Shamanism

"The Hungarian ethnologist, Vilmos Dioszegi (1923-1972), well-known for his research on Siberian shamanism, wrote many articles and studies which have never been collected in a single volume." "The present selection of works attests to Dioszegi's range of interest and is representative of his oeuvre. It contains studies on Mongolian and Nanai shamanism, on the process of becoming a shaman, the regional differences of shamanism (intraethnic differences and interethnic analogies). Another interesting study deals with the ethnogenetic aspects of Darkhat shamanism and the symbolic significance of a few typical Evenki shamanic objects such as the mask and the staff. Still other studies describe the three-grade amulets of the Nanais, the healing songs of shamans, the sacrificial songs of Altaic Turks, and the pre-Islamic shamanism of Baraba Turks. Dioszegi's last comprehensive study on Siberian shamanism, written for the Encyclopaedia Britannica, introduces the volume." "The reproduction of the many pictures Dioszegi used to illustrate these studies give the volume an outstanding quality enhancing its value for those interested in shamanism, for researchers, historians of religion, social anthropologists, and folklorists."--BOOK JACKET.