Singing Story, Healing Drum : Shamans and Storytellers of Turkic Siberia

Endlessly fascinating, often moving, and a must read for anyone interested in the cultures of Siberia. Adele Barker, Comparative Cultural and Literary Studies, University of Arizona The history and contemporary transformation of south Siberia is illuminated through this exploration of the shamanic revival in the Turkic Republics of Tuva and Khakassia. Based on extensive field-work and including folktales, legends, and shamanic poems that elucidate spiritual traditions as well as descriptions of local rituals, Singing Story, Healing Drum is at once travel narrative, autobiography, history, and ethnology. Kira Van Deusen weaves together traditional scholarship and a personal account of her travels through Siberia and contacts with scholars, shamans, and storytellers active in reviving traditional culture. Highlighting the importance of oral literature and music, Singing Story, Healing Drum guides the reader through the often confusing phenomena of the shamanic revival, both in Russia and abroad. "Based on fieldwork, Singing Story, Healing Drum includes folktales, legends, and shamanic poems that illuminate spiritual traditions and rituals practised by the people of the Turkic republics of Tuva and Khakassia in south Siberia. Kira Van Deusen's acquaintance with scholars, shamans, and storytellers who have been active in reviving traditional ways of life allows her to present views from both inside and outside the culture and help the reader find a way through the often confusing phenomena of the "shamanic revival," both in Russia and abroad."--Résumé de l'éditeur