Hybridization of Mongolian Shaminism: Two Shaman's Approach to Heaing (2004)

Undergraduate: Erica Haney

Faculty Advisor: Kaja Finkler
Department: Anthropology

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Shamanism serves Mongolia as a religion and healing system. Shamans have displayed remarkable adaptability in offering services to their community through cultural and political historical change, including Buddhist filtration, the Soviet era, and current transition into a democratic free-market economy. My research addresses the transformation of Shamanism in two regions of Mongolia and the effects of current development on ancient practice. Through two four-month excursions to Mongolia's steppe, ethnographic data was collected from two different ethnic group shamans about the cultural understanding of the causation of illness and health-restoration methods. Both displayed their ability to re-define traditional Shamanism to meet community needs by incorporating Buddhist ideologies and integrating biomedical techniques. Interview and observation allowed analysis of the ethnic interpretations of healing and the shaman's role as a representative. Hybridization of Mongolian Shamanism is a new component to international interest, yet to be researched and published, therefore my research is invaluable to understanding the culture's recent modernization process.