The Siberian Audio Collection of Vilmos Diószegi in Budapest
István Sántha
Museum Anthropology October 15, 2025 DOI: 10.1111/muan.70024 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Keywords | Ethnography Indigenous Narrative Anthropology Visual arts Media studies Art history Library science |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Describes the content and significance of Diószegi's audio collection of Siberian shamanic traditions, now digitized and publicly available. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT This commentary introduces the reader to the Siberian audio collection of the Hungarian ethnologist and researcher of shamanism Vilmos Diószegi (1923–1972). Diószegi conducted four research expeditions to southern Siberia and northern Mongolia, in 1957, 1958, 1960, and 1964, to study the shamanic traditions of Indigenous populations in these regions. During these expeditions, he recorded shamanic narratives and collected materials on shamanic practices from former shamans. The primary sources for this research are the audio recordings preserved in the Museum of Ethnography in Budapest, Diószegi's first workplace, along with other secondary materials, including written documents and ethnographic artifacts. The Museum of Ethnography digitized the audio materials and posted them on the museum's website in 2023 to commemorate the centenary of Diószegi's birth. The materials are of interest to representatives of Indigenous peoples of Siberia, as well as to anthropologists, folklorists, and linguists studying Siberian culture and languages.
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 |