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| Tuvan Shamans |
While traditional shamanism continues to decline around the
world, it is currently undergoing a revival in Tuva (southern Siberia ).
Tuva is regarded as the birthplace of shamanism. It is one of the few places in
the world where the shamanic heritage has remained unbroken. Through the
millennia, shamans have been very important in the area of the modern-day Republic
of Tuva
In everyday life the Tuvan shaman is not distinguishable
from other people, but when he is engaged in communicating with spirits he has
to make use of a special dress and special instruments. Of these the most
important and the one in most general use is the shaman's drum. It may be said
that all over Tuva, where there is a shaman there is also a drum. The drum has
the power of transporting the shaman to the spirit world and of evoking spirits
by its sounds. Among the Tuvans, all their philosophy of life is
represented symbolically in the drum. Photographer Vera Salnitskaya has
published a photographic essay exploring the shamanic resurgence.
