Contemporary shamanisms in Mongolia

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to outline the current situation of shamanism in Mongolia. It examines the relationship between shamanism and ethnicity, the phenomenon of urban shamanism and the emergence of shaman associations and shamanic enterprises in Ulaanbaatar. The study is based on a year-long field-work in Mongolia in 2004–05, during which the author came into contact with the two most influential shamanic associations, the ‘Golomt Center’ and the ‘Heaven's Dagger’ association and had interviews with the members, and attended a number of shamanic rituals that they conducted. The field study was conducted at a time when these associations and enterprises had already ‘grown up’, i.e. they had recruited a vast number of members and attracted enough clients to operate, but still had not reached the stage of economic prosperity. This was also the time when the partly conscious attempt of forging a standardized Mongolian shamanism mainly from Darkhat and Buryat sources and the recreation of Khalkha shamanism began to take place.

Keywords:

• Mongolian Shamanism
• Darkhat
• Buryat
• Khalkha
• Uriankhai
• urban Shamanism

Notes

¹Nyambuu, Mongoliin Ugsaatnii Züi, 133–134.

²This is a world consisting of an underworld, a middle word between earth and sky, and an upper world or heaven.

³Buddhism among the Mongols is also widely known as the ‘yellow faith’ (šariin šašin) hence the term ‘yellow shaman’ (šariin böö).

⁴Shaman C. in Ulaan-Uul, Khövsgöl, 2005. Personal communication.

⁵For more about shaman-oaths see: Gantogtox, ‘Böögiin šaxangiin üg xelleg’.

⁶‘Lighter’ in a sense that these rituals do not demand much effort from the shaman.

⁷Purity can also be expressed by black colour when it indicates that something is homogenous, is not a mixture of two or more components (yamar č xolicgüi). For example xar us, literaly: black water – pure water.

⁸White colour can also express purity in a sense that something is not dirty (bujargüi), not evil. For example cagaan sanaa, literaly: white intention – benevolence.

⁹Süxbat, Böö, 143.

¹⁰Dulam, Darxad böögiin ulamjlal.

¹¹Byambadorj, Tenger Šütlegiin Amin Sudar.

¹²Byambadorj, Burxan Xaldun Tengeriin Taxilga, Böögiin Yos.

¹³Nagaanbuu and Zorigt, Bidnii Meddeg Nyam-Osor.

¹⁴He calls his rituals unšlaga ‘reading’, which is commonly used to refer to Buddhist rituals where lamas recite the holly scriptures.

¹⁵As Zorigtbaatar explained, the number 9 is the most auspicious number in the Mongolian culture; that is why the price of the water consists of nines only.