The Tree and Its Image in the Cultic Practice of the Khakass Shamans (Late 19th – Mid 20th Century)
Problems of Archaeology Ethnography Anthropology of Siberia and Neighboring Territories January 1, 2025 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.17746/2658-6193.2025.31.1063-1068 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
Among the Khakass people, trees serve as both a vital economic resource and a central cultural symbol, bridging the profane and sacred worlds. This historical analysis of late 19th to mid-20th century sources shows that shamanic rituals were inseparable from trees, especially birch. In shamanic prayers, the birch is called "Altyn pirlig pai Khakas" (Sacred birch with golden leaves). It functioned both as a world tree and a personal shamanic tree, enabling shamans to travel between universes and deliver sacrifices. The shaman's attributes and powers derived from this tree.
Study at a glance
| Design | historical analysis |
|---|---|
| Population | Khakass people |
| Key finding | Birch trees, particularly the 'Sacred birch with golden leaves,' were central to Khakass shamanic rituals, serving as both a world tree and a personal shamanic tree through which shamans traveled between worlds and communicated with spirits. |
Abstract
In the culture of the Khakass people trees are not only the most important economic resource, but also a key structuring symbol. The tree has extremely wide semantic field. In the traditional consciousness of the Khakass people, the symbolic status and functions of the tree are determined by its perception as an object endowed with special properties, belonging simultaneously to the profane and sacred worlds. Therefore, the tree has the highest practical and mythological importance in the life of the people. Image of the tree plays a special role in shamanism. The choice of the chronological framework of the study, covering the late 19th – mid 20th centuries, resulted from the set of available ethnographic, linguistic, and folklore sources which also include unpublished archival ethnographic evidence. The study follows the methodological principle of historicism. Historical and ethnographic methods of cultural relics and structural-semantic analysis are used. The study has revealed that cultic activities of the Khakass shamans were inextricably linked with trees. In the ritual practices of shamanism, the image of the tree had a dual function, embodying the concepts of the world tree and personal shamanic tree. It has been established that birch invariably played this role in the rituals. In shaman’s prayers, it is called Altyn pirlig pai Khakas – “Sacred birch with golden leaves.” Through this tree, the shaman traveled across the worlds of the universe and passed on sacrifices to various deities and spirits. In addition, the “sacred birch” was identified with shaman’s personal tree which he “received” from patron spirits during his formative years as a shaman. All shaman’s attributes, his vitality and supernatural abilities were directly connected with this tree.