Materials
shaman ritual
ICH Materials 15
Publications(Article)
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A Look into Jeju: Living in Harmony with NatureJeju is a volcanic island filled with stones. Previous eruptions have produced volcanic bombs (large volcanic rocks) scattered around, covering the whole island. This is why it is difficult to cultivate crops in Jeju. Since the thirteenth century, the people of Jeju have been making stone walls to secure farmlands. The total length of stone walls is estimated at 22,100 km. These stone walls look like they are heaped up randomly. However, Jeju people’s wisdom is time-tested, unassumingly sturdy, hidden in those walls. Because the island is prone to strong winds all throughout the year, taking note of typhoons in the summer, they built the stone walls like roughly-heaped stones with holes to let the wind pass through, weakening the possibility of structural collapse.\n\nTamna is Jeju’s old name. The beginning of Tamna is illustrated by Samseong myth. Legend has it that three demigods emerged from holes in the ground. The ground is called samseonghyeol, which is still considered as a sacred place. The emergence from the ground shows difference in cultural archetype from the birth myth of the mainland involving the egg from the heavens. There are 18,000 gods and goddesses in Jeju. Jeju people believe that god lives in everything. Such belief is shaped by Jeju’s naturally difficult tendencies. As people in Jeju battle with endless wind and water shortage due to the island’s barren volcanic environment, they rely on gods to adapt to the roughness of Jeju.\n\nThere are Bonhyangdang Shrines, the house of gods protecting people’s livelihoods. simbangs (shaman in Jeju dialect) act as intermediary between Jeju people and gods. They perform yeongdeunggut in the second lunar month for haenyeo (female divers) and fishermen who depend on the sea for a living. The Yeongdeung is the goddess of the wind, who can raise the waves, which is why she is deemed important for the safety of people pursuing the sea. Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut, the representative yeongdeunggut in Jeju, was listed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO in 2009. There are many other rituals for gods and goddesses of the sea, which are held in roughly 30 areas in Jeju during the same month. There are many stories related to goddesses in Jeju. Different from goddesses in other countries, Jeju goddesses neither depend on nor belong to gods. This is a characteristic shown by Grandmother Seolmundae, the giant who created the island by carrying soil in her skirts; Grandmother Samseung, the goddess of babies; and Jacheongbi, the goddess of farming. Jeju women have high self-esteem unlike those in patriarchal East Asian societies following Confucian teachings. They also participate in the economy more actively than their counterparts in other regions in Korea. Jeju haenyeo is a representative example of women’s participation in the economy. In 2016, the Culture of Jeju Haenyeo was inscribed on the Representative the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO during the eleventh Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It shows matriarchal characteristics of Jeju. In Jeju where the soil is not fit for rice farming, many women became divers to find food from the sea and learned how to cooperate with each other.\n\nDespite the unique challenges in the island, Jeju people have used nature without destroying it, depending on 18,000 gods and neighbors. Such characteristics form the core of the Jeju culture.\n\nPhoto : Jeju haenyeo (female divers) crossing low stone walls to get to the sea © Jeju Haenyeo MuseumYear2017NationSouth Korea
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Jeju Chilmeoridang YeongdeunggutJeju Yeongdeunggut is a shamanic ritual performed during the second lunar month to greet and see off the goddess Yeongdeung. Yeongdeung, the goddess of wind, is typically recognized in the form of Yeongdeunghalmang (Grandmother Yeongdeung). In winter, when the cold wind blows from the northwest, she brings prosperity to the land and sea. It was the custom for the Yeongdeung Welcoming Ritual to be performed to celebrate her arrival and the Yeongdeung Farewell Ritual to be performed fifteen days later to mark her departure.Year2021NationSouth Korea
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Cham: Mesmerizing Buddhist Mask DanceDressed in vibrant colors with mesmerizing masks, monks of Buddhist monasteries perform dances known as cham. These dances are performed in Buddhist monasteries of Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, and India. This dance is commonly known lama in Nepal. There are different types of cham dances depending on the lineage of the monasteries and places. As many mask dances and rituals, this dance is also performed depending on the waxing and waning of the moon.\n\nThese dances originated in Tibet and have influence of the Bon religion and shaman culture. This dance is believed to eradicate diseases and negativity in the community and village, but also influence good harvests. According to the Tibetan legends, after the introduction of the Buddhism in Tibet, the king wanted to build Buddhist monasteries, but the spirits of the Bon religion created obstacles. A well-known Buddhist tantric from Uddiyana (presently the Swat region) known as Padmasamvaba was called on for this purpose. He performed a vajrakilaya dance to pacify the local spirits stirred by Bon magic and were not happy with the Buddhist monastery. After clearing the obstacles through the Padmasamvaba’s cham dance, the monastery was built in 706 CE. Now four school of Tibetan Buddhism (Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, and Gelug) use cham in their rituals.\n\nEven though Padmasamvaba is credited as the first cham dance, there have been contribution from many spiritual lamas to further develop cham dances. Many stories on improving the dances tell stories of lamas seeing dances in the dreams in which they remembered all the choreography and taught to the disciples. This transference of the knowledge from masters to apprentices still continues. Some Dalai Lamas have contributed to the cham dance. A few to mention here are the Fifth Dalai Lama (Gyalwa Lobsang Gyatso, 1618–1682), who not only described the dance minutely in chams yig but also constructed Potala Palace that became a Tibetan Buddhist center. The Thirteenth Dalai Lama, (Thupten Gyatso; 1876–1933), who fled to Mongolia during the British invasion, had vivid dreams. Based on those dreams he created a cham known as white man from Mongolia. Now after the dispersion of Tibetan Buddhists all over the world, cham dances are also widespread along with them. But the cham dances differ according to the school of Buddhism and also the dates of the dances.\n\nCham dances can be performed only by initiated monastery monks. Even if they have initiation weeks before the start of the dance, the monks practice these dances and undergo associated rituals. Depending on the type of dance, they will have a set of masks and the clothes. Cham dances feature various characters, most of which fall under the following types: 1) God of the Tibetan pantheon; 2) tramen, goddesses or witches; 3) ging, low ranked gods; 4) mahakalas, or wrathful protectors; 5) clown and jokers called stsaras; 6) mythical characters; and 7) humans. Cham dances are purification processes in which the demons enter through ritual and remain as a deity. These dances used to be performed in secrecy, but now everything is open.\n\nVarious musical instruments create devotional and symbolic music for the dances. Even human thigh bones were used as musical instruments to remind the performers about mortality and impermanence. The function of music and dances in Tibetan religious ceremonies is always directed towards attaining enlightenment.\n\nPhoto 1 : Cham dances being performed by the monks of Shechen Monastry, Boudha, Kathmandu ⓒ Shechen Monastry\nPhoto 2 : Cham dances performed by the monks of Shechen Monastry, Boudha, Kathmandu ⓒ Shechen MonastryYear2019NationSouthwest Asia,Bhutan,India,Nepal
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Current Safeguarding Status and Challenges of Shaman Heritage in MongoliaThe Mongolia is rich in Shamanic heritage, including both physical artifacts, ritual sites, places of cultural or historical interest and protected landscapes (‘tangible’ heritage) together with rituals, ceremonies, folklore, music, handicrafts, and traditional knowledge ( known as ‘intangible’ heritage). Under Mongolian shamanism we can understand complete science of nomadic philosophy, TNGRI worship, Sacred of peak mountains ritual, parallel psychology of Heaven, earth, fire and human life and supernatural consciousness of Nomadic. On that account we could understand Shamanism is reliable source of Nomadic culture. The Mongols, who themselves worshiped Heaven but had respect for all other religions. The Shamans are merely respected as priests of Heaven./TNGRI/ In Shamanism; the world is alive full of spirits. The plants, animals, rocks, mountains and water, all have a soul. These spirits must be respected to be in the balance with all of them. Balance is an important thing to keep harmony within you, the community, and the environment. When things get out of balance, there are harmful effects. This is when we need a shaman for help. Shamanisms believe in a concept called buyan (physical power) that is very close to the belief of karma (fate). The shaman loses buyan (buyanhishig) by violating taboos, when he has no respect for spirits or our ancestors.Year2013NationMongolia
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Discussion for "Shaman heritage in North East Asia (Part I)"Dr. Kawakami Shinji introduced the cases of diverse activity of shamans in various forms in Japan from cases of regional shaman, city and earthquake-prone region shaman to other religion-related shamans. Dr. Shinji summed that ‘Japanese shamans are mainly mediumsforms and prophetic-forms, added with shamans of ministry-form. Japanese shamanism has a strong notion on listening to orders of the possessing spirit. This notion is interpreted as the principle foundation, and is well depicted in Japanese village offering ritual and in Amami-Okinawa Noro. It was a great gain as he systemically arranged the current aspects and categorized the cases. It can be noted that the shaman cases in your presentation does not deviate much from the Korean cases. Korean shamanism displays similar phenomenon and concept, although the three types are not expressed explicitly. So I think there need a more intensive preparation on\nit. In regards to this, I would like to know what the characteristics of Japanese shamanism are in comparison to the surrounding regions (countries). Since listening to the possessing spirit is also a general notion of global shamanism, I would like to ask of other characteristics of Japanese shamanism. Adding on this, please brief us on how Japan systematically protects shaman heritage, and the influence of cultural heritage protection policy of government on the passing-down of shaman heritage.Year2013NationSouth Korea
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Safeguarding Strategies for Myanmar Shaman HeritageThis paper intends to describe the role and function of Shaman in Myanmar society. The background history of Shaman, the role and function of Shaman, Natkadaw in Myanmar society, and the current situations of Shaman living in Yangon, are elicited. Especially, what are the essential or key factors to become a Shaman in Myanmar, why Myanmar people believe in Nats (spirits), how they offer to the Nats, when they offer to the Nats, what are necessary, who is essential for this ritual or ceremony and how the Shaman maintains and transmits his or her super power from generation to generation are discussed. Descriptive or exploratory and oral history methods are used as the research designs. Secondary analysis, key informant interview are conducted for data collection. As the result outcomes, why Shaman is important to safeguard as Myanmar intangible cultural heritage, why and how the government safeguard the Shaman officially are explored.Year2013NationMyanmar
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Wishing Abundance to the Goddess of Wind: Jeju Chilmeoridang YeongdeunggutIn traditional society, Jeju has blossomed an original and attractive culture based on its natural feature of being a volcanic island located between the Korean Peninsula and the South Sea. Every year in February of the lunar calendar, “Gut,” one of Korea’s seasonal customs, is held throughout Jeju to pray for the peace, good harvest, and good catch of the sea. Haenyeo (local female divers) and shipowners prepare food offering for the gods, and shamans serve as a bridge between gods and people, offering ancestral rites to the spirits of nature, such as the wind goddess, sea god, and mountain god. “Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut” is Jeju’s representative intangible cultural heritage that captures what the sea meant to the lives of the former islanders.\n\nJeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut is based on the myth of Yeongdeung God, the goddess of wind (otherwise called the “yeongdeung halmang,” meaning Grandmother Yeongdeung), along with various guardian deities of the village, the dragon king and ancestrial gods. Yeongdeung God is a foreign goddess that appears in a myth in Jeju. She returns on the first day of the second lunar month and controls the weather while staying in Jeju, she sprays seeds of grain to be harvested the next year on the ground and seeds of seaweed and seafood on the sea. The goddess is also a threat to people’s lives by stirring the sea, but also a god of abundance that helps seaweed grow well by circulating seawater. This myth reflects the islanders’ perception of the sea, which is both a source of life and a dangerous place.\n\nRecords of Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut can be found in “Shinjeung Dongguk Yeoji Seungram”, “Tamraji”, and “Dongguk Sesigi”. Above all, however, the reason Yeongdeunggut could be transmitted for a long time was that the residents were the true owners of the heritage. While preparing food for rituals with marine resources collected from the sea, which is part of their lives, haenyeo and shipowners inherited the tradition as a subject of Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut along with a shaman leading the gut. The ritual was passed down in the lives of Jeju residents for a long time. Shaman Ahn Sa-in was designated as the ICH holder in 1980, allowing more people to learn the value and importance of the heritage.\n\nJeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut is a unique tradition that can only be seen in Jeju Island, where rituals for mountain gods and rituals for Yeongdeung are combined with one shamanic ritual called Yeongdeunggut. On every February 1st of the lunar calendar, Chilmeoridang in the village, where Yeongdeung-gut is held, welcomes Yeongdeungsin with a welcoming festival. The villagers offer offerings to the god of Yeongdeung, the guardian deity of the village, and the sea god to pray for the abundant year and the well-being of the village, and on February 14, they hold a farewell ceremony to send back various gods safely. Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut, which has been handed down as a folk ritual that reflects the natural view and belief of Jeju people over many years, has been recognized for its academic value as the only haenyeo-gut in Korea that shows a unique combination of haenyeo beliefs and folk beliefs. In 2009, it was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.\n\nDespite the development of negative views on folk beliefs due to modernization, Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut has become an important cultural festival that fosters unity and bond among community members and a ritual that captures the lives of ancestors who shared the flow of nature. Surrounded by the sea on all sides and in the wind blowing rapidly, Jeju Islanders did not simply fear and fight the winds, but recognized them as beings that brought the blessing of abundant resources. As the voices about the environment are increasing, it is believed that this view of nature of Jeju Islanders can be a guide to living a “sustainable life” in a modern society.\n\nphoto : Jeju Island shamanic ritual to Yeongdeung, god of wind, which became a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009. © Korea Open Government License Type 1, SourceYear2022NationSouth Korea
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PUPPETRY TRADITIONS IN KOREA AND KKOKDU GAKSI NOREUMPuppetry practices in Korea have been handed down in diverse contexts and various genres, from maeulgut (village ritual) and mudang gut (shaman’s ritual) which are ceremonial rituals of worshipping transcendental beings, to mask dances which were developed primarily for entertainment purposes. Various traditional puppetry plays have been developed as independent genres in these practices of puppetry in Korea. Moreover, the mainstream category known as kkokdu gaksi noreum as well as seosan parkcheomji nori and baltal (mask plays performed with the soles of one’s feet) have also been transmitted. Seosan Parkcheomji nori is a puppetry play of native clowns, which has been shaped by the influence of kkokdu gaksi noreum, while baltal is a mask play in which a puppet and a man measure their wits. As it appears, kkokdu gaksi noreum inspired other types of puppetry as it has been acclaimed as a representative example of Korean traditional puppetry.Year2011NationSouth Korea
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An Overview of Shamanism in NepalIn Nepal, Shamanism was practiced before the arrival of Hinduism and Buddhism. Now it is integrated within both of these religions. Depending on the credo of a particular ethnic community, shamanistic rituals have no monolithic shape but the core value of shamanism is consistently upheld. Shamans are commonly known as dhami or jhakri though ethnic communities have various terms assigned for them. Traditionally, shamans act as mediators between the spirit world and the human world. They are healers, soothsayers, advisors, and priests. Shamans are common people who work as farmers or in some other day job, and they just happen to practice shamanism, typically in the evening.\n\nAmong many ethnic communities in Nepal, Tamang, a cultural and linguistically distinct community, practices shamanism. They believe spirits in the environment help shamans solve people’s problems. In the Tamangworld, spirits are present as microbes in our environment; this worldview is never written, only maintained by oral culture. Some even say that they learn some mantras in their dreams. It’s also very important to have a master and to learn more mantras from them. In addition to teaching mantras to his disciples, a master also helps shake the body and control trances. The disciple-master relation is important and is seen during rituals.\n\nTamang shaman rituals are impressive to watch as the shaman also renders a captivating dance performance during the ritual. The attire of white dress and feather headgear he wears helps bind the people’s gaze. He uses a garland of 108 rittha seeds and rudrakshya (seed of Elaeocarpus granitreus). They wear bells arranged like a belt, producing sounds when they shake during the rituals. Along with the attire they also require ritual objects like phurba (three headed dragger), tiger bones, and materials like incense, uncooked rice, and seed of oroxylum indicum tree (which is almost like white petals). Beating a drum made of deerskin is one of the most important ritual objects. By beating and shaking his body, the shaman goes into a trance where he communicate with the spirits and finds the cure or answer for the clients’ problems. After every ritual, the shaman tells the people the solution to their problems, which he finds during the rituals. Many people in remote parts of the country still rely on the shaman for cures where they don’t have medical facilities. But in places that have medical facilities some people still go to shamans if doctors cannot cure them.\n\nDuring janai purnima (full moon of August or September), shamans have a special day when they gather at holy sites and perform rituals. It’s also a day to boost power among the other shamans. There was a time when all shamans were men. Today, however, though not too significant a change, a small number of women are also shamans.\n\nPhoto : Shaman performing a ritual in a Samarthali Village of Nepal ⓒ Monalisa MaharjanYear2018NationNepal
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Different Communities in Nepal Celebrates Shrawan Shukla PurnimaNepal is a diverse country, which is reflected in the rituals, traditional festivals and practices. Even the same day is celebrated by different ethnic communities with different practices and even name it differently. One of the examples is the celebration of full moon on Shrawan Shukla, which fell on 22nd August this year. Different communities within Nepal celebrated this day in different ways.\n\nFor the shamans of ethnic communites: Tamang, Magar, Rai, Limbu, and Gurung, who are commonly known as Jhakris, Shrawan Shukla’s full moon day is an important day. They perform special rituals in the various temples. In the sacred sites like Gosaikunda Lake in the mountain, there is an annual fair. Shamans trek to those sites and perform rituals along with singing and dancing the whole night. Also the junior shamans get graduated from the senior shaman after special rituals. Besides shaman many trek for days to reach those sites for this day and watch the shamans perform and pay homage to the site.\n\nBrahmins celebrate this day as Janai Purnima. On this day they change the sacred thread called Janai, which they wear on their body. People are seen taking bath in the holy rivers and lakes, after performing the rituals and changing sacred thread. Many Hindus also tie a sacred thread on their wrist with the Brahmin priest. Many priests are seen within the premises of different temples (either Hindu or Buddhist), tying the threads on the wrists and putting tika (mixture of vermilion and uncooked rice) on the forehead in exchange of some offerings.\n\nMadeshi communites of Nepal celebrate this day as a Rakshaya Bandahan or Rakhi. This is the special day for brothers and sisters as sisters tie a sacred thread with decorations on the wrist of brothers. Brothers showers sisters with gifts in return. This is a beautiful ritual to strengthen the bond between siblings and celebrate. Brothers and sisters travel a long distance to reach the place of their brothers/ sisters to celebrate this day. Rakhi is also celebrated in most of the communiites in India as well. Now a lot of non-Madeshi communites in Nepal are also celebrating this ritual of tying rakhi on brother’s wrist. This tradition is now crossing the ethnic and communal boundaries, and setting the example of cultural acceptance.\n\nLikewise, Newa communities of Nepal celebrate this day as Kwati Punhi. On this day nine different beans soup are eaten known as Kwati, which literally translates as hot liquid. Also the offerings of these beans mixtures to different deities and temples are done. Traditionally the day to eat protein rich food was set after the laborious work of monsoon in paddy field.\n\nThe same day Newa community also performs the rituals called Byā jā nakegu, the ritual to feed rice and beans to frogs. This is an ancient farming tradition, which is still continued in the outskirts of cities of Kathmandu. Farmers believe frogs help in bringing rain that is important for paddy planation. Still many farmers are seen will small portions of beans and cooked rice in small green leaves and leaving in the field.\n\nThis day not only reflects the cultural and ethnic diversity in Nepal but also deep-rooted connection of nature, people and practices. Either be it a Shaman ritual or Hindu rituals of changing sacred thread, all have associations with nature. Not just the continuity of the practices but we also need to teach the underlying message of nature conservation and suitability to the younger generations.\n\nPhoto : Hindu Priests tying sacred thread to people in the premise of temples © Monalisa MaharjanYear2021NationNepal
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Namhaean Byeolsin-gut: Village Shaman RitualNamhaean Byeolsin-gut, a shamanic ritual of the South Sea area of Korea, is a village gut (shamanic ritual) held on the islands of Hansando, Saryangdo, Jukdo, and many other islands of the southern archipelago of the Korean peninsula. Hundreds of islands are densely located in the South Sea, with some smaller islands giving scenic views of the region. Behind the beautiful scenery, the majority of islanders depend upon fishing for their livelihoods. In recent years, island populations have decreased, with a particularly sharp decline among younger generations aged between twenty and forty. As a result, difficulties in the economic, social, and cultural situations of the islands have become more pronounced.Year2022NationSouth Korea