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At the territory of Chita region still remains one
of the most ancient forms of religion – shamanism. In many settlements, where
the native people (the buryats) live, you can meet people shamans by the locals.
An endless stream of cars from the nearest villages and cities is
constantly moving to them. According to religious believes of some peoples
of Siberia the shaman could foretell the future, inform about coming
calamities, send his soul to distant places, get to know “where and what
is going on”. The shaman was considered to be a healer of diseases, who is
also able to cast out evil spirits. All these notions survived up to the
present.
The buryat
shamans inherit their position. A member of the family, who has certain
abilities, can become a shaman. The teacher instructs the young shaman about
religious traditions, develops his abilities, teaches him how to diagnose
and heal diseases.
The buryat
shamans of Transbaikal region use vodka for their rituals. Vodka is means of
foretelling and healing for them. Every person, who asked a shaman for help,
is supposed to bring a bottle of vodka, which has been kept at home for a
period of time (preferably at the head of the bed, where the person slept).
They say, this is the way how vodka absorbs all needed information about
somebody. The shamans watch someone’s life like on TV screen, read the
information about diseases, define its reasons, sources of failtures,
foretell the future.
Some of
the shamans can demonstrate the ritual O n g o n, during which the shaman
reaches the condition of trance and suddenly changes his appearance looking
now like an old man, now like a child and even like a woman. They say, in
this time one of the dead ancestors comes into his body and foretells to all
present people. In such a condition the shaman’s body becomes weightless,
he can sit on very thin branches or run up and down the pole, which is
digged in the ground.
A birch is
considered to be a sacred tree. It’s a symbol of world tree. A shaman
climbing a birch tree or a birch pole is compared to someone rising to
heaven.
One of the
shamans, Bair, who lives in Chelutai (Chita region), was invited by some
South American Indians, who found very much in common in the rituals made by
Bair and traditional rituals of the Indians of South America.
The idea
of numerous spirits, which personify different real phenomena, is very
typical for shamanism. The shamans come into contact with many of them.
These are not only spirits of dead people, but also different spirits of
nature (spirits of forest, rivers, steppe and so on). It’s these spirits
who tell to the shaman about the reasons of diseases or misfortunes of some
people.
For
example, one of the buryats was told, that the spirits of steppe had been
offended by him, because he slaughtered to many sheep and it caused his
disease.
Some of
the shamans use strips of metal in their work, which are kept in datsans or
by some buryat families. The strip is a circle (diameter 8-10 cm) made of
different metals (some of them are unknown) by hand forging. One side of the
strip is polished, on the other side one can see ancient hieroglyphics. The
age of the strips is 200-300 years. The polished side of the strip the
shamans press to the chest of an ill person and it looks like it sticks to
the body. In this way it remains on the body for a while (2-6 hours)
depending on how long the person is sick and how bad the disease is. Then
the strip comes off on itself (having absorbed all the needed information).
The shaman gives a diagnosis and heals the disease using the same strip. It
produces an amazing effect! There were some cases registered, when even
incurable diseases were healed.
It’s very difficult to
follow the dynamic of the development of shamanism, because it’s very
various in its forms. The understanding of this religion isn’t clear yet.
The matter needs a further profound research.
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