In the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) of the Russian Far East, the social and political upheavals following the Soviet collapse have spurred a complex revival of shamanism. Initial hope for reform in the 1990s gave way to confusion, and shamanic practices have become both popular and contentious. While many faith healers have lost credibility, new shamanic movements led by two featured leaders are attracting followers by addressing philosophical, social, and ecological issues beyond personal healing. Drawing on fieldwork since 1986, the article examines how individual and community healing are intertwined, contributing to discussions of revitalization, shamanism, gender, and nationalism.
A Sakha shaman named Alexander Gabyshev gained prominence between 2018 and 2020 after calling Vladimir Putin an authoritarian demon. Using the internet and a protest march, he critiqued Russia's corrupt society and attracted multiethnic supporters, becoming a civic society leader. This article explains his popularity and why he became a threat to Russian authorities, especially Orthodox elites. His repression is compared to Robin Hood, Amerindian religious movements, and Russia's politicized psychiatric hospitalization. The author argues that anthropologists, through long-term fieldwork, must expose human rights violations, and views Gabyshev's potential martyrdom as an indicator of Russia's political and social fragility.