This report from the field in the form of a photo essay explores the shifting religious landscape of Ketokha, a village in the Chhukha district of southwestern Bhutan. Historically, Buddhist and shamanic traditions coexisted in Ketokha, negotiating varied positions of power, influence and healing. The nejom (female medium) and pawo (male medium) played pivotal roles in ritually protecting the...
Abstract:Focusing on a detailed ethnography of mediumship in a Bhutanese village with a well-established religious pluralism, this paper examines the sociality and ‘indigenous historiographic’ tradition of a marginal ritual as a way of deconstructing sedimented and forgotten histories. It argues that the shamanic ritual is both formulaic, allowing for mimetic retention of history, and...