Shamanism !!!!

The original tribes from Siberia were nomadic hunters and reindeer herders. Whenever a community faced illness or serious problems the people called upon their shamans: men and women who were able to contact the spirits. Each shaman had his or her own spirit helpers who would offer assistance during healing rituals and problem solving. The helpers of the shaman would also help guiding the dead who had left their physical bodies for the journey into the other world.
All the different Siberian tribes had their own way of life, their own mythology and world view. Therefore there were considerable differences between the shamans of the various groups. Still, there were enough similarities between them all to justify the use of the term 'Siberian shamanism'.
One of the characteristics of Siberian shamanism is that the vast majority of the shamans used special costumes on which images of their spirit helpers were attached. The Sakha (Yakut) shamans of central Siberia wore up to two hundred iron pendants and images on their leather coats. The southern Siberian Tofalar and Soyot shamans adorned their costumes with only few iron hangers but attached hundreds of textile snakes and ribbons to their costumes. Shamans of the Evenki, Dolgan and Altai combined quantities of iron and textile, sometimes adding decorations of small beads and shells. Whatever material was used to make a shaman costume, a shaman costume could easily weigh ten kilo or more, the heaviest that was recorded weighed about forty kilo.
Beside a special costume, Siberian shamans used big flat drums. The shamans of tribes such as Nanai and Udeghe didn¹t often wear real shaman costumes during their ceremonies, but they also would use the characteristic big flat drums. The shaman would beat the drum in a monotonous rhythm and sing long songs to invite the spirits. In some tribes the shamans would improvise words and melodies, in others they would mainly sing old familiar songs. Invited by the songs the spirits would gather around the shaman.
During such sessions the shaman would dance, and soon would be exhausted by the weight of the heavy costume and drum. That was not a problem but a help: tiredness helps to enter and deepen the trance state. When the shaman was fully in trance and had his or her spirit helpers around him the real work could begin. The shaman would seek out the spirits that caused illness and problems, and through communication with them would try to find healing or solutions.
Siberian shamanism was not only found in Siberia proper but also in the areas at it¹s southern and southeastern borders. In the north of China there are nomadic groups belonging to the Evenki, they are closely related to their Siberian neighbours. In the most northern islands of Japan live the shamanic Ainu. In Mongolia the Buryat and other tribes had their own shamans; in Mongolia (Siberian) shamanism and (Tibetan) Buddhism have existed independently but were also sometimes mixed.
Classical Siberian shamanism is more or less extinct. Soon after the revolution of 1917 a campaign was launched to convince the Siberian tribes that it was better to avoid the shamans instead of asking them for help. Under Stalin the remaining practising shamans were either killed or imprisoned in the camps of the Gulag. Nowadays there are only very few shamans left who are directly linked to the old traditions. Only in museums one can still see the old shaman costumes, drums and other ritual objects.
There are parts of Siberia where people turned once more to shamanism after the decline of the communism. There are various folkloristic groups whose members sing old shaman songs while dressed in costumes resembling the traditional shaman's clothes. There are also individuals who have started doing the shaman's work. Most of these people are however recreating shamanic practices, only few are directly linked to traditional shamans of earlier times.
The western world learned about the shamans in the eighteenth century through travel rapports written by people who explored Siberia. For a long time only the academic world had some knowledge about the Siberian shamans, but in the sixties of the twentieth century shamanic practice was recognised as a spiritual path. In the seventies Michael Harner developed a method that enabled westerners to experience the basic steps of shamanic trance. By now, a westerner interested in shamanism can choose from all kinds of different methods. Very few western practitioners use shaman costumes, but drums are used by many and the art of communicating with spirit guides is commonly practised.

By Oom shamanism present !!