The Shaman's Coat

Download or read book The Shaman's Coat written by Anna Reid and published by George Weidenfeld & Nicholson. This book was released on 2002 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of the indigenous people of Siberia. This vast expanse of land, much of it barely populated jungle and forest, has a population of just one million. Until the 1950s they had no written language; the little we know about them is gleaned from outsiders' accounts. Split between 30 different nationalities including the Buryats, Tatars, Inuits and Chukchi, Siberians had a special closeness to the land. They believed nature possesses animating spirits to be worshipped, placated or guarded against and Shamans performed appropriate ceremonies. There has been a revival in shamanism, with many communities again carrying out dog sacrifices, imbibing hallucinogenic drugs, corpses of bears being offered to bring good luck. This history of the peoples of Siberia contains romance, tragedy and magic.