Shamans and “Dark Agencies”: War, Magical Parasitism, and Re-Enchanted Spirits in Siberia
Religions September 24, 2024 Konstantinos Zorbas 1 citation
In Tuva, South Siberia, people often blame misfortune on magical assault and vampirism. Based on fieldwork with an Association of Shamans, this article examines rituals that redress curse afflictions under Russian political domination. It argues that parasitical worship and occult threats are central to political power in Tuva and beyond. Shamanic healing symbols draw on hunting and animal spirits from Indigenous Siberian cosmologies, with healing efficacy built through engagement with these symbols. Ritual risk underpins symbolic resolution. While shamans give refuge to displaced spirits, Tibetan Buddhism offers an alternative healing path. The analysis reveals indigenous perceptions of a cursed landscape where darkness and political sponsors are confronted by Buddhist rituals, highlighting the unresolved drama of itinerant spirits and shamanic ancestral souls.