Abstract After a spiritual epiphany, the Sakha shaman Alexander Gabyshev became prominent in 2018–2020 by calling Vladimir Putin an authoritarian demon. Critiquing Russia's corrupt society through the internet and a protest march, Alexander rose to civic society leadership with multiethnic sympathizers. This article explains why Alexander became popular, and how he became a threat to Russia's...
An analysis of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) in the Russian Federation reveals a variety of village and urban reactions to crises of faith and power. The significance for group identity and instances of synergistic group belief are discussed. The transition that has seen amorphous underground shamanic practice lead to the institutionalization of shamanic cosmology is reflected in the recent...
The agony of public and private changes in Russia (the Federation of Rossiia) has extended to indigenous peoples of Siberia. Focus on the Sakha Republic Yakutia) of the Far East enables analysis of diverse social, political, and spiritual transformations. Initial 1990s euphoria at the possibility of personal and community reform has yielded to confusion and soul searching. In such conditions,...