Healing Failed Faith? Contemporary Siberian Shamanism
Anthropology & Humanism December 1, 2001 DOI: 10.1525/ahu.2001.26.2.134 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Shamanic leaders and their followers in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Russia |
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Citations | 18 |
| Key findings | Shamanic revitalization in post-Soviet Sakha Republic is fragmented, with disillusionment toward faith healers coexisting with emerging movements that pursue philosophical, social, and ecological reforms. |
Abstract
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, shamanic revitalization has become both popular and controversial in rural and urban contexts. Diverse shamanic activities and styles reveal a fragmentation of tradition. While disillusion with failed faith healers is rife, several nascent shamanic movements have attracted eclectic groups of followers. The two shamanic leaders featured here are attempting philosophical, social, and ecological reforms. Their movements and reputations transcend the personal healing of multicultural clients.This article, inspired by the writing and example of Edith Turner, draws attention to the interrelationship between individual and community healing. Data, based on frequent fieldwork in the Far East since 1986, help augment and critique literature on revitalization movements, shamanism, gender, and nationalism.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on shamanism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Plantas con madre": plants that teach and guide in the shamanic initiation process in the East-Central Peruvian Amazon. Curanderos, apprentices, and herbalists in East-Central Peru, including Mestizo,... | 2011 | Qualitative study | n = 36 |
| Purging and the body in the therapeutic use of ayahuasca Healers and participants in shamanic tourism contexts of the Peruvian Amazon and... | 2019 | Ethnography with literature review | n = 227 |
| The Globalization of Ayahuasca Shamanism and the Erasure of Indigenous Shamanism Western tourists and indigenous peoples in Iquitos, Peru | 2016 | Ethnography | |
| Shamanism and Rock Art in Far Western North America Historic hunter-gatherer cultures of California and the Great Basin | 1992 | Ethnographic review and analysis | |
| Working with “La Medicina”: Elements of Healing in Contemporary Ayahuasca Rituals Ayahuasqueros and Western participants in shamanic tourism in Iquitos, Peru | 2012 | Ethnography |