Shamanic Worlds: Rituals and Lore of Siberia and Central Asia - Paperback

by Marjorie Mandelstam Balzer (Author)

This work introduces traditional Siberian shamans as the poets, therapists and even leaders of their communities. Among the special features of this collection are transcriptions of shamanic exhortations and a study of shamanic tales and rituals.

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The ancient heartland of shamanism is no longer forbidden territory - to travelers or to the spirits. But the spirits never left the vastnesses of Siberia and Central Asia, as these writings reveal. Russian and native experts, and an American cultural anthropologist who has done fieldwork in the region, introduce us to shamans as the poets, therapists, healers, and even leaders of their communities. Among the special features of this collection are remarkable transcriptions of shamanic exhortations and a pathbreaking study of shamanic tales and rituals.