Spiritual Curative Practices (Dom)
Jonathan Ratcliffe, Natasha Fijn, Li Narangoa
Routledge eBooks March 30, 2026 DOI: 10.4324/9781003700012-4 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that the translated manuscript exemplifies a Mongolian curative tradition combining shamanic ritual with medicinal substances from plants, animals, and minerals to treat both people and herd animals. The authors describe Dom rituals as intended to expel or destroy an evil source in the body and to draw out the body's own healing potential, a nomadic pastoral approach they say persists across the Mongolian Plateau today. |
Abstract
This chapter includes a translation and explanation of a short manuscript, as an example of the kind of curative manual that circulated in Mongolian communities, whereby the content extended beyond humans to include the treatment of herd animals. Dom rituals, such as those prescribed within the manuscript, are designed to expel or destroy the evil source that is residing in a person's body, connecting with a shamanic perspective. Multiple species of plants, animals and minerals were employed from the surrounding environment as a means of treatment. The combination of ritual with medicinal substances is thought to draw out the body's own healing potential, while helping to repair, purify and cure illness and misfortune. The translated text is based on a combination of shamanic underpinnings with a nomadic pastoral approach to medicinal treatment and therapy, which is ongoing in many forms across the Mongolian Plateau today.