Activity 3.4: The Tale of the Nisan Shaman

The Tale of the Nisan Shaman

Earlier in this unit, we learned that “shaman” is a term that anthropologists use to refer to religious practitioners in small-scale societies, often those who go into altered states of consciousness as part of their rituals. We also learned that this term originated in the indigenous Tungus languages of Siberia. Let’s read a classic ManchuLinks to an external site.story about a shaman from this region of the world. After reading the following chapter and story, please submit your answers to the questions below.

Chapter: Women Shamans from Women Who Fly by Serinity Young [in Canvas as “Nisan Shaman Chapter”]

Story: The Tale of the Nisan Shaman

1. In her chapter, how does Serinity Young define and describe shamans?

2. What examples does Serinity Young give of societies that have women shamans? What examples does she give of societies where the norm is for shamans to dress or present as women in ritual context, even if they identify as men? What examples does she give of gender fluid shamans?

3. How does Serinity Young describe the significance of birds in Siberian cosmology, and their relationship with shamanism?

4. In the story, why does Boldo Bayan ask Teteke if she has seen the shaman? Why does she answer the way she does? What do you think is significant about her answer?