Shamanic Healing Rituals of Western Buryats

Healing in Buryat shamanic tradition is primarily a ritual and magical activity rather than a therapeutic one. Shamans do not perform medical treatments but instead use spells and semiotic rituals to propitiate or neutralize mythological disease spirits, relying on word magic and communicative connection with the other world. Analysis of archival verbal materials from Western Buryats shows that these healing practices are monotypic in ritual basis, rooted in belief in the magical power of word and ritual, and incorporate rudiments of earlier folk methods. The rituals correspond to main calendar and life-cycle ceremonies, serving to eliminate perceived causes of illness.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Introduction. In the Buryat tradition, healing was a most common function attributed to shamans. The main pragmatic aspect of healing depends on the semiotic component of a ritual, communicative connection with the other world being a key indicative. Healing practices of Turko-Mongolian shamans were distinguished by that rituals were accompanied by spells aimed at propitiating or neutralizing spirits of disease to be communicated with during the ritual. Goals. The study seeks to analyze archival shamanic verbal materials of Western Buryats once articulated in the course of utilitarian pragmatic ritual efforts supposed to treat the sick. The Buryat shamanic practices have not yet been considered in this perspective. Materials and methods. The work involves scientific and methodological experiences of scientists who had investigated main issues of traditional Mongolian medicines from historical and ethnographic perspectives. The paper approaches medical practices of Mongols in the context of religious and mythological ideas. The main research method is the semantic-hermeneutical analysis of verbal material. Results. Shamanic healing practices of Buryats are ritual and magical activities serving to propitiate and appease the mythological spirit of disease. The shaman/shamaness implement no therapeutic measures, they only somewhat actualize some magical functions aimed at eliminating causes of the disease. Conclusions. Semiotic rituals are main elements of a ritual performance; the ritual basis of Buryat shamanic healing practices is essentially monotypic, and rests on belief in magical powers of word and ritual; the actual types of rituals implemented during treatment correspond to main calendar and life-cycle rituals. The healing ritual uses rudiments and fragments of earlier healing methods preserved in the folk tradition.