ABSTRACT
According to the study of shamanism, the term “shaman” is derived from the Tungus-Ewenki word saman or yaman, meaning a magician, healer, priest, mystic, poet, and performer of miracles, or shaman as the one who uses specific techniques of ecstasy. These techniques include music, rhythmic dancing, seclusion, and, most frequently, zikir (i.e. zikr) – the repetition of mystical formulae. In Central Asian culture, shamanism formed an essential part of religious beliefs widely spread in the area.
Today, across the Central Asian area, shamans are mostly found to be women. The questions we investigate in this presentation are as follows: Who is a shaman in contemporary Central Asia? How popular is shamanism among local women? Which Central Asian folk instruments are historically associated with extreme power related to shamanic spirits? What folk songs and narrations have deep symbolic protective meaning? On what occasions are they performed? How are all these shamanistic practices reflected today in contemporary Central Asian culture and music? Based on original ethnographic data collected by the author, this chapter is illustrated with photo examples.
