An “Auction of Souls”: War, Magical Parasitism, and Re-enchanted Spirits in Siberia

Summary

In the Tuva Republic of South Siberia, practices of magical assault and vampirism are linked to misfortune and political power. A field study of the 'Association of Shamans' reveals that rituals for countercursing adversaries reflect a struggle against Russian political dominance. Shamanic healing incorporates hunting symbols and animal spirits from Indigenous cosmologies, with a focus on risk-taking during these rituals. The findings emphasize a 'cursed' landscape where dark forces and their political backers are challenged by a Buddhist mindset.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Alleged practices of magical assault and vampirism are a recurrent feature of popular explanations of misfortune in Tuva Republic, South Siberia. Based on a field study of healing practices in an “Association of Shamans”, this article analyses rituals of countercursing one’s antagonists in a context of Russian political domination. A central purpose of this discussion is to foreground the centrality of kinds of parasitical worship and occult threat to structures of political power in – and beyond – the region of Tuva. Focusing on a “curse-scape”, which develops from the combative practices of shamans, occult specialists and office-holders, the article probes a repertoire of healing symbols in a shaman’s courtroom. It is argued that shamanic healing draws its efficacy from appropriating hunting symbols and animal spirits, which appear in Indigenous Siberian cosmologies. The analysis shows that ideas of playing with risk during countercursing rituals structure the process of symbolic resolution. The article concludes by highlighting indigenous perceptions of a “cursed” landscape as a field where the agencies of “darkness” (and their political sponsors) are confronted with an emancipating, Buddhist religious mindset.

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