Transcendence, Power and Regeneration in Tamang Shamanic Practice

Magical or symbolic power in Tamang shamanic rituals of highland Nepal is a form of 'alienated consciousness' produced through processes of symbolic transcendence. These rituals, including curative soundings and collective pilgrimages, seek to transform afflicted individuals from abject subjects into active agents. Drawing on Terence Turner's ritual theory, the article argues that shamans (bombo) deconstruct socio-ritual orders through transcendent moves, exposing their constructedness and arbitrariness. This deconstruction lays the groundwork for individual and collective transformation, enabling the afflicted to move from a state of abjection to one of agency.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This article analyzes (1) the production of magical or symbolic power and (2) symbolic processes of transcendence in the rituals of Tamang shamans of highland Nepal, rituals that seek to transform the afflicted from abject subjects to active agents. In convergence with Terence Turner’s theoretical contributions to the study of ritual, this article argues that magical power produced by Tamang shamans in curative soundings as well as collective pilgrimages is a form of ‘alienated consciousness’ made possible through ritual processes of symbolic transcendence. I argue that shamans or bombo, through their transcendent moves, deconstruct orders produced elsewhere in socio-ritual life and, in the process, expose the constructedness or arbitrariness of those orders, laying the groundwork for transformation of afflicted subjects from abject to agential states both individually and collectively.