Nanai post-Soviet Shamanism
March 20, 2023 DOI: 10.4324/9780429354663-39 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethnography |
|---|---|
| Population | Nanai shamans in a specific part of the Nanai region within Khabarovsk territory |
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Key findings | Many contemporary Nanai shamans reject the term "neo-shamans," arguing it does not capture their worldview or practices. They contend that the relevant distinction is not between "traditional shamans" and "neo-shamans" but between "real, true" practitioners and "fake" ones. |
Abstract
Based on the field material collected among the Nanai people over more than 35 years of study, the author of this chapter presents the emic point of view of the Nanai shamans on the changes that have occurred in their shamanic practices over the past decades. Focusing on a specific part of the Nanai region within the Khabarovsk territory, this piece discusses the local focalization of shamanic activities and the beliefs of the shamans who continue to practice in this place. A key discussion around shamanism surrounds the changes in practice over time and the differences between generations of practitioners. Many modern Nanai shamans strongly object to being called “neo-shamans” as they do not agree that this term (which appeared in Russia in the post-Soviet period) accurately captures their worldview and their practices. From their point of view, we should distinguish not between “traditional shamans” and “neo-shamans” but rather between the “real, true” ones and “fake” ones.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on shamanism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Plantas con madre": plants that teach and guide in the shamanic initiation process in the East-Central Peruvian Amazon. Curanderos, apprentices, and herbalists in East-Central Peru, including Mestizo,... | 2011 | Qualitative study | n = 36 |
| Purging and the body in the therapeutic use of ayahuasca Healers and participants in shamanic tourism contexts of the Peruvian Amazon and... | 2019 | Ethnography with literature review | n = 227 |
| The Globalization of Ayahuasca Shamanism and the Erasure of Indigenous Shamanism Western tourists and indigenous peoples in Iquitos, Peru | 2016 | Ethnography | |
| Shamanism and Rock Art in Far Western North America Historic hunter-gatherer cultures of California and the Great Basin | 1992 | Ethnographic review and analysis | |
| Working with “La Medicina”: Elements of Healing in Contemporary Ayahuasca Rituals Ayahuasqueros and Western participants in shamanic tourism in Iquitos, Peru | 2012 | Ethnography |