Tamburi nella steppa: saggio sullo sciamanismo mongolo-buriato

• Main Author: Stefano Beggiora
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ethnorêma Association 2012-12-01
• Series: Ethnorêma
• Online Access: http://www.ethnorema.it/pdf/numero%208/03%20Beggiora.pdf

The purpose of the present article is to analyze some salient features with regard to Mongolian and Central Asian shamanism. Following some preliminary considerations concerning the origin of Shamanism in general, here codified as a pre-religious phenomenon, I trace its development through the history of Mongolia, with special focus on the contemporary attempt to recovery the link with the past lost during the post-Soviet era. Beside many hybrid representations of the so-called ‘new-shamanism’, special emphasis is laid on the importance of going back to the authentic ‘root’ of the tradition, in the research and re-affirmation of cultural identity of the Mongolian nation. As the privileged object of my case study, I chose a Kamlanie ritual celebrated near Nalaikh (Ulaan Baatar), which survives within a family-clan of Mongol-Buryat even after the above mentioned period of the purges. In this context, I introduce the symbolism of Mongolian shamanism and illustrate the close link with the tradition of Buryat Geser, one of the most significant epic cycles among the populations of Tibet, Mongolia and Central Asia.