Shamanic and Mythic Cultures of Ethnic Peoples in Northern China 2 vols.

On the basis of first-hand materials gathered through decades of field research and fleshed out with the author's insightful religious, cultural, and historical observations extending back to the Qing dynasty, ancient archaeological discoveries, and the legacy of Siberian peoples, this two-volume ethnological study investigates shamanic rituals, myths, and lore in northern China and explores the common ideology underlying the origins of the region's cultures. Drawing from numerous oral myths, ancient documents, and archaeological findings, this first volume discusses the spiritual world of northern shamanism and investigates the various rituals, including ancestor worship, fertility, nature deities, blood sacrifice and rites, the worshiping of nature, and shrines. The book illuminates how these rituals and worships, animism, and ideas of the soul are imbedded in and interweave with the indigenous environment, culture, and history of the clans and people of northern China. The book will be of great value to scholars of religion and to both anthropologists and ethnologists in the fields of shamanism studies, Northeast Asian folklore, and Manchu studies. On the basis of first-hand materials gathered through decades of field research and fleshed out with the author's insightful religious, cultural, and historical observations extending back to the Qing dynasty, ancient archaeological discoveries, and the legacy of Siberian peoples, this two-volume ethnological study investigates shamanic rituals, myths, and lore in northern China and explores the common ideology underlying the origins of the region's cultures.This second volume focuses on northern shamanic divination, spirit idols, and folklore covering the myths of the Manchu-Tungus, Manchu creation shrine tales, and individual tribal myths. This mythic heritage helps identify shared patterns of thought among the ethnic peoples of northern China; points to cultural integration with Buddhist, Daoist, and Han Chinese cultures; and shows their understand of the natural world, the creation of humankind, social life, and history and their interactions with their surroundings. In this regard, shamanic spirituality in northern China is characterized by functionality and practicality in daily life situations, in contrast to the received wisdom that defines shamanic praxis as a pure supernatural spirit journey.The book will be of great value to scholars of religion and to both anthropologists and ethnologists in the fields of shamanism studies, Northeast Asian folklore, and Manchu studies. On the basis of first-hand materials gathered through decades of field research and fleshed out with the authors insightful religious, cultural, and historical observations extending back to the Qing dynasty, ancient archaeological discoveries, and the legacy of Siberian peoples, this two-volume ethnological study investigates shamanic rituals, myths, and lore in northern China and explores the common ideology underlying the origins of the regions cultures. This second volume focuses on northern shamanic divination, spirit idols, and folklore covering the myths of the Manchu-Tungus, Manchu creation shrine tales, and individual tribal myths. This mythic heritage helps identify shared patterns of thought among the ethnic peoples of northern China; points to cultural integration with Buddhist, Daoist, and Han Chinese cultures; and shows their understand of the natural world, the creation of humankind, social life, and history and their interactions with their surroundings. In this regard, shamanic spirituality in northern China is characterized by functionality and practicality in daily life situations, in contrast to the received wisdom that defines shamanic praxis as a pure supernatural spirit journey. The book will be of great value to scholars of religion and to both anthropologists and ethnologists in the fields of shamanism studies, Northeast Asian folklore, and Manchu studies. "Based on first-hand materials gathered through decades of field research and fleshed out with the author's insightful religious, cultural, and historical observations extending back to Qing Dynasty times, ancient archaeological discoveries and the legacy of Siberian peoples, this two-volume ethnological study investigates shamanic rituals, myths and lore in northern China and explores the common ideology underlying the origins of the region's cultures. Drawing from numerous oral myths, ancient documents and archaeological findings, this first volume discusses the spiritual world of northern Shamanism and investigates the various rituals, including ancestor worship, fertility, nature deities, blood sacrifice and rites, the worshiping of nature and shrines. The book illuminates how these rituals and worships, animism and ideas of the soul are imbedded in and interweave with the indigenous environment, culture and history of the clans and people of northern China. The book will be of great value for scholars of religion and anthropologists and ethnologists in the fields of Shamanism studies, Northeast Asian folklore and Manchu studies"-- Provided by publisher Volume I: Shamanic Deities and Rituals Contents Author’s preface and acknowledgements Author’s profile Preface to the 1990 Chinese edition Introduction to the English edition • Daniel Kister Introduction 1 The spirit world of northern shamanism 2 Nature worship 3 Ancestor and fertility worship 4 Blood sacrifice and fire rituals 5 Rituals for nature deities 6 Tangse and jia rituals Bibliography Index Volume II: Shamanic Divination, Myths, and Idols Contents Introduction to the English edition • Daniel Kister Introduction 1 Northern shamanic divination 2 The northern mythic heritage 3 The Manchu creation myth “War in Heaven” 4 Tribal myths and ancestor worship 5 Spirit idols 6 The northern shaman Bibliography Index Based on materials gathered through decades of field research and fleshed out with author’s insightful observations, this ethnological study looks into shamanic divination, spirit idols and mythic heritage in northern China, revealing that the shamanic spirituality in northern China is characterised by functionality and practicality.