Embodiment of Ancestral Spirits, the Social Interface, and Ritual Ceremonies: Construction of the Shamanic Landscape among the Daur in North China

The case study in this paper is on the Daur (as well as the Evenki, Buriat, and Bargu Mongols) in Hulun Buir, Northeast China. The aim of this research is to examine how shamanic rituals function as a conduit to actualize communications between the clan members and their shaman ancestors. Through ex...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Religions
Main Author: Feng Qu
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021
Subjects:
Daur shamanism
social interface
ritual ceremony
embodiment of ancestral spirits
inter-human metamorphosis
shamanic landscape
Religions. Mythology. Rationalism
BL1-2790
Evenki
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12080567
https://doaj.org/article/a7ba43f7ba5a4cb7aa0445f0865cd10b
Description
Summary:The case study in this paper is on the Daur (as well as the Evenki, Buriat, and Bargu Mongols) in Hulun Buir, Northeast China. The aim of this research is to examine how shamanic rituals function as a conduit to actualize communications between the clan members and their shaman ancestors. Through examinations and observations of Daur and other Indigenous shamanic rituals in Northeast China, this paper argues that the human construction of the shamanic landscape brings humans, other-than-humans, and things together into social relations in shamanic ontologies. Inter-human metamorphosis is crucial to Indigenous self-conceptualization and identity. Through rituals, ancestor spirits are active actors involved in almost every aspect of modern human social life among these Indigenous peoples.

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