Seeing sound: consciousness and therapeutic acoustics in the inter‐sensory shamanic epistemology of the Orang Sakai of Riau (Sumatra)
Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute September 1, 2008 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9655.2008.00522.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Key points | Argues that in Orang Sakai shamanic epistemology, sounds are materially real and produced by non-physical beings, and that sound can be perceived inter-sensorially through sight, including the 'inner eye,' challenging the oral/aural concept for non-literate societies. |
Abstract
This article explores therapeutic shamanic sounds in relation to Orang Sakai ideas of (altered) consciousness. The argument given is that within a shamanic epistemology the very idea of producing sound involves an assumption of the material existence of non‐physical beings as sound‐makers. Such sounds are conceived to be as materially real as are ordinary physical sounds. The article argues further that sound is not only experienced through hearing but can also be inter‐sensorially experienced through the perception of sight. Moreover, ocular perception can refer to both seeing with the eyes and seeing with the ‘inner eye’, which for Sakais is an organ and not a mental function. Finally, given that sound can be inter‐sensorially experienced, this article questions the validity of the oral/aural concept for non‐literate societies. Résumé L'auteur explore les sons chamaniques thérapeutiques en relation avec les idées de conscience (modifiée) des Orang Sakai. Son argument est que dans une épistémologie chamanique, l'idée même de production de sons suppose l'existence matérielle d'êtres non physiques qui sont à l'origine de ces sons. Ceux‐ci sont conçus comme étant aussi matériellement réels que les sons physiques ordinaires. L'auteur affirme en outre que le son n'est pas seulement perçu par l'oreille mais peut aussi être perçu de façon intersensorielle, par la perception visuelle. En outre, la perception visuelle peut faire référence à la fois à la vision par les yeux et à la vision par « l'œil intérieur », que les Sakai considèrent comme un organe et non comme une fonction mentale. Enfin, étant donné que le son peut être perçu de façon intersensorielle, l'article remet en question la validité du concept d'oralité/auralité dans les sociétés sans écrit.
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 |