The book Shamanism and Northern Ecology, edited by Juha Pentikäinen, examines the complex relationship between shamanism and the ecological systems of northern regions. This scholarly work emphasizes how shamanic practices are deeply embedded in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic environments, where survival relies on an intimate understanding of nature.

Consequently shamanism as an 18th Century ‘Kunstbegriff’ is portrayed as a comprehensive, multilayered cosmological system that combines ecological knowledge, spiritual beliefs, and cultural traditions, demonstrating the close connection between humans, animals, and the environment.

The Role of Shamans in Northern Traditions

In northern traditions, shamans serve as intermediaries between the human world and spiritual realms, playing a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance and ensuring the well-being of their communities. Through rituals and cosmological symbols such as the world tree, shamanic practices reflect an animistic worldview where all elements of nature are considered to possess spiritual significance.

Professor Juha Pentikäinen presents shamanism as a dynamic cultural and ecological system that extends beyond religious practice. He highlights its importance in fostering a sense of community identity and addressing the challenges posed by harsh northern environments. Pentikäinen draws attention to symbols such as the world tree or world pillar, which represent the axis mundi connecting the spiritual realms of the upper, middle, and lower worlds. These symbols are central to shamanic cosmology and mirror the ecological realities faced by northern peoples.

Scholarly Contributions

The book includes insights from several scholars, each offering unique perspectives on shamanism and how indigenous northern healing-systems are embedded in mode of subsistence, economy of course their ecological relationships. Swedish anthropologist Åke Hultkrantz, who is well known for his fieldwork in Wyoming among the Shoshone and his in-depth knowledge of Native American healing-systems, explores the concept of the world pillar within Arctic religious traditions. Robert Petersen on the other hand examines Greenlandic understandings of the body and soul. John P. Dourley analyzes how Carl Jung incorporated shamanistic elements into his psychological theories.

Additional studies focus on specific traditions among indigenous groups such as the Sámi, Khanty, Inuit, Komi-Zyryans, Ainu, and others. These contributions highlight both shared features, such as animism and cosmological structures, and unique adaptations to local ecological contexts.

The Ecological Perspective of Shamanism

The interpretation of shamanism in this book emphasizes its ecological aspects. Northern shamans often perceive their environment through a mythological lens, believing that every aspect of nature, whether animate or inanimate, possesses a spirit, personhood and agency.

For example, river systems in Siberia hold significant mythological and cosmological meanings for many indigenous Siberian cultures, often these Rivers are linked to the shaman’s Turu. If, for example, an animal is hunted nearby such as river, the river itself is incorporated into the hunting ritual and holds cosmological significance (Zvelebil, 1997).

This animistic perspective encourages a sustainable relationship with nature, which is reflected in practices such as hunting rituals, seasonal revival rites and animal-ceremonialism, often as offerings to the spirit guardians of animals and their ancestors. The world tree or world pillar remains a fundamental symbol in these traditions, representing the connection between different spiritual realms.

Shamans rely on this symbolic structure during their rituals to maintain spiritual and ecological harmony. As pointed out by Hultkrantz, the pillar likely has its origins in a late Paleolithic/Mesolithic hunter-gatherer tradition. Younger, more recent versions may have been the world-tree in Indo-European mythologies (e.g. Yggdrasil). There appears to be a difference in Arctic and Sub-arctic variants of the world pillar.

Structure and Themes of the Book

The book is divided into six thematic sections, each exploring various aspects of northern shamanism. The first section, Themes and Concepts, introduces foundational ideas, including the world pillar as discussed by Åke Hultkrantz and Carl Jung’s perspective on shamanism, explored by John P. Dourley. The second section, Northern Europe, focuses on Sámi traditions, Norse interpretations of Sámi spirituality, and Komi-Zyryan mythology.

The third section, Ugric Peoples, examines Khanty shamanic practices, such as reindeer sacrifices and Ugric cosmology. The fourth section, Central and East Asia, covers Mongolian shamanism, Korean deities in shamanistic practices, and sacred sites in the Altai-Sayan region. The fifth section, North Western Pacific, delves into Ainu bear hunting techniques and salmon-related rituals. The final section, Encounters Between Ethnic and World Religions, discusses how indigenous traditions have interacted with Christianity and other global religions while striving to preserve their ethnic identities.

Shamanism and Northern Ecology offers an in-depth exploration of how northern communities incorporate shamanistic practices into their ecological surroundings while maintaining spiritual connections to nature. The book underscores the adaptability of shamanic traditions in response to environmental and cultural changes. It serves as an essential resource for understanding indigenous spirituality in relation to ecology and sustainability.

Reference:

Zvelebil, Marek, Hunter-gatherer ritual landscapes: spatial organisation, social structure and ideology among hunter- gatherers of Northern Europe and Western Siberia. In: ANALECTA PRAEHISTORICA LEIDENSIA 29, LEIDEN UNIVERSITY, 1997