A Survey on Hans Findeisen’s Researches on Siberian Shamanism with Special Reference to its Mediumistic Aspects
The most important scholar in the field of studies on Siberian shamanism in twentieth-century Germany was arguably the ethnologist and social anthropologist Hans Findeisen (1903–1968), who is still known for his numerous works on various aspects of northern shamanism. Findeisen undertook a number of...
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| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
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| Published: |
Molnar & Kelemen Oriental Publ.
2021
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| In: |
Shaman
Year: 2021, Volume: 29, Issue: 1/2, Pages: 93-104 |
| Summary: | The most important scholar in the field of studies on Siberian shamanism in twentieth-century Germany was arguably the ethnologist and social anthropologist Hans Findeisen (1903–1968), who is still known for his numerous works on various aspects of northern shamanism. Findeisen undertook a number of fieldwork trips during his time working at the Berlin State Museum for Ethnology (Berliner Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde), as well as visits to circumpolar regions. From May 1927 to June 1928 he visited the Ket at the Eniseĭ in the area of Turukhansk and collected materials related to their material and spiritual culture, on which he later also based his studies on Siberian shamanism. One aspect of shamanism touched in some of his works is the mediumistic one. Findeisen called it “the ‘spiritualistic-mediumistic base’ of Northern Asiatic shamanhood” (“Spiritistisch-mediumistische Grundlage” des nordasiatischen Schamanentums). In this survey the author deals with Findeisen’s interests in western spiritualism that formed the background of his interpretation of Siberian shamanism. While few materials dealing with this can be found among the documents of his estate (now owned by his family), Findeisen in fact handed over a number of manuscripts either to his collaborator Heino Gehrts (1913–1998) or directly to the archives of the “Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health” (Institut für Grenzgebiete der Psychologie und Psychohygiene e. V.” (IGPP) Freiburg im Breisgau (Baden-Württemberg, Germany), established by Hans Bender (1907–1991). In this article the author gives an overview of Findeisen’s research on this aspect of Siberian shamanism and the largely unknown materials kept in the archive of the IGPP. |
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| ISSN: | 1216-7827 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Shaman
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