Indigenous Shamanic Worldviews as Eco-cosmologies and Indigenous Knowledge Systems of Sustainability
Religion and Development March 13, 2024 Lidia Guzy 5 citations
Shamanic worldviews in rural Odisha, India, are expressed through trance traditions that transmit indigenous knowledge. Based on long-term comparative studies, the article describes two examples: nag bacca (snake children) and alekh gurumai (ritual specialists). These traditions involve transformative healing through trance rituals grounded in concepts of holy craziness and sacred play (baaya/kheelo) and spirit possession rituals (boil). Therianthropic transformations—animal-human and ecological encounters—are conveyed through oral culture, songs, performances, and trance dances. Visions and dreams are central to shamanic imaginaries, epistemologies, and ontologies, shaping inner and outer knowledge of local shamanic life worlds.