238 REVIEWS become apparent; in particular thecom- Menschheitskunde,Augsburg, 2nd ed. piler’schart showing three sets of 1958) has a technical purpose: Findeisen definitions of termsfor size andcon- rejectsthe oft-proposed relationship centration of floes are interesting.At between and and at- firstone is saddened to see how two tributes to the Siberian shaman a direct countries that both approved theW.M.O. relationship with spirits, mediums, and classification and nomenclature in prac- parapsychological practitioners of west- tice ignore it. But perhaps after all it is erncultural tradition. Findeisen has the amount of common ground between been working closely with a medi- them that is the more noteworthy. One um, Alfred M.of Augsburg and joins point of detail might be mentioned. For thissphere of investigationto that of the Russian “massiw l’da” the compiler shamanism. rejects this reviewer’s term “ice cluster”.The relationship between shamanism Agreed that it: could be improved;but is and has recently been devel- “pack, or ice pack” in fact any better,in opedby him in the first book under view of likelyconfusion with “pack review, a popular paperback, “Shaman- ice”,which means something rather ism”, 1957. Herehe proposes that the different? shaman is an Upper Palaeolithic priest TERENCE ARMSTRONGpossessed by spirits. Therelationship of the shaman’s practice with hunting magic has been suggested by Findeisen SCHAMANENTUM(SHAMANISM). inyet another study, “The animal as , and ancestor”. ByHANS FINDEISEN. Stuttgart: W. Theparallel that Findeisen draws Kohlhammer Verlag, Urban-Bucher between shamanism and the practiceof No. 28. 1957. 7% X 4% inches, 240 the spirit medium appears to me to defy pages, sketch map, 4 plateswith 14 usual ethnological procedure. In all his Figs. Paper, DM 4.80. descriptionsthe folk or public plays DASTIER ALS GOTT, DAEMON norole. The cultural context is not UND AHNE(THE ANIMAL AS sketched in. The relationship of sham- GOD, DEMON, AND ANCESTOR) anism to psychiatry on one side and to religionon theother is nottreated. By HANS FINDEISEN.Stuttgart: Moreover,Findeisen has not resolved Frankh‘scheVerlagshandlung, Kos- his views on the relationship between mos-Bandchen. 1956. 7% X 5 inches, shamanism andmagic. This relationship 80 pages, 14 Figs., DM 2.80. may be (a) erroneous, (b) genetic, but HansFindeisen is a German ethno- later divergent; or (c) inherent and in- logistspecializing in the peoples of separable.Findeisen appears toadopt northernAsia. His record of publica- in recent times now view (a) and now tionsextends over three decades, and view (b) ; view (c)is firmly rejected, among his earliest writings is an excel- but chiefly by appeal toauthority (Ruth lentarticle on fishingin northeastern Benedict and others). Siberia;in it he relates the economic Considering theUpper Palaeolithic activity to the social, religious, and ar- priest possessed by spirits as a shaman tistic life of the Palaeo-Asiatic peoples can lead to confusion. In counterposition (DieFischerei im Lebender altsi- to this point it may be suggested that birischen Volkerstamme. Z. Ethn. 1928, the term priest should be reserved for 1/3). members of a religious hierarchy trained During the past decade Findeisen has for their role. The shaman is sometimes published a number of books and ar- trained,but he ischaracteristically ticles,usually brief, on shamanismin charismatic,he is nota member of a northernAsia. A recent publication, religious community or hierarchy. “Siberian shamanism and magic,” first There is an alternative view, namely, issued in 1953 (Sibirisches Schamanen- that shamanism is neither a magical nor tum undMagie, Inst.fur Menschen- und areligious phenomenon, but a proper REVIEWS 239 world-view in itself. This concept has isabnormal and the still puts been advanced by Shirokogorov, but it him to use as a specialist whose activities is not taken into account by Findeisen. are made possible by his very abnor- There are a number of relationships mality, then this is a psychiatric con- withinshamanism that should be ex- ception that departs sharply from thatof plored further. There is the viewpoint western and requires intensive of Shirokogorov; Anisimov has recently exploration. Attention should be called examined the of the Evenki to the work of Frederick Wyatt and G. Tungus in termsof their shamanist prac- Devereux in this regard. tices. Ivanov has reviewed the problem The thesisof Findeisen concerningthe of shamanist artistic creation andsocie- relationshipbetween shamanism and ty. The reviewer has analyzed the prob-spiritism will persuade those already lem of the relation of shamanism and persuaded, but leave unconvincedthose the social organization of the Buryats. of the ethnological fraternity who seek These are attempts to develop cultural to develop cultural phenomena in their phenomena in their contexts. context.To this fraternityFindeisen Outside the field of ethnology there is belongs by right of his earlier publica- the relation of the shaman’s experience tions. to psychiatric phenomena.If the shaman LAWRENCEKRADER

INSTITUTENEWS

Annual Meeting of the York, N.Y.; Dr.Paul A. Siple,Army Board of Governors Research Office, Washington, D.C.; Dr. 0. M. Solandt, Canadian National Rail- The Annual Meeting of the Board of ways, Montreal, P.Q.; Walter Sullivan, Governorswas held atthe Institute New York Times, New York, N.Y.; Dr. Headquarters in Montreal on December Walter A. Wood, New York, N.Y. 5, 1959. The following were elected for 1960: Retiring Governors:Philip A. Chester, Dr. J. C. Haldeman, T. H. Manning, J. Oficers of the Board: Chairman, Dr. R. White. C.S. Lord, GeologicalSurvey of Canada, Ottawa,Ont.; Vice-chairman, Com- The 1959 Institute library report mander D. C. Nutt, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H.; Secretary,Dr. M. J. The library of the Arctic Institute has Dunbar, McGillUniversity, Montreal, completedanother year of increased P.Q.; Treasurer,Commodore C. F. activity. Statistics show that the library Robertson, Canadian Joint Staff, Wash- has grown in size and that its use has ington, D.C. increased considerably. In the last five years the library has doubledits collec- Governors elected by the Fellows of tion of books, pamphlets, reprints, and the Institute: Dr. M. J. Dunbar, McGill University,Montreal, P.Q.; Dr. J. T. serials. Wilson, O.B.E., University of Toronto, Circulation 19591958 Toronto,Ont.; Dr. H.B. Collins, Jr., Books 12581110 SmithsonianInstitution, Washington, Reprints and pamphlets 355237 D.C. Periodicals 506524 Governorsappointed by theBoard: Interlibrary loans lent 184 77 Commander D. C. Nutt, DartmouthCol- Total 2203 2048 lege,Hanover, N.H.; PaulQueneau, Interlibrary loans InternationalNickel Company, New borrowed 41 39