The Living Ancestors
Author | : Zeljko Jokic |
Publisher | : Berghahn Books |
Total Pages | : 296 |
Release | : 2015-09-01 |
ISBN-10 | : 9781782388180 |
ISBN-13 | : 1782388184 |
Rating | : 4/5 (80 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: This phenomenologically oriented ethnography focuses on experiential aspects of Yanomami shamanism, including shamanistic activities in the context of cultural change. The author interweaves ethnographic material with theoretical components of a holographic principle, or the idea that the “part is equal to the whole,” which is embedded in the nature of the Yanomami macrocosm, human dwelling, multiple-soul components, and shamans’ relationships with embodied spirit-helpers. This book fills an important gap in the regional study of Yanomami people, and, on a broader scale, enriches understanding of this ancient phenomenon by focusing on the consciousness involved in shamanism through firsthand experiential involvement.