ABSTRACT
Ancestor worship is an important aspect of northern polytheist shamanism, and numerous scholarly works in China and beyond touch on this topic. Ancestor worship evolved from other forms of worship, such as the nature and totem worship of matriarchal clan society, and it amounts to a higher level of ancient religious worship. The three forms of shamanic ancestor worship mentioned earlier ancestors of a particular clan, common ancestors of allied clans, and ancestors of a particular family have found expression in various ways. An interesting legend says that the Oroqen invited the ancestors of the Daur into their homes, worshipped them, and sacrificed fresh meat to them every day, which indicates that the ancestor worship of these two peoples originated from similar or related tribes. In any case, the preservation of the cremated remains of the deceased for ancestor worship appeared much later than the use ancestral idols and material objects.
