Shamanism in the Altai Republic: From myths to religious teachings
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33910/2687-1262-2024-6-4-302-307Keywords:
myths, rituals, shamanism, Altai, tradition, religion, cultural heritage, search for identityAbstract
This article traces the way the ancient tradition of shamanism in the Altai Republic has matured from mythological ideas into systematized religious teachings. We analyse the evolution of shamanistic beliefs, rituals, and practices in the historical and philosophical context, dissecting their relationship with some elements of Buddhism and Christianity. We bring into focus Altaic myths and legends whose plots tend to revolve around communication with ancestors’ spirits and the world of gods, reflecting the cosmological ideas of Altaic shamans. We put a spotlight on the current state of Altai shamanism and the way it adapts to social change and leaves its mark on national identity. From the distant past to the present, shamans have had an enormous influence on social and cultural processes in the region. Not only do they act as intermediaries between the worlds and keepers of traditions and spiritual knowledge, but they also actively contribute to ethnographic research. This article is a relevant study tracing the evolution of shamanism within the Altai culture, its impact on the worldview and religious beliefs of the Altai people. It also facilitates the preservation of ethnic cultural heritage. In modern Russia, shamanism is experiencing a revival, often drawing the older generation as well as young people. This can be explained by a search for identity, which is especially important as far as globalization is concerned. Shamanism embodies a connection with traditions, ancestors, and nature.
References
ЛИТЕРАТУРА
Аткунова, Д. А. (2022) Этнографический туризм: опыт развития на примере коренных малочисленных народов Северного Алтая. В кн.: Н. В. Екеев (ред.). Этнокультурное наследие народов Алтая: сборник материалов Всероссийской научно-практической конференции, посвященной 70-летнему юбилею НИИ алтаистики им. С. С. Суразакова. Горно-Алтайск: Научно-исследовательский институт алтаистики им. С. С. Суразакова, с. 166–179.
Кениспаев, Ж. К., Тобоев, А. И. (2017) Шаман во вселенной алтайских мифов. Исторические, философские, политические и юридические науки, культурология и искусствоведение. Вопросы теории и практики, № 12-1 (86), с. 102–104.
Малинов, А. В., Куприянов, В. А. (2022) Мифологизм в национальной философии (на примере Республики Алтай). В кн.: Р. А. Бадиков (ред.). Судьбы национальных культур в условиях глобализации: между традицией и новой реальностью. Сборник материалов V Международной научной конференции. Челябинск: Изд-во Челябинского государственного университета, с. 192–197.
Михайловский, В. М. (1980) Шаманство. Т. 1. М.: Т-во Скоропечатни А. А. Левенсон, 117 с.
Поспелова, А. И., Поспелова, С. В. (2023) Шаманизм, неошаманизм и парашаманизм как духовные практики современности в дискурсе национализации религий. В кн.: Р. В. Шиженский (ред.). Язычество в современной России: опыт междисциплинарного исследования. Т. 2. Калининград: Изд-во Балтийского федерального университета имени Иммануила Канта, с. 163–183.
Тимофеев, Д. Г. (2011) Образ шамана в мифологическом комплексе алтайцев. Известия Иркутского государственного университета. Серия: Политология. Религиоведение. №2. С. 179–184.
Хингеева, Л. М. (2018) Генезис шаманизма в традиционной культуре. Znanstvena Misel, № 5 (18), с. 12–17.
Чаажытмаа, А. Б. (2012) Синкретизм буддизма и шаманизма в Туве. Новые исследования Тувы, № 3 (15), с. 129–132.
REFERENCES
Atkunova, D. A. (2022) Etnograficheskij turizm: opyt razvitiya na primere korennykh malochislennykh narodov Severnogo Altaya [Ethnographic tourism: Experience of development on the example of indigenous minorities of Northern Altai]. In: N. V. Ekeev (ed.). Etnokul’turnoe nasledie narodov Altaya: Sbornik materialov Vserossijskoj nauchno-prakticheskoj konferentsii, posvyashchennoj 70-letnemu yubileyu NII altaistiki im. S. S. Surazakova [Ethno-cultural heritage of the Altai peoples: Collection of articles of the All-Russian scientific-practical conference dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Research Institute of Altaistic named after S. S. Surazakova]. Gorno- Altaisk: Scientific Research Institute of Altaistics named after S. S. Surazakov Publ., pp. 166–179. (In Russian)
Chazhytmaa, A. B. (2012) Sinkretizm buddizma i shamanizma v Tuve [Syncretism of Buddhism and Shamanism in Tuva]: Novye issledovaniya Tuvy, no. 3 (15), pp. 129–132. (In Russian)
Kenispaev, Zh. K., Toboev, A. I. (2017) Shaman vo vselennoj altajskikh mifov [Shaman in the universe of the Altai myths]. Istoricheskie, filosofskie, politicheskie i yuridicheskie nauki, kul’turologiya i iskusstvovedenie. Voprosy teorii i praktiki — Historical, Philosophical, Political and Law Sciences, Culturology and Study of Art. Issues of Theory and Practice, no. 12-1 (86), pp. 102–104. (In Russian)
Khingeeva, L. M. (2018) Genezis shamanizma v traditsionnoy culture [Genesis of shamanism in traditional culture]. Znanstvena Misel, no. 5 (18), pp. 12–17. (In Russian)
Malinov, A. V., Kupriyanov, V. A. (2022) Mifologizm v natsional’noj filosofii (na primere Respubliki Altaj) [Mythologism in the national philosophy (on the example of the Republic of Altai)]. In: R. A. Badikov (ed.). Sud’by natsional’nykh kul’tur v usloviyakh globalizatsii: mezhdu traditsiej i novoj real’nost’yu. Sbornik materialov V Mezhdunarodnoj nauchnoj konferentsii [Fortunes of national cultures in globalization context: Between tradition and the new reality. Collection of materials of the 5th International research conference]. Chelyabinsk: Chelyabinsk State University Publ., pp. 192–197. (In Russian)
Mikhajlovskij, V. M. (1980) Shamanstvo. T. 1 [Shamanism. Vol. 1]. Moscow: T-vo Skoropеchatni A. A. Levenson Publ., 117 p. (In Russian)
Pospelova, A. I., Pospelova, S. V. (2023) Shamanizm, neoshamanizm i parashamanizm kak dukhovnye praktiki sovremennosti v diskurse natsionalizatsii religij [Shamanism, neoshamanism and parashamanism as modern spiritual practices in the discourse of religious nationalisation]. In: R. V. Shizhenskij (ed.). Yazychestvo v sovremennoy Rossii: opyt mezhdistsiplinarnogo issledovaniya. T. 2 [Paganism in modern Russia: An interdisciplinary research experience, Vol. 2]. Kaliningrad: Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University Publ., pp. 163–183. (In Russian)
Timofeev, D. G. (2011) Obraz shamana v mifologicheskom komplekse altaitsev [The image of a shaman in the mythological complex of the Altai people]. In: Izvestiya Irkutskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya: Politologiya. Religiovedenie — The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series “Political Science and Religion Studies”, no. 2, pp. 179–184. (In Russia)
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Elisaveta A. Volkova
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The work is provided under the terms of the Public Offer and of Creative Commons public license Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). This license allows an unlimited number of persons to reproduce and share the Licensed Material in all media and formats. Any use of the Licensed Material shall contain an identification of its Creator(s) and must be for non-commercial purposes only.
