ABSTRACT
The Qing tangse rituals were an evolved but in some way corrupted form of the shamanic folk rituals of the Manchu and other northern peoples. The worship of "portrait gods" was little known in the court tangse xi rites, but Manchu clans had the tradition of making coloured ancestor portraits that were respectfully preserved in a sacred coffer on the weceku ancestor niche on the west wall of the main room. As of the writing of this book, moreover, shamanic rituals, with complete sacred texts and traditional ritual instruments are still preserved among some Manchu clans in both Jilin and Heilongjiang, and new male and female clan shamans are still initiated to pass the rituals down. Ewenki shamans also perform a trance dance to treat patients, and when people worship heaven or worship the nature god Jiyaci in the spring and autumn, shamans are invited to sing chants to seek blessings for peace and fruitful stock breeding.
