Gifts of the AncestorsWhat Siberian Sakha Shamanism Offers to the West

Abstract

ABSTRACT Shamanism is generally considered to be humankind’s original religious practice. Centuries of Russian oppression followed by more recent exposure to Western media culture may have weakened the transmission of traditions of the Sakha people in Arctic Siberia, but a new generation of Sakha healers still strives to keep their traditions alive in a modern world. These contemporary healers are heirs to an unbroken shamanic tradition dating back centuries. They form a living bridge to their ancestors. This article is a collaborative project—both in terms of conceptualization and writing—between a Californian psychotherapist and a member of the new generation of Siberian Sakha healers with the goal of bringing better understanding of the Sakha perspective while also looking at shamanism through a Jungian lens.