INSTITUTE OF FEMALE SHAMANISM AMONG THE EVENKS OF THE FAR EAST (BASED ON THE MATERIALS OF THE MATERIALS OF THEIR RESEARCH)
S. A. Unru
NORTHERN ARCHIVES AND EXPEDITIONS December 30, 2021 DOI: 10.31806/2542-1158-2021-5-4-154-164 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethnography Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 35 |
| Population | Evenki residents of three settlements (Iengra in Yakutia; Pervomayskoye and Bomnak in the Amur region), including shamans, clients, and local people connected to shamanism |
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Key findings | The authors argue that female shamanism exists as a separate institution in Far Eastern Evenki culture, with female shamans differing from male shamans in gift transmission, shamanic illness, age of practice onset, activity sphere, ritual style, healing and divination methods, and costume and attributes, while their status is described as high and not inferior to that of male shamans. |
Abstract
In the course of field research on the territory of three Evenki settlements (Iengra Neryungrinsky ulus of the Yakutia, Pervomayskoye and Bomnak of the Amur region), we collected information about the features of mythology, genealogy, formation, equipment and practice of female shamans. The purpose of the study was to describe female shamanism among the Evenks, its current state, work with shamans, their clients, interviewing the local population, meetings and conversations with representatives of local administrations, work in scientific archives and local history museums, video recording of interviews, rituals, holidays, ceremonies, daily life of the Evenks. During the expedition, 35 people related to shamanism were interviewed. A video recording of shamanic ritual was made. More than 1000 photos, 20 hours of audio, 22 hours of video were recorded. Archival videos on the traditional culture of the Evenks of the Far East, including female shamanism, have been collected. The materials of the expedition work confirmed the existence of female shamanism as a separate institution in the culture of the Far Eastern Evenks. In the studied areas, both male and female shamans really practice, and ethnophores were able to describe the differences between male and female shamanism. While observing the general principles of the cult, the female version of shamanism has specific features. This is found in the form of shamanic gift transmission, the course of shamanic disease, the age when shamanic practice begins, the field of activity and the style of the ritual. Female shamans use special methods of treatment and divination, have a costume and attributes that differ from men's. Often male shamans and female shamans are in a confrontation at the sacred level. The status of female shamans is quite high and is not inferior to the status of male shamans.
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 |