Death rituals for the living: Exploring the history and diversity of the shamanic death rituals in Korea
Dominik Rutana
Etnografia. Praktyki, Teorie, Doświadczenia December 16, 2024 DOI: 10.26881/etno.2024.10.07 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Keywords | Diversity politics Variety cybernetics Faith Adaptation eye Funeral rites Anthropology Ethnology |
| Key points | Argues that Korean shamanic death rituals have continuously evolved through adaptation and adoption from other religious traditions, resulting in the diverse forms observed today. |
Abstract
This article examines the diverse forms of shamanic death rituals observed in Korea from a historical perspective. Korean shamanism, or musok, is a highly dynamic form of faith centred on the figure of the shaman, associated rituals, and a worldview that has been passed down orally among shamans from generation to generation. It is important to note, however, that this worldview, and therefore the ritual itself, has never been fixed or unchangeable. To the contrary, Korean shamans have demonstrated the capacity for continual adaptation of their practices in response to the evolving needs of their society. This has been achieved by the adoption of elements from a variety of religious traditions, which has resulted in the continuous transformation, and even creation of new ritual forms. The death ritual performed when person is still alive, known as sanogu kut, is an exampleof this. This ongoing evolution has resulted in the rich diversity of shamanic death rituals observed in South Korea today.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on shamanism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayahuasca Shamanism in the Amazon and Beyond | 2014 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Shamanism as the Original Neurotheology | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Cognitive Neuroscience, Shamanism and the Rock Art of Native California | 1998 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From Culture to Experience: Shamanism in the Pages of the Soviet Anti-Religious Press | 2020 | Historical analysis | |
| Anthropology, Shamanism, and Alternate Ways of Knowing–Being in the World: One Anthropologist's Journey of Discovery and Transformation | 2010 | Reflective essay or personal narrative |