THE VERTICAL OF AMUR COSMO-PSYCHO-LOGOS AND MODERN SHAMANISM
M.A. Plokhotnyuk, Ya.S. Kryzhanovskaya
Izvestiya of the Samara Science Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences Social Humanitarian Medicobiological Sciences 2023 DOI: 10.37313/2413-9645-2023-25-92-101-108 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Native peoples of Priamurye (Ulch, Nanai, Oroch, Udege, Evenks, Evens, Negidals) |
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Key points | The authors argue that the landscape of Priamurye generates a Verticality/Horizontality dichotomy that structures the "world image" of its native peoples, expressed through mythologemes such as the three-part world model, spirit hierarchies, mythological birds, the river, traditional dwellings, shamanic and cult trees, and mountains, with the shaman central to Verticality. They contend that modern Priamurye myth is eclectic and weakly structured, with significant borrowings, blurring any strict line between "aboriginal" and "Russian" world images, and they propose reasons for the contemporary popularity of shamanism and modern shamanic practices. |
Abstract
The article deals with a “myth” problem of Priamurye as a cross-border territory through the concept of Cosmo-psychologos (by G.D. Gachev). The paper emphasize Verticality/Horizontality dichotomy based on natural landscape of this territory inhabited by local peoples (Ulch, Nanai, Oroch, Udege, Evenks, Evens, Negidals), so that dichotomy can form specific “world image”. The authors cover basic mythologemes and symbols of Priamurye native peoples dealing with the image of Verticality (three-part world model, spirits and gods hierarchy, cosmogony order, mythological birds, the river, traditional dwelling, shamanic tree and cult trees, the mountain etc.) and emphasize the role of traditional shaman who is to deal with the Verticality. The authors examine the modern Priamurye myth`s eclecticism and weak structure having significant amount of borrowings, so it seems difficult to draw a strict borderline between “aboriginal” and “Russian” world images. The authors conclude on reasons why shamanism and modern shamanic practices can be popular nowadays.
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 |