Kyrgyz traditions: shamanism ( bakshylyk ) and storytelling ( zhomokchuluk ). It considers the general cultural and social field that forms some features that are characteristic of both shamans and storytellers, as well as the traces of pre-Islamic culture that can be found in the world of the Kyrgyz epic. Special attention is...