Psychomental complex of the Tungus

Širokogorov, Sergej M

Psychomental complex of the Tungus

Bibliographische Daten

Monographie

Strukturtyp:: Monographie

Werks-URN (URL):: https://digi.evifa.de/viewer/resolver?urn=urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-712260

URN:: urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-712260

Persistenter Identifier:: BV045242198

Titel:: Psychomental complex of the Tungus

Autor:: Širokogorov, Sergej M

Erscheinungsort:: London

Verlag:: Kegan Paul, Trench, Rubner & Co., Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr:: 1935

Signatur:: Pn 76737:F2

Sammlung:: Allgemeiner Bestand

Wissensgebiet:: Sozial- und Kulturanthropologie > Soziale Organisation und Praxis

Kapitel

Strukturtyp:: Kapitel

Titel:: PART FOUR. SHAMANISM

Sammlung:: Allgemeiner Bestand

Kapitel

Strukturtyp:: Kapitel

Titel:: CHAPTER XXX. THE SHAMAN (CONTINUATION)

Sammlung:: Allgemeiner Bestand

384 PSYCHOMENTAL COMPLEX OF THE TUNGUS close relations. When he was acquainted with me, he be came very frank and communicative. In his speech the expression “common people”, i.e. those who are not versed in shamanism, was constantly used. Moreover, in his per formances he was quite “artistic” and produced genuine extasy. I had the good fortune to be in contact with him for at least five or six weeks. 2. A Barguzin Reindeer Tungus female clan shaman. She was a heavily built, tall, muscular, seemingly healthy woman of over thirty years; meditative and deliberative in her somewhat slow movements in the everyday life. I saw her daily for a relatively long period and saw her per form a great number of times. The first time I saw her, she arrived with her small babe, being urgently invited to shamanize to the lower world, which, as shown, is a difficult task and a rare occurrence. Her attitude at the first meeting was that of avoiding me, but after I had tactfully left her alone for a time and had given her my support in the dis cussion of various questions with the seniors, I could discern her attitude of approval of my interest in shamanism and my sympathy with her functions. After I had been able to render her some minor assistance during the shamanizing, she allowed me to observe her as much as I wanted. She did not protest when I asked her questions, took her pulse at different moments of the performance, examined the rigi dity of muscles, etc., but even helped me and seemed to take an interest in my findings, which I did not fail to com municate her, and she confirmed what, in her opinion, was correct. Her attitude showed that she was a thinking, self-analysing person, discussing the problem of her own psychic condition. Since these discussions were usually carried out in the presence of old men, she did not hesitate to speak. I did not hear her mention “common people”. She seemed not to be much attached to her babe. Her re lations with her husband, who was a good hunter, were apparently good. The material position of the family was not bad—she was well dressed, although without pretention. She was considered as one of the best shamans and did not refuse to shamanize, which she did with a perfect art, with extasy, and with evident success, in so far as the audience was concerned. No signs of abnormality could be observ ed in her. As compared with the other women, she was definitely more silent, she usually avoided looking directly into the eyes of the interlocutor, looking down, and some times looking aside. She was not inclined to laughing, joking and idle talk, which is usual with the Tungus, when they are free. She did not participate in night dancing (cf. SONT), nor in gatherings for “five o’clock tea”; she did not mix with the “common women”. However, this was done in a simple manner, without any attempt at snubbing people. She merely disliked this kind of distraction, as some other women do. 3. A Khingan Tungus female clan shaman, married, under thirty years. She looked like a great number of other women among this group; she was fleshy and moderately fat, and was quick in her movements. Perhaps her face was somewhat more alive than that of an average Khingan woman. In all respects she seemed quite normal. Her interest in shamanism did not go beyond her performances, although she seemingly liked these very much and looked for any occasion to perform. Her performances were not “artistic” and a certain degree of conventionalism was quite evident; however, I observed genuine extasy during one or two performances. She was not considered a good shaman, and was only called for performances of small im portance, such as finding out of the cause of a sickness, divi nation, predictions etc. Anyhow, I have not seen her per form any shamanizing of great importance, such as the re covery of souls, and the travelling to the lower world. Although I succeeded in coming into friendly relations with her, because of my painting for her some designs on her drum, no “serious talk” (as I understand it) about sha manism was possible—she was willing to talk mostly about the formulas and ritualism of performances. She used to spend her time with other women, doing some work, gossiping, laughing and joking with them. She also mani fested a certain inclination to sexual indecency, e.g. when asking me, together with other women, to show my painting along the line of representation of human genitalia on the placings for spirits and on paper; in maintaining con versations on similar subjects and, together with other women, repeating prohibited words, although with some moderation, as compared with the other women of her clan. She was not yet a very experienced shaman and her character with her age may have changed. 4. A Birarcen female shaman. She was twenty nine years old, slender, very nervous, which was especially con spicuous in her behaviour towards her child, the only one who had survived out of four. She used to press the child against her face and breast, kiss it and look at it with great tenderness, which although observed among the Tungus, is but seldom expressed in such a passionate form. Her husband was a poor hunter and even had no horse for his hunting trips. They were very poor. Since I performed the duties of her assistant several times and once took measures for protecting her against her aggressors, I suc- ceded in disposing her in my favour. She was not willing to talk about shamanism, but she wanted to help me in understanding the details, and even consented to sing into the phonograph. I suppose that her dislike of this kind of conversation depended chiefly on the fact that she did not know very much about shamanism in general, but she “felt” it and had learnt it, so to say, empirically, perhaps with out forming any clear idea as to what she was actually doing. She was very shy, and when she did not want to shamanize, she used to refuse in the most categorical man ner to do it. She was not a first class performer. In drumming she was not always good, in rhythmic dancing she might change her step, her singing was not clear, and it was difficult to understand her in the state of extasy. Perhaps this was due to the fact, that she was still young and had not yet developed the necessary technique. How ever, another explanation is possible, namely, she could not master herself and, as stated, she was very shy. It was difficult for her to bring herself into a genuine extasy. When the extasy was reached, she could be nigh loosing her self-control. Moreover, it should be noted that several times she performed under very unfavourable conditions of a definitely negative reaction on the part of at least a numerous group of participants in the audience, and she was living, as shown, in rather difficult conditions, even for a Tungus woman. So that she was “struggling”. I have also noticed a certain persistence and even obstinacy in her behaviour, which, together with other facts, made me in clined to believe her to be a case of partial control of an intense state of suppressed “hysteria”. However, observ ing her during several months, I never heard of any nervous fits with her.

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