This comparative study sheds light on the agency of nature and provides a lens through which to examine the intersection of ritual, ecology, and indigenous environmental consciousness in South Asia. The paper argues that the sacred groves are not just passive backdrops for human rituals, but dynamic spaces in which fauna, flora, rocks and other natural entities are actively involved in...
The vestments utilized in shamanic rituals constitute a crucial component of tangible cultural heritage, signifying the shaman’s function in communicating with spirits and deities, as well as their socio-cultural status. The attire of the Khorchin shaman is characterized by a complex structure, comprising an inner deel (traditional robe), a ritual waistcoat (vest), a belt, headgear, boots, and...
Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Mianning County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture between 2023 and 2024, this paper analyzes the “xiō bū” (ꑭꁮ) ritual of the Liangshan Yi people. Framed within contemporary approaches to religious anthropology and social memory theory, the study explores how this ritual constructs Yi ecological ethics, social integration, and cultural...
Shamanism is an ancient spiritual tradition rooted in the belief that certain individuals can communicate with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness. Shamanism emphasizes harmony with nature, and birds often serve as symbolic guides between earthly and spiritual realms. This paper explores Shamanism's defining traits, such as adaptivity and inclusivity, that contribute to its...
This paper examines the Yiey Mao belief among the Khmer in Southern Vietnam as a vivid example of how an indigenous religion adapts and endures amid modernization and globalization. Drawing on the anthropology of religion (Geertz, Turner, Tambiah, Eliade), the study interprets Yiey Mao as a dynamic symbolic system that negotiates between tradition and modernity, the sacred and the secular,...
This article offers a comprehensive analysis of shamanism in the Central Asian context, arguing that it cannot be reduced to a static relic of the past but should instead be understood as a dynamic and multi-layered system of meaning-making. First, the cosmological and ritual foundations of shamanism—anchored in tripartite universe models and axis mundi schemata—are shown to provide both...
January 9, 2026José Mostacero-León, Jesús Manuel Charcape Ravelo, Anthony Jordan de la Cruz Castillo et al.
The research highlights the fundamental role of magical-religious practices in the preservation, use, and transmission of ethnobotanical knowledge in Peru. These practices, deeply rooted in the Andean-Amazonian worldview, manifest themselves through the symbolic and therapeutic use of sacred plants, contributing to the continuity of the cultural and spiritual identities of indigenous...
Architecture Image StudiesJanuary 6, 2026Elizabeth Akpanke Odey, Peter Akpo Adams, Osmond Agbor Otora et al.
Divination is a pivotal aspect of African Traditional Religion (ATR). In African indigenous cosmologies and spiritual systems, divination is the means through which the Divine to speak with humans, offering insight, guidance, and solutions to community and individual. This communicative role is what is referred to as prophetic role of divination. Divination also performs diagnostic and...
ABSTRACT This paper explores the persistence and transformation of Mongolian shamanic culture in China, focusing on its artistic and symbolic dimensions. Faced with challenges from modernization, scientific rationalism, and historical policies, shamanic rituals and artifacts have undergone significant adaptation—shifting from sacred practices to museum exhibits, folk performances, and private...
The Last Quarter of the Moon is a classic work of contemporary Chinese ethnic minority literature. It chronicles the century-long migration history of the Evenki hunting tribe and richly incorporates the religious narratives of Evenki shamanism. Its English translation has gained wide recognition overseas; however, current research lacks a specialized investigation into how these shamanistic...
The article examines the vestiges of ancient shamanic worldviews within the structural and semantic framework of Azerbaijani magic tales, focusing specifically on the archetype of transformation and shape-shifting.The shaman and the dervish figure in magic tales are genealogically and functionally sacred mediators originating from the same mythic root, representing two distinct historical...
Festival in the state of Bahia, a Umbanda terreiro in Pernambuco and a Catimbó ritual in Rio Grande do Norte. The first experience was provided by a smokable version known as changa that became popular among psychonauts. Changa is supposed to have been invented in Australia, but using acacia instead of jurema as the source of DMT, a preparation also referred to as “aussiewaska,” according to...