Mongolian Shamanism

Today we have interviewed an experienced Mongolian shaman (Zairan, Mr-B) about shamanism, we would like to present this interview to our readers.

"The soul leaves the body and the spirit of ancestors enters the body."

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Interview with a native Mongolian Shaman

artist ritual: Thank you for accepting our invitation and taking the time to talk with us. Please explain to us the origin of shamanism.
Mongolian Shaman: There is no specific time of origin in shamanism. In general, it is believed that shamanism developed about 5000 years ago, some historical findings suggest that it emerged since the birth of matriarchy. Etugen (Etugen or Etugen-mother is the daughter of heaven of Mongolian shamanism), is the origin of the word Udgan. It is said that this term was first used to communicate with nature, wild animals and nature's deity during the matriarchal period. Since people of that time lived by hunting deer, they prayed that nature would appease the earth to have abundant food. It is generally believed that shamanism originated from this time.

artist ritual: How is shamanism different from other religions?
Mongolian Shaman: Religion has scriptures and books that have been written down. Shamanism is not a separate religion because it is passed down from generation to generation. In general, we can assume that shamanism is the root of all religions. Because all religions originated from worship, since then religions have written down their worship and prayers.

artist ritual: What is the main structure of shamanism?
Mongolian Shaman: In general, Ulaach is associated with the spirit sky, with mountain water, with the deity of nature and with the upper sky, and with the Tushee.

Ulaach means the chosen person who connects heaven and earth, and carries the spirit amulet in his body. For men this person is called Zairan, for women Udgan.
Tushee means the perception that the person feels, from the moment this perception enters the person's body until the moment of returning to heaven. This perception remains with the person and helps their cause through words.
Shamanism and nature gods are inseparable.

artist ritual: Can you tell us something about the shaman's robe?
Mongolian Shaman: The robes of the shamans are similar to those of other shamans in Mongolia, but they differ in tribal colors, some accessories and hats (maikhavch).

artist ritual: How does Mongolian shamanism differ from shamanism in other countries?
Mongolian Shaman: The basic principles of all shamanism are the same. However, the main differentiator is that Mongolian shamanism has been passed down by Ulaachs for hundreds of years, and from generation to generation. Mongolians have lived close to nature for hundreds of years and worship the spirits of their ancestors, rivers, mountains and in the sky. Shamanism in other countries is basically no different, but I think shamanism differs in that the other countries usually worship animals.

artist ritual: What is the difference between "Yellow Shamans" and "Black Shamans"?
Mongolian Shaman: At the beginning, they were all on the black sky side. In the 15th and 16th centuries, after the arrival of the Shar religion (Buddha) in Mongolia, the Shar religion (Buddha) was accepted, and those who joined the Shar religion (Buddha) became "Yellow Shamans". Those who followed the main tradition did not want to accept this, so these are classified as "Black Shamans".

artist ritual: Thank you. What other interesting information can you give us?
Mongolian Shaman: I was in Germany a month ago with my wife. As I observed, people had forgotten the ritual of worshipping nature and nature gods. Because of this, many disasters and sufferings usually happen. Although developed countries love nature and keep it clean, they seem to have lost the original connection. If an individual believes in different religions, his choices are not wrong in principle, but we must not forget that our nature provides us with food, shelter, air to breathe and water to drink. To repeat, humankind forgets about nature, which is the source of religion closest to us, and stops worshipping and thanking it, which is another important reason why humankind suffers from serious diseases, natural disasters and natural phenomena. It is also related to the fact that some things cannot be explained scientifically. There are things that Mongolians refrain from doing. Some of them are:

• Mongolians do not urinate by looking in the direction of a river.
• Mongolians do not pour milk into a river.
• Mongolians do not move stones in a river, etc.

Nature is polluted not only by garbage, but also by other things. All natural things are in the spiritual body. It is a pity that most countries ignore it without knowing it and then bear the consequences. This is the core message I want to convey. We should never forget that human beings are natural beings.

artist ritual: Thank you very much for answering our questions and providing information. I wish you luck in your future life.
Mongolian Shaman: I wish you success in your work.

All photos (c) Purevdorj Vaanchig