Siberian Folk Religions

A large minority of people in North Asia, particularly in Siberia, follow the religio-cultural practices of shamanism. Some researchers regard Siberia as the heartland of shamanism. The preceding article on Central Asia folk religions includes information about Siberian folk religion. Here is a sentence from it: "The narrowest conceptions of shamanism restrict the use of the term to a specific form of religious practice found in Siberia, where Tungus religious practitioners called šamán (source of the term shaman) serve as a model." The relatively modern term shaman is of Siberian derivation, but the article also features a statement by American anthropologist Lowell Bean: "“Shamanism is the religion of all hunting and gathering cultures, and it forms the basis of many more formalized religions that retain shamanistic elements." Traces of shamanism are present in the traditional religions of every continent to a greater or lesser extent. In the tribal societies of Siberia and Central Asia, shamanism always has been a fundamental factor of religious life since the Bronze Age. Buryat (a Mongolic ethnic group native to southeastern Siberia) shamanism was energetically opposed and suppressed by Soviet authorities, but many traditions were secretly preserved. Currently, tribes from Lake Baikal, Trans-Baikal, Tuva and Altai regions again perform their traditional rites. Post-Soviet shamanism is being resurrected on a grand scale. According to shamanism, the universe is divided into three worlds: the upper world, thre earth, and the underworld. These worlds are all connected by a cosmic axis called the Golden Pillar by the Buryats. It is recognised as the center of the universe and the point of entry to and departure from the individual worlds. The upper world is inhabited by gods. The underworld is inhabited by demons. The earth, positioned between these two extremes, is inhabited by humans. Spirits called Abaasies can live in all three worlds. Shamans can interact and communicate with the spirits of all three worlds. A shaman is simultaneously a soothsayer, a priest, and a healer. The power of a shaman lies in their mastery of the ecstatic techniques of dreams, visions, and trances. Shamans are valued members of their communities, so it is common in Siberia to isolate a shaman who does not participate in the everyday life of tribal society. The rituals of Shamanism in Siberia involve healing, purifying and divination. While performing these rituals, Shamans attired in costumes specific to their tribe sing, chant, dance, and strike drums and tambourines that symbolize the universe. Often they use intoxicating substances and hallucinogenic mushrooms as a means of hastening the attainment of an ecstasic state. Typically, sacrifices are offered to Mother Earth, the spirits, and the gods during these rituals. Healing is performed to rid a person of the evil spirit that has caused disease and to restore portions of a sufferer's soul that have been stolen by the evil spirits. Divination is the means whereby a Shaman can foretell the future, diagnose diseases, and seek a cure for them. In some cultures, it is believed that a shaman can escort the newly deceased persons to their place in the Otherworld. Shamans, like psychoanalysts, can interpret a person's dreams and find the solution to the problems hidden in them.