Sami Shamanism: Religions Variation in a Changing Ecosystem
Erich Kasten
Culture July 8, 2021 DOI: 10.7202/1078777ar (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Key points | Argues that Sami shamanism, which existed only into the 19th century, displays unique features alongside basic ideological similarities to circumpolar shamanism, and that these variations serve as indicators of religious change during the Black Death period and the transition to reindeer pastoralism. |
Abstract
Shamanism, as defined in this paper, existed among the Sami only into the 19th century. Besides its relatively early dissolution it displays certain unique features, as well as basic ideological similarities, that distinguish it from circumpolar shamanism in general. These variations are studied here as indicators of religious change in two periods of Sami history: the period of the impact of the Black Death and the period of the transition to reindeer pastoralism.
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 |