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Sketches Towards a Theory of Shamanism: Associating the Belief System of the Pim River Khanties with the Western World View

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Sketches Towards a Theory of Shamanism: Associating the Belief System of the Pim River Khanties with the Western World View DISSERTATIONES FOLKLORISTICAE UNIVERSITATIS TARTUENSIS 1 SKETCHES TOWARDS A THEORY OF SHAMANISM: ASSOCIATING THE BELIEF SYSTEM OF THE PIM RIVER KHANTIES WITH THE WESTERN WORLD VIEW ANZORI BARKALAJA TARTU 2002 DISSERTATIONES FOLKLORISTICAE UNIVERSITATIS TARTUENSIS 1 DISSERTATIONES FOLKLORISTICAE UNIVERSITATIS TARTUENSIS 1 SKETCHES TOWARDS A THEORY OF SHAMANISM: ASSOCIATING THE BELIEF SYSTEM OF THE PIM RIVER KHANTIES WITH THE WESTERN WORLD VIEW ANZORI BARKALAJA TARTU UNIVERSITY PRESS Department of Literature and Folklore of the University of Tartu Dissertation is admitted to defence by Council of the Department of Literature and Folklore of the University of Tartu on the 13. February, 2002. Opponents: professor Anna-Leena Siikala (The University of Helsinki) professor Mihaly Hoppal (Hungarian Academy of Sciences) Defence of the dissertation takes place on 19. April, 2002. Department of Literature and Folklore of University of Tartu and Viljandi Cultural College grant the costs of publishing the dissertation. © Anzori Barkalaja, 2002 Tartu Ulikooli Kirjastuse triikikoda Tiigi 78, Tartu 50410 Tellimus nr. 216 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION.................................................................................... ............. 9 SUMMARY in Estonian ...................................................................................... 29 PUBLICATIONS .................................................................................................. 39 1. “Chameleons” of Siberia: Identity and Survival Strategies of an Eastern Khanty Fam ily.............. ..................................................................... 41 2. On the Aspects of Space in the Khanty World Outlook............................. 65 3. Continuing Tradition: Changing Spirit Dolls at the Pirn River Khanty ... 77 4. On the Sacrificial Ritual of the Pim River Khanty in December 1995 .... 87 5. On the Sacrificial Rituals of the Pim River Khanties: Part Two .............. 101 6. The Influence of Environment on the Identity of Pim River Khanties.... 119 7. On Some Forms of Gaming/ Simulation from the Anthropological 133Point of V iew .............................................................................................. 133 8. Shal57manism as Information D esign......................................................... 157 2 LIST OF PUBLICATIONS 1. The Abandoned World: On Changing Outlook of Young Khanty in Pim and Tromagan Regions, Brought about by Russian Colonialism. Contemprorary Folklore. Changing Tradition and Word View of Youth. Ed. by Mare Koiva. Tartu 1996, pp. 51-60. 2. A Continuing Tradition: the Changing of Spirit Dolls by the Pym River Khantys. Studies in Folklore and Popular Religion, vol. 1. Ed. by Ulo Valk. Department of Estonian and Comparative Folklore, University of Tartu. Tartu 1996, pp. 125-132. 3. Ruumikiisimuse aspektidest hantide ilmavaates. Pro Folkloristica V, Maa ja ilm. Tartu, 1997, pp. 16-26. 4. Shamanismist, LEE. Eesti Rahva Muuseumi Soprade Selts, Tartu 1997. 5. On the Sacrificial Rituals of the Pim River Khanty, Pro Ethnologia 5, Arctic Studies 1. Ed. by Art Leete. Estonian National Museum. Tartu 1998, pp. 57-68. 6. “Chameleons” of Siberia: Identity and Survival Strategies of an Eastern Khanty Family. Studies in Folklore and Popular Religion, vol. 3. Ed. by Ulo Valk. Department of Estonian and Comparative Folklore, University of Tartu. Tartu 1999, pp. 51-72. 7. On the Sacrificial Rituals of the Pim River Khanties: Part Two. Pro Ethnologia 8, Arctic Studies 3. Ed. by Art Leete. Estonian National Museum, Tartu 1999, pp. 57-74. 8. Olemasolu piihast Sigustusest: mangud 10 teesiga. Pro Folkloristica VI, Lohetapja. Tartu 1999, pp. 24-33. 9. Ortodoksisuus, taisteleva ateismi ja hantien kansanusko. Uskonto ja identiteetti: Suomalais-ugrilaisten kokemuksia ja vaihteita Venajalla ja Neuvostoliitossa. Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seuran Toimituksia 741. Toim. Teuvo Laitila, Tuija Saarinen. SKS, Helsinki 1999, pp. 67-81. 10. Miiiidi iseloomust maailma kirjeldamise viisina: vaike vosaraiumine handi miitoloogia maastikel. Uurimusi muiidist ja maagiast. Koostanud Peet Lepik. Tallinna Pedagoogikaiilikool, Tallinn 2001. 11. The Influence of Enviroment on the Identity of Pim River Khanties. Pro Ethnologia 11. Cultural Identity of Arctic Peoples. Arctic Studies 5. Ed. by Art Leete. Estonian National Museum, Tartu 2001, pp. 77-88. 12. On Some Forms of Gaming/Simulation from the Anthropological Point of View. Bridging the Information and Knowledge Societies. Proceedings, International Simulation and Gaming Association, 31st Annual Conference. Ed. by Leen Rahnu. Tartu University Press, 2001, pp. 95-115. 7 13. Some Personal Notes About the Fieldwork (On the Examples of the Eastern Khantys. Rethinking Ethnology and Folkloristics. Ed by Pille Runnel. Vanavaravedaja 6, Tartu NEFA Riihm, 2001, pp. 144-158. 14. Art Leete, Liivo Niglas, Anzori Barkalaja. Pohjapoder arktilises kultuuris. Eesti Rahva Muuseum. Tartu 2001. 8 INTRODUCTION As an introduction to the present collection, I would like to offer a short survey of the impacts and events which led me to the study of West Siberian traditional culture and the phenomenon of shamanism. It would be impressive to state post factum that the decisive motivating force was the fact that in academic circles, Siberia is regarded as the birthplace of classical shamanism and that the choice of the region rested upon the best academic traditions in folklorist, ethnological, and anthropological research. Further weight could be added by a description of preceding purposeful study of scientific literature. There is no doubt that the initial stages of research work would appear more serious if they included an episode with the travel books by K. F. Karjalainen or an inspiring impact to study Khanty religion and world outlook gained from his “Jugralaisten uskonto”, that discusses Khanty religion. Certainly the scientific value of research motivation would look higher if the desire to establish a personal fieldwork relation with the culture of the Khanty and the Mansi had arisen from a study of the works of M. A. Castren, V. Chemetsov, Z. Sokolova, V. Kulemzin and N. Lukina. Further dignity could be gained by reliance on the traditions of a school of thought founded on the works of Edgar Saar and Kaljo Pollu — leaders of Estonian ethnographic expeditions — as well as on the documentaries of Lennart Meri and Aleksander Kuik, which come close to visual anthropology. Worthy foundations for an interest in shamanism would be provided by the works of Mircea Eliade, Anna-Leena Siikala, Mihaly Hoppal, Ake Hultkrantz, and Vladimir Basilov, as well as by the studies of Vilmos Dioszegi and of V. Chemetsov, V. Kulemzin, N. Lukina, mentioned above, and others. In reality, however, the research began by mere accident, and gained further impetus later from a tendency to search clearer answers to personal problems and indeterminations. Everything started from Tatyana Gogoleva’s and Tatyana Moldova’s visit to Tartu University in the year 1991, where they held a lecture introducing Khanty and Mansi culture and invited those who were interested to West Siberia, to establish direct contact with them. Yet certainly the most significant impact came from the emotionally impressive contact with the Pim river Khanty during the first period of fieldwork in the summer of 1991. Since, however, before the expedition we got practically no preparation whatever in the methods of fieldwork or in specific theories concerning Siberian peoples, our first anthro­ pological method for collecting fieldwork data happened to be the method of radical participation, recommended by Michael Hamer and currently claiming steadily growing support. In these days, of course, we were not even aware yet 3 9 of the existence of such a method. During the first stages of conscious study of the relevant scientific literature it seemed to me that the prevailing method for gathering information is participant observation as outlined by Malinowski, combined with open-ended interviews. Neither was I able to discern between the emic and etic character of information gathering. All that came later. In my choice of methods and ways of interpreting them I departed basically from the dangers that beset data collection and processing. Thomas Schweizer discerns two basic challenges in the methodological debate of anthropology: “(1) At the ethnographic, more observational level, we must consider how to produce valid descriptions of the Other (person, culture, society). (2) At a more theoretical level of anthropological synthesis, we must answer the question of how to compare ethnographic cases across time and space and how to arrive at valid theoretical generalizations” (1998:42). The first danger thus lurks in the fact that in the course of fieldwork, the ethnologist, anthropologist or folklorist usually studies some “Other”. This can easily lead to what Bulgakova (2001) has described as “hermeneutic tempta­ tion” — a situation where one generation after the other sets out to research some ethnic group, first studying the previously published methodology and literature, and under their influence, developing a prejudiced approach1 (Barka­ laja 2001). Thus, the fieldwork yields precisely the kind of results foreseen by the researcher. This kind of attitude can develop quite unconsciously, simply because previous reading “encodes” the researcher to pay attention to the same issues that had fascinated his or her predecessors. At the same time, a substan­ tial share of the actual material
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