Shamanism in Siberia: Russian Records of Indigenous Spirituality

by A.A. Znamenski

Overview

This book takes you to the "classical academy of shamanism", Siberian tribal spirituality that gave birth to the expression "shamanism." For the first time, in this volume Znamenski has rendered in readable English more than one hundred books and articles that describe all aspects of Siberian shamanism: ideology, ritual, mythology, spiritual pantheon, and paraphernalia. It will prove valuable to anthropologists, historians of religion, psychologists and practitioners of shamanism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781402017407
Publisher:	Springer Netherlands
Publication date:	12/31/2003
Edition description:	2004
Pages:	371
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.03(d)

Table of Contents

Russian and Soviet Perceptions of Siberian Shamanism: An Introduction.- 1.Recording Shamanism in Old Russia.- 2.Siberian Shamanism in Soviet Imagination.- 3.Records of Siberian Spirituality in Present-Day Russia.

Editorial Reviews

From the reviews:

"Znamenski set out to provide for readers of English a wealth of sources that will be utterly new even to most experts in the field. He recognises the value of all of his chosen texts, whatever their viewpoints, and demonstrates it to others. His introduction is the best concise summary yet made of the history of research into Siberian shamanism, from the earliest times to the present, and outstandingly valuable in its range and perception."

(Professor Ronald Hutton, Dept. of Historical Studies, The University of Bristol, UK)

"This volume is a fascinating … summary of Russian-language sources of Siberian ritual practitioners (‘shamans’). … the book is interesting and useful both for students and specialists. … The book is particularly noteworthy for the fact that it records the variety of local terms that are used for ‘shamans’. I have already recommended the book to postgraduate students … . the volume is well-edited. … This book is a welcome addition to a new generation of analytical work on forms of indigenous spirituality." (David G. Anderson, Polar Record, Vol. 41 (4), 2005)

From the Publisher