This issue of the Bulletin of the Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art includes twelve works on art and shamanism, making use of a variety of tools, methodologies, and concepts. Next, the global use ...of the word shaman, shamanic practice and its applications to archaeology are considered, and an attempt is made to clarify the relationship between art and shamanism. Then, each of the articles collected in this volume of the Bulletin is briefly commented on. Happily, after overcoming various challenges, including the pandemic and a change in the Editorial Team, this volume coincides with the Shamanism exhibition, Visions out of time, held at the Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art. The actions that fall within the shamanic sphere are diverse and variable. Each culture applies a name in the language that corresponds to it. Thus we find behique , mara'akame , machi, and many others. The term shaman offers us the opportunity to use a single word to refer to the ritual activities that lead to the ecstatic state; a category that encompasses the diversity of practitioners who share a series of characteristics, some of which will be listed below. Shamanism occurs in small-scale societies, with low hierarchical manifestations. Consequently, and from a certain point of view, it would not be correct to call complex societies with clear evidence of hierarchies such as those of Chavín, Moche, Wari or Tiwanaku shamanic. However, it might be advantageous to identify shamanic elements in the art of these cultures, in efforts to clarify certain aspects of the iconography that might otherwise remain obscure.
Shamanism is one of the earliest and farthest-reaching magical and religious traditions, vestiges of which still underlie the major religious faiths of the modern world. The function of the shaman is ...to show his or her people the unseen powers behind the mere appearances of nature, as experienced through intuition, in trance states, or during ecstatic mystical visions. Shamans possess healing powers, communicate with the dead and the world beyond, and influence the weather and movements of hunting animals. The psychological exaltation of shamanism trance states is similar to the ecstasies of Yogis, Christian mystics and dervishes. Shamanism: An Introductiontraces the development of shamanism in its many fascinating global manifestations. Looking at shamanic practices from Siberia to China and beyond, it provides an accessible guide to one of the world's most ancient, notorious and frequently misrepresented spiritual traditions. Placing special emphasis on the climate, geographic and cultural pressures under which shanic customs arose and continue to be observed, Margaret Stutley summarizes and clearly explains the logic of a faith whose fantastical elements hold a special place in popular imagination.
Shamanism is one of the earliest and farthest-reaching magical and religious traditions, vestiges of which still underlie the major religious faiths of the modern world. The function of the shaman is ...to show his or her people the unseen powers behind the mere appearances of nature, as experienced through intuition, in trance states, or during ecstatic mystical visions. Shamans possess healing powers, communicate with the dead and the world beyond, and influence the weather and movements of hunting animals. The psychological exaltation of shamanism trance states is similar to the ecstasies of Yogis, Christian mystics and dervishes. Shamanism: An Introduction traces the development of shamanism in its many fascinating global manifestations. Looking at shamanic practices from Siberia to China and beyond, it provides an accessible guide to one of the world's most ancient, notorious and frequently misrepresented spiritual traditions. Placing special emphasis on the climate, geographic and cultural pressures under which shanic customs arose and continue to be observed, Margaret Stutley summarizes and clearly explains the logic of a faith whose fantastical elements hold a special place in popular imagination.
The relationship of wu (巫) to shamanism is problematic, with virtually all mentions of historical and contemporary Chinese wu ritualists translated into English as shaman. Ethnological research is ...presented to illustrate cross-cultural patterns of shamans and other ritualists, providing an etic framework for empirical assessments of resemblances of Chinese ritualists to shamans. This etic framework is further validated with assessments of the relationship of the features with biogenetic bases of ritual, altered states of consciousness, innate intelligences and endogenous healing processes. Key characteristics of the various types of wu and other Chinese ritualists are reviewed and compared with ethnological models of the patterns of ritualists found cross-culturally to illustrate their similarities and contrasts. These comparisons illustrate the resemblances of pre-historic and commoner wu to shamans but additionally illustrate the resemblances of most types of wu to other ritualist types, not shamans. Across Chinese history, wu underwent transformative changes into different types of ritualists, including priests, healers, mediums and sorcerers/witches. A review of contemporary reports on alleged shamans in China also illustrates that only some correspond to the characteristics of shamans found in cross-cultural research and foraging societies. The similarities of most types of wu ritualists to other types of ritualists found cross-culturally illustrate the greater accuracy of translating wu as “ritualist” or “religious ritualist.”
Fortune and the cursed Swancutt, Katherine
2012., 20120615, 2012, 2012-06-15, Volume:
11
eBook
Innovation-making is a classic theme in anthropology that reveals how people fine-tune their ontologies, live in the world and conceive of it as they do. This ethnographic study is an entrance into ...the world of Buryat Mongol divination, where a group of cursed shamans undertake the 'race against time' to produce innovative remedies that will improve their fallen fortunes at an unconventional pace. Drawing on parallels between social anthropology and chaos theory, the author gives an in-depth account of how Buryat shamans and their notion of fortune operate as 'strange attractors' who propagate the ongoing process of innovation-making. With its view into this long-term 'cursing war' between two shamanic factions in a rural Mongolian district, and the comparative findings on cursing in rural China, this book is a needed resource for anyone with an interest in the anthropology of religion, shamanism, witchcraft and genealogical change.
In this article I examine the architecture and architectural thinking of Finnish Academician Reima Pietilä (1923–93) in relation to his design methodology. Pietilä was an architect with an original, ...creative, artistic personality, who set out early in his career to develop the form language, and theory of modern architecture, moving it towards an organic expressionism. Finnish nature mysticism was a source of inspiration for him, and ‘nature architecture’ one of his key concepts.
In traditional shamanism, the sacred mission and responsibility of a shaman is to provide healing and salvation for individuals. Today, with continuous advancements in science, technology, and ...medical expertise, the content and methods of shamanic healing are quietly evolving, alongside the upholding and preservation of traditional beliefs. The case study of the Daur shamanic lʊs (river spirit) ritual in this paper discusses the concepts of actual disease and virtual disease in contemporary Daur shamanism. By briefly describing the key processes of this ceremony, including the involvement of shaman spirits and the main elements of divine songs, this paper analyzes the characteristics and functions of the modern-day Daur shaman river spirit ceremony. During the ritual dedicated to lʊs, Daur shamans perform symbolic ceremonies while receiving oracles from their spiritual guides. The ceremony itself incorporates various unique healing techniques such as dʊməl, tærmit, xʊræ- xʊræ, arʃan, altəŋ sʊlʊ; kʊtʊr bʊjin, taboo, etc. These distinctive methods aim to achieve preventive healing as well as realistic healing on both the individual and collective levels. In summary, the lʊs ritual itself serves as a transformative process that encompasses diverse forms of healing through its ceremonial practices.
As artes têm um papel decisivo nos debates sobre o Antropoceno: estas revelam a consciência de mais uma crise causada pelo humano, pondo a nu a decepção com a ordem civilizacional. A arte paleolítica ...já trazia uma consciência humilde e grata do humano face à grandiosidade dos animais e da natureza. No mundo contemporâneo a arte que recebe uma influência indígena e xamânica, com uma linguagem que mais do que trazer à colação questões como destruição e extinção, oferecem uma dimensão de beleza e harmonia com o cosmos, uma esperança de abertura a uma consciência verdadeiramente humanizada, exerce uma crítica consciente ao Antropoceno. Testemunha deste fenómeno é a popularização global da ayahuasca, que saindo das florestas da América Latina para os grandes centros da Europa e da América do Norte tem inspirado muitos artistas, proporcionando um debate artístico-político que coloca em relação a ecologia, a harmonia cósmica e a pluralidade cultural.
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