WEBVTT 00:00:12 00:00:28 [ VO ] A Buryat village of Chelutay is in 100 km from Mongolia. A rite of Shanar is due to start here tomorrow, a Shaman initiation. 00:00:33 00:00:37 [ VO ] This is Zandan. He learnt that he was destined to become a shaman 11 years ago. 00:00:39 00:00:46 [ VO ] When ancestral spirits made a demand to his father during a shaman ritual: when the son turns 33, he is to be consecrated a shaman. 00:00:47 00:00:48 [ VO ] And now the time has come. 00:00:54.23 --> 00:00:57.23 [ Author ] After this rite you'll be a Shaman? 00:00:58.17 --> 00:01:01.19 [ Zandan, Shaman ] I don't really know yet myself 00:01:03.13 --> 00:01:05.15 [ Zandan ] You can't run away from it. 00:01:07.09 --> 00:01:11.02 [ Author ] So, you have to do it, like it or not [ Zandan ] Yes, you do. 00:01:12.23 --> 00:01:14.08 [ Author ] You can't refuse? 00:01:15.12 --> 00:01:21.08 [ Zandan ] It would be bad for the kids, I couldn't do that to the children. 00:01:21.17 --> 00:01:27.03 [ Zandan ] They say if you don't go through with it, the door will close to them 00:01:27.16 --> 00:01:29.11 [ Zandan ] What can you do? 00:01:47 00:01:49 [ 1ST DAY OF SHANAR, THE RITE OF INITIATION ] 00:01:49.15 --> 00:01:51.04 [ Bair Rinchinov, Shaman ] Are the texts ready? 00:01:55.17 --> 00:01:56.21 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Yes, they are. 00:01:57.03 --> 00:02:00.01 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Are the spirit mother and father here? 00:02:02.03 --> 00:02:08.13 [ Bair Rinchinov ] There are two assistants present, and nine children. 00:02:10.10 --> 00:02:15.21 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Today we begin the Shanar, the rite of passage along the white path. 00:02:18.00 --> 00:02:21.21 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Which of you children have attended the rite before? 00:02:21.22 --> 00:02:23.10 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Raise your hands! 00:02:25.22 --> 00:02:28.05 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Don't pick your noses! 00:02:28.23 --> 00:02:30.17 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Behave yourselves! 00:02:34.03 --> 00:02:36.08 [ Bair Rinchinov ] He was chosen by his ancestors 00:02:36.09 --> 00:02:39.01 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Of course, somewhere in his soul, 00:02:39.02 --> 00:02:41.16 probably 80% of him doesn't want it, 00:02:41.21 --> 00:02:47.04 but if the ancestors come down from above and choose you, what can you do? 00:02:47.05 --> 00:02:50.07 [ Bair Rinchinov ] If you refused, the road would disappear. 00:03:01 00:03:09 [ VO ] In Buryatia, every clan was supposed to have a shaman. He was everything: a priest, healer, guide to the world of spirits who know everything. 00:03:10 00:03:18 [ VO ] In Soviet Buryatia, in the 1930s, the clergy was declared 'harmful elements,' most of them were deported, and some were shot. 00:03:19 00:03:28 [ VO ] After the disintegration of the USSR, the shamanism started to revive at a fast rate. And now, this district alone has about 200 active shamans. 00:03:29.20 --> 00:03:31.22 [ Bair Rinchinov ] When I was consecrated, 00:03:31.23 --> 00:03:38.07 two or three generations had never seen such a Shanar ceremony. 00:03:39.08 --> 00:03:42.16 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Everyone was surprised and interested. 00:03:43.06 --> 00:03:46.08 [ Bair Rinchinov ] The entire village turned out for my Shanar. 00:03:46.21 --> 00:03:49.09 [ Bair Rinchinov ] I'd never seen a tambourine before. 00:03:51.20 --> 00:03:53.09 [ Bair Rinchinov ] So, they dressed me, 00:03:53.21 --> 00:03:55.14 gave me the tambourine 00:03:56.09 --> 00:03:59.08 'Off you go! Now we'll walk around the tree'. 00:04:02.13 --> 00:04:06.22 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Why have you come? [ Man ]I've been getting sick a lot. 00:04:07.10 --> 00:04:10.08 [ Bair Rinchinov ] OK, hold on a bit, I'll drink some tea. 00:04:11.22 --> 00:04:13.09 [ Woman ]Is that Bair? [ Man ]Yes. 00:04:16.24 --> 00:04:18.09 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Why have you come? 00:04:18.15 --> 00:04:21.06 [ Woman ]Well, my husband loves to drink [ Bair Rinchinov ] Huh? 00:04:21.07 --> 00:04:23.21 [ Woman ]He's quite a drinker. [ Bair Rinchinov ] He drinks? 00:04:24.18 --> 00:04:26.20 [ Bair Rinchinov ] He gets drunk, eh? [ Woman ]Yes. 00:04:29.11 --> 00:04:36.22 [ Bair Rinchinov ] And what can I do to help you, dear sir? [ Man ]Whatever you can. 00:04:39.20 --> 00:04:41.15 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Been drinking long? 00:04:42.22 --> 00:04:45.09 [ Man ]I had hypnotherapy. 00:04:46.18 --> 00:04:48.24 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Where did you have it? [ Man ]In Chita. 00:04:50.12 --> 00:04:52.08 [ Bair Rinchinov ] And, for how long? 00:04:52.10 --> 00:04:55.02 [ Woman ]Three years, he was sober for two… 00:04:55.22 --> 00:04:59.06 [ Woman ]But now he's been at it again for almost 3 months. 00:05:00.06 --> 00:05:03.02 [ Bair Rinchinov ] What makes you drink? Cravings? 00:05:03.03 --> 00:05:07.17 [ Man ]I get horrible hangovers [ Woman ]To get some hair of the dog, then even more. 00:05:10.11 --> 00:05:13.19 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Now they'll bring my briefcase, and we'll see. 00:05:20.12 --> 00:05:22.15 [ Bair Rinchinov ] I've been doing this 40 years. 00:05:22.16 --> 00:05:29.18 [ Bair Rinchinov ] It involves a bit of everything: astrology, mantras, shamanism. 00:05:32 00:05:35 [ VO ] Bair Rinchinov is one of the most famous shamans in his Aginsky district. 00:05:36 00:05:42 [ VO ] He was consecrated in Mongolia where Buryat shamans migrated to escape from reprisals in the 1930s, in the early days of Soviet regime. 00:05:58.13 --> 00:06:00.15 [ Patient ]I've got osteochondritis. 00:06:00.22 --> 00:06:05.08 [ Patient ]My back, please, and do the knees more, they hurt the most. 00:06:14.18 --> 00:06:18.16 [ Man ] In general, for me, all these shamanisms and lamaisms… 00:06:18.17 --> 00:06:20.21 [ Man ] I'd never been to the temple… 00:06:20.22 --> 00:06:23.06 [ Author ]You didn't believe? [ Man ] I didn't. 00:06:23.13 --> 00:06:27.20 [ Man ] I thought they were conmen just putting on a show 00:06:27.21 --> 00:06:29.15 and ripping people off. 00:06:30.16 --> 00:06:32.11 [ Man ] Then I got scared. 00:06:32.20 --> 00:06:33.24 [ Man ] I got it. 00:06:34.10 --> 00:06:36.03 [ Author ]What made you believe? 00:06:36.04 --> 00:06:41.21 [ Man ] Bair channelled our ancestor and he recognised me. 00:06:41.22 --> 00:06:43.17 [ Author ]How does he do it? 00:06:43.18 --> 00:06:46.04 [ Man ] He channels them through himself 00:06:46.18 --> 00:06:48.22 and that ancestor knew me. 00:06:48.23 --> 00:06:54.15 [ Man ] He said: 'You were supposed to take up bone setting, and so you've been punished'. 00:06:55.00 --> 00:07:05.09 [ Man ] My arms were broken in eight places because I didn't become a bonesetter. 00:07:08 00:07:13 [ VO ] At the end of the first day, they check if Zandan’s initiation rite progresses well. 00:07:14.12 --> 00:07:19.02 [ Bair Rinchinov ] As a last resort, if it doesn't work, we'll have to summon a spirit. 00:07:26.06 --> 00:07:29.02 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Well, let's get started! 00:07:30.07 --> 00:07:34.04 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Volodya, if the bowls land the right way, report to me. 00:07:39 00:07:47 [ VO ] All the celebrants take their turns to throw bowls in a particular way. If the bowl landed in the right way, it means everything goes as planned. 00:07:48.14 --> 00:07:49.23 [ Life ]Bingo! 00:08:03 00:08:07 [ VO ] So far so good, but soon Bair’s worries prove to be far from ungrounded. 00:08:14 00:08:19 [ 2ND DAY OF SHANAR, THE RITE OF INITIATION ] 00:08:19 00:08:29 [ VO ] Nine children symbolise the shaman’s clan. They’re picked at the local villages. The child’s presence at Shanar is a great honour for the whole family. 00:08:30.21 --> 00:08:32.16 [ Boy ] It's uncomfortable! 00:08:34.22 --> 00:08:37.06 [ Woman ] There, there, calm down now! 00:08:39.19 --> 00:08:42.05 [ Woman ] That's it, all better. 00:08:55.07 --> 00:08:59.20 [ Woman ] Maybe the shoes are too tight? Why are you crying? 00:08:59.21 --> 00:09:06.15 [ Boy ] No, it's hard to breathe when I jump. 00:09:06.16 --> 00:09:10.03 [ Woman ] Everyone's short of breath, calm down! 00:09:14.15 --> 00:09:16.22 [ Boy ] I want to go home. 00:09:16.23 --> 00:09:19.16 [ Woman ]Wipe your face! 00:09:20.11 --> 00:09:23.07 [ Woman ]That's it, enough already! 00:09:26.09 --> 00:09:27.13 [ Woman ]That's enough! 00:09:27.14 --> 00:09:32.17 [ Woman ]If you continue crying, you'll walk 9 more circles, until you stop crying. 00:09:45 00:09:55 [ VO ] And then some women must sit for 8 hours straight at their workplace to prepare the treats for the spirits – a sacrificial lamb and milk vodka.  00:09:56.08 --> 00:09:58.13 [ Woman ]We started at 4:20 am. 00:10:01.18 --> 00:10:03.21 [ Woman ]And we'll finish at 12:20 pm. 00:10:05.05 --> 00:10:06.09 [ Woman ]That's 8 hours. 00:10:06.10 --> 00:10:10.16 [ Woman ]I am from the father's side, it's like black, 00:10:11.07 --> 00:10:13.19 and she is from the mother's side. 00:10:14.15 --> 00:10:18.19 [ Woman ]So, two different flavours come out. 00:10:20.13 --> 00:10:21.17 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] Hello! 00:10:22.23 --> 00:10:25.04 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] And where's Mr. Bair? 00:10:25.05 --> 00:10:28.09 [ Man ] A little problem's come up. 00:10:28.21 --> 00:10:33.03 [ Man ] He's gone to that place to sprinkle a bit. 00:10:33.11 --> 00:10:35.00 [ Man ] He'll be back soon. 00:10:35.01 --> 00:10:37.23 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] What kind of problem? [ Man ] A little one. 00:10:37.24 --> 00:10:39.09 [ Man ] It's shaman stuff. 00:10:39.10 --> 00:10:44.07 [ Man ] A small problem's come up, and so… 00:10:45.03 --> 00:10:47.20 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] Remember how we measured your heads? 00:10:49.05 --> 00:10:52.10 [ Valentina Kharitonova ]We didn't let you conduct the rite properly. 00:10:55 00:10:57 [ VO ] Valentina Kharitonova is an anthropologist from the Russian Academy of Sciences. 00:10:58 00:11:02 [ VO ] Since the early 2000s, she’s been working in all Russian regions where shamans practice. 00:11:03 00:11:05 [ VO ] In 2003, she conducted her first study here. 00:11:06.20 --> 00:11:13.16 [ DR Valentina Kharitonova, Medical Anthropology Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences ] Our goal was to see how the brain activity of a regular person transforms and changes 00:11:13.18 --> 00:11:17.09 during a shamanic seance or a healing seance 00:11:17.10 --> 00:11:23.22 and see how much the brain activity of shamans might differ from that of regular people, 00:11:23.23 --> 00:11:26.10 as had been hypothesized. 00:11:26.11 --> 00:11:28.10 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] Hello! [ Bair Rinchinov ] Hello, nice to see you! 00:11:28.11 --> 00:11:30.09 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Come on in and sit down. 00:11:30.14 --> 00:11:33.10 [ Bair Rinchinov ] How was your trip? [ Valentina Kharitonova ] Fine, thanks! 00:11:35.02 --> 00:11:39.14 [ Bair Rinchinov ] We're having a difficult Shanar here, now we'll sort it out a bit. 00:11:41 00:11:45 [ VO ] Shanar, Zandan’s rite of initiation, is not going as well as expected. 00:11:47 00:11:54 [ VO ] Shamans are trying to figure out which ancestor is not happy with the rite and how to appease a displeased spirit. 00:11:55.21 --> 00:12:00.20 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Just before your arrival, I channelled my ancestor, a great shaman. 00:12:01.17 --> 00:12:03.08 [ Bair Rinchinov ] He was a harsh man. 00:12:03.23 --> 00:12:05.09 [ Bair Rinchinov ] He could fight and… 00:12:05.21 --> 00:12:09.05 he was shot in '36 in the Chita ravine. 00:12:10.05 --> 00:12:14.18 [ Bair Rinchinov ] He was a great shaman. We've been following his orders for 30 years. 00:12:18 00:12:22 [ VO ] Bair has recently summoned this spirit of a shaman executed in 1936. 00:12:31 00:12:36 [ VO ] But the spirit was in a foul mood. And no one managed to get answers to their questions. 00:12:47.21 --> 00:12:52.01 [ Man ] The spirit he channelled yesterday is fearsome. 00:12:52.02 --> 00:12:55.04 [ Man ] He's really scary and I'm afraid of him. 00:12:55.20 --> 00:12:57.14 [ Man ] He hit me… 00:12:58.10 --> 00:13:00.07 nearly took my head off. 00:13:02.00 --> 00:13:07.15 [ Bair Rinchinov ] I don't know how this will end tomorrow, but… 00:13:09.02 --> 00:13:11.01 [ Bair Rinchinov ] What do you think Volodya? 00:13:12.04 --> 00:13:16.19 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Maybe a 70% chance of success. 00:13:37.15 --> 00:13:40.04 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] They're making a versatile shaman 00:13:40.05 --> 00:13:44.15 who should know how to communicate with various spirits, 00:13:44.16 --> 00:13:48.04 perform rituals appealing to different realms, 00:13:48.05 --> 00:13:53.04 and stay in contact with various deities. 00:13:53.05 --> 00:13:57.04 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] That's why they perform a two-in-one ritual, 00:13:57.05 --> 00:14:01.07 both black and white in one consecration. 00:14:05.20 --> 00:14:12.21 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] Bells and staffs are used in white rituals. 00:14:12.22 --> 00:14:17.03 [ Bair Rinchinov ] So Zandan, today we'll present gifts to your great ancestor, 00:14:17.04 --> 00:14:19.14 as the white path demands. 00:14:21.04 --> 00:14:23.21 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] White doesn't necessarily mean good. 00:14:23.22 --> 00:14:29.14 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] It's just white and that's all, there's no moral value attached to it 00:14:30.09 --> 00:14:33.19 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] In black rituals, tambourines are used. 00:14:42 00:14:51 [ VO ] Zandan is supposed to ring the bell for four hours straight, and then beat a tambourine. 00:15:52 00:15:59 [ 3RD DAY OF SHANAR, THE RITE OF INITIATION ] 00:16:04.12 --> 00:16:08.19 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] In one important part, the shaman must climb a birch tree, 00:16:08.20 --> 00:16:13.07 and they often talk about how they literally take off like a bird. 00:16:13.08 --> 00:16:17.08 [ Author ] Something like levitation? [ Valentina Kharitonova ] Well, I wouldn't say that. 00:16:17.09 --> 00:16:22.01 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] They all say they experience a feeling of incredible lightness, 00:16:22.04 --> 00:16:24.01 just as if they were flying 00:16:24.19 --> 00:16:29.01 [ Man ] He was supposed to climb a tree, but… [ Author ] He can't do it. 00:16:40.04 --> 00:16:43.08 [ Man ] So, now he's going to summon a spirit outdoors. 00:16:45.05 --> 00:16:49.08 [ Man ] A spirit possesses Bair, Bair isn't aware of anything. 00:16:49.12 --> 00:16:51.07 [ Man ] He's not there anymore. 00:16:53.00 --> 00:16:57.19 [ Man ] His speech and posture change. 00:17:00.06 --> 00:17:02.11 [ Man ] Everything about him changes. 00:17:04.07 --> 00:17:11.08 [ Man ] So, he might see your gear and smash it to smithereens, 00:17:11.19 --> 00:17:15.21 or he could take your soul… 00:17:16.12 --> 00:17:17.18 just like that! 00:17:17.20 --> 00:17:21.12 [ Man ] And you'd have to live soulless for, say, a month, 00:17:21.24 --> 00:17:27.18 and, in that state, you could die from a cold or flu. 00:17:30 00:17:37 [ VO ] But this time Bair is not going to summon a spirit so formidable but someone more agreeable. 00:17:38.17 --> 00:17:41.24 [ Life ] Does anyone have something to ask the spirit? 00:17:43.05 --> 00:17:49.19 [ Life ] Arsalan wants to ask about his studies [ Life ] I don't really think that's necessary 00:17:49.20 --> 00:17:54.19 [ Life ] Of course not, I warned them not to ask such questions. 00:17:56.02 --> 00:17:59.15 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Your questions about school are out of place here. 00:18:06.03 --> 00:18:11.17 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Think before addressing such questions to the spirits! 00:18:12.14 --> 00:18:14.04 [ Bair Rinchinov ] OK, let's begin. 00:18:22.09 --> 00:18:27.06 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] He expels his own soul, so to speak, and accepts the soul of the ancestor. 00:18:27.13 --> 00:18:32.20 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] They say even the cranial bones expand during possession. 00:18:32.24 --> 00:18:41.03 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] Note, they wear special headgear they claim prevents excessive expansion of the skull. 00:18:41.04 --> 00:18:44.22 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] It's when the shaman's work is very intense 00:18:44.23 --> 00:18:48.11 that they believe measures are called for 00:18:48.12 --> 00:18:53.01 to protect the brain and cranial cavity from abnormal distension. 00:19:11.16 --> 00:19:17.07 [ Life ] Revered Spirit Grandmother, please sit down. 00:19:17.08 --> 00:19:18.16 [ Life ] Put that away! 00:19:18.17 --> 00:19:20.06 [ Life ] We'll get you a chair. 00:19:20.07 --> 00:19:22.21 [ Life ] Your interpreter is talking to you. 00:19:24.12 --> 00:19:26.00 [ Life ] I'm about 60. 00:19:27.02 --> 00:19:30.20 [ Life ] I was born in the year of the pig, my name is Dolma. 00:19:32 00:19:40 [ VO ] The spirit is talking to people in old Buryat language, and a shaman’s assistant helps with the translation. 00:19:41 00:19:46 [ VO ] Spirit’s recommendations are put down to figure it out later word by word. 00:19:47.19 --> 00:19:54.15 [ Man ] Now they'll decipher what Dulma wrote here. 00:19:58.02 --> 00:20:02.20 [ Man ] I can't make out her handwriting. 00:20:02.21 --> 00:20:07.02 [ Man ] And I can't understand her speech at all. 00:20:09.00 --> 00:20:12.17 [ Man ] Well, let's hope they've prescribed something. 00:20:33.23 --> 00:20:38.23 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] When the spirit leaves and Bair's soul returns to his body, 00:20:38.24 --> 00:20:43.18 a host of physiological transformations take place, 00:20:43.19 --> 00:20:49.04 and here it's very important that his body begins to obey him again. 00:20:49.05 --> 00:20:54.02 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] This is a moment that requires additional scientific study and tests. 00:21:00.23 --> 00:21:06.05 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Line up over here in full gear, bring everything 00:21:12.22 --> 00:21:15.00 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Just one picture as a memento. 00:21:15.01 --> 00:21:16.23 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Hurry up, Zandan! 00:21:18.24 --> 00:21:21.14 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] When we first arrived in 2003, 00:21:21.15 --> 00:21:25.09 I began asking who else was engaged in this, 00:21:25.10 --> 00:21:28.22 and everyone I talked to said: 00:21:28.23 --> 00:21:32.09 'My God, there are already so many here, about 70!' 00:21:32.10 --> 00:21:35.07 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] Each clan found its own shaman. 00:21:35.18 --> 00:21:40.08 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] This was inevitable because, in this culture, 00:21:40.09 --> 00:21:45.05 every clan traditionally had its own shaman, sometimes several, 00:21:45.06 --> 00:21:47.05 so they're not hard to find. 00:21:47.06 --> 00:21:50.17 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] Consecrations are held on a massive scale. 00:21:51.04 --> 00:21:56.14 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] Many people, even non-Buryats, come here to be consecrated. 00:21:56.15 --> 00:22:00.07 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] I know this is a very active trend in Ulan-Ude, 00:22:00.08 --> 00:22:04.12 and the number of shamans there is growing at an incredible rate. 00:22:22.11 --> 00:22:24.19 [ Author ]These are all consecrations? [ Man ]Yes. 00:22:25.05 --> 00:22:30.22 [ Man ]A female Shaman from Berlin is being consecrated over there, 00:22:31.19 --> 00:22:38.16 and here's our future ethnographer, 00:22:38.18 --> 00:22:47.00 and that's our Buryat man from Irkutsk being consecrated as well. 00:22:47 00:22:59 [ VO ] Bair Tsyrendorzhiev is the 'main shaman' of Buryatia. He and Bair from the village of Chelutay had the same teachers. They both were consecrated in Mongolia. 00:22:59 00:23:04 [ VO ] But this Bair moved to the capital of Buryatia, Ulan-Ude, in 2000. 00:23:05.04 --> 00:23:13.22 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] An entrepreneur involved in the wholesale trade offered me a position as a security consultant. 00:23:13.23 --> 00:23:15.17 [ Author ] Security of what? 00:23:16.06 --> 00:23:18.06 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] Security of everything. 00:23:18.24 --> 00:23:25.17 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] For instance, how goods will be moved, or… 00:23:25.19 --> 00:23:32.16 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] He had a large staff, so was anyone stealing? 00:23:33.04 --> 00:23:34.08 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] Understand? 00:23:34.15 --> 00:23:39.13 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] Were there any challengers or behind-the-scene games? 00:23:39.15 --> 00:23:41.02 [ Author ] A court shaman, eh? 00:23:41.03 --> 00:23:42.07 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] Well, kind of… 00:23:42.08 --> 00:23:48.02 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] Not a court shaman, but namely a security consultant. 00:23:48.03 --> 00:23:54.19 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] In 2003, I became the head of this religious organisation and I've been doing this ever since. 00:23:56 00:24:06 [ VO ] In 2003 the Tengeri religious organisation had 3 shamans working for them, now there are about a hundred of cult workers available for visitors. 00:24:22.09 --> 00:24:28.19 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] These houses were first built to receive members of the community. 00:24:30.21 --> 00:24:34.16 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] There are a lot of rooms for receiving people. 00:24:34.17 --> 00:24:38.03 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] People come here to consult with the shamans. 00:24:41 00:24:45 [ VO ] Radna is one of those who has been working at the Shaman community almost since the very beginning. 00:24:46 00:24:48 [ VO ] She’s preparing for a rite. 00:24:50 00:25:00 [ VO ] Radna’s client lost her husband three years ago, but he still comes to her in her dreams. And she dates another man now, she wants to get married again, to have children. 00:25:01 00:25:04 [ VO ] And the deceased husband is the only obstacle to his new happiness. 00:25:05.00 --> 00:25:08.24 [ Radna ] Now I'm going to summon your husband's spirit. 00:25:09.09 --> 00:25:11.08 [ Radna ] You can't look in the box… 00:25:12.02 --> 00:25:18.13 because, inside yourself, you need to mentally and spiritually let him go. 00:25:18.20 --> 00:25:24.03 [ Radna ] Then I'll immediately go into a trance and bring my grandmother down. 00:25:24.04 --> 00:25:28.18 [ Radna ] A shaman is a guide between people and the ancestors. 00:25:32.21 --> 00:25:38.10 [ Radna ] Through our ancestors, we reach out to your ancestors, 00:25:38.23 --> 00:25:42.21 so that they can help their descendants, 00:25:42.22 --> 00:25:47.19 but, in any case, my ancestors will be supervising the process. 00:25:50.22 --> 00:25:54.14 [ Man ] Tatyana asks you to open the road to marriage for her. 00:25:54.15 --> 00:25:56.14 [ Man ] She wants to have more kids. 00:26:00.24 --> 00:26:05.10 [ Man ] Relax your body, don't be so tense, relax! 00:26:06.04 --> 00:26:08.07 [ Radna ] Listen to your heart. 00:26:08.08 --> 00:26:09.24 [ Radna ] Relax your body. 00:26:10.05 --> 00:26:14.01 [ Radna ] Pray with all your heart, let your deceased husband go. 00:26:14.08 --> 00:26:19.23 [ Radna ] The way will open, she'll get married again, I see the souls of 2 children with you. 00:26:20.14 --> 00:26:22.17 [ Radna ] Avoid the bad. 00:26:22.18 --> 00:26:25.24 [ Radna ] Follow the path of luck and prosperity. 00:26:25.24 --> 00:26:27.09 [ Radna ] Have a happy life! 00:26:41.07 --> 00:26:43.24 [ Radna ] How are you? I see a light in your eyes! 00:26:44.04 --> 00:26:47.07 [ Radna ] Do you feel liberated now? [ Tatyana ] Very much so! 00:26:48.08 --> 00:26:51.01 [ Radna ] It's easier to breathe? [ Tatyana ] Yes, freer. 00:26:51.14 --> 00:26:56.14 [ Radna ] After this rite, you can go to church and light a candle, OK? 00:26:56.18 --> 00:26:57.22 [ Radna ] That's it. 00:26:58.01 --> 00:27:00.00 [ Radna ] So he can rest in peace. 00:27:00.13 --> 00:27:06.03 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] Clearly, a shaman's work resembles that of a psychotherapist at times… 00:27:06.04 --> 00:27:09.21 not the rituals, but in the way they talk to clients. 00:27:12 00:27:15 [ VO ] And recently, Russia’s first shaman temple was opened here. 00:27:17 00:27:30 [ VO ] Equestrian statues by the entrance used to adorn the local theatre. After the overhaul, the statues were thrown away from the theatre, and shamans picked them up, repaired them and added to their building.  00:27:32.17 --> 00:27:37.10 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] These are all so-called shamanic icons. 00:27:37.16 --> 00:27:44.16 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] These deities represent illnesses like rashes or, say, flu. 00:27:44.17 --> 00:27:48.24 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] For instance, sometimes women can be quarrelsome, 00:27:49.00 --> 00:27:51.16 but then this god comes down 00:27:51.17 --> 00:27:55.05 and the woman becomes more amenable. 00:27:55.17 --> 00:27:57.20 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] It's not a charm, it's a deity. 00:27:58.09 --> 00:28:01.14 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] You have icons, right? Well, these are icons. 00:28:08 00:28:17 [ VO ] During the initiation, a shaman must enter an altered state of mind a few times. Or, as they say here: 'to bring a spirit inside. 00:28:18 00:28:23 [ VO ] ' That’s how shamans 'meet all their ancestors' and develops the necessary abilities. 00:28:31.00 --> 00:28:36.09 [ Radna ] It's not possession, it's a change in the state of the shaman's consciousness. 00:28:36.17 --> 00:28:38.01 [ Radna ] It's the 'ongon'. 00:28:38.02 --> 00:28:39.22 [ Radna ] The ongon is an ancestor 00:28:43.13 --> 00:28:46.11 [ Radna ] No rite is performed without them. 00:28:49 00:28:58 [ VO ] A spirit, or an ongon, as it’s called here, gives blessings and answers the questions of those who are present. 00:29:03.11 --> 00:29:06.19 [ Life ] Lower, lower, Volodya! [ Life ] Lower Volodya! 00:29:06.20 --> 00:29:08.02 [ Life ] A little lower! 00:29:08.12 --> 00:29:10.13 [ Life ] He can't bow any lower. 00:29:12.07 --> 00:29:13.17 [ Life ] What's the problem. 00:29:13.18 --> 00:29:15.12 [ Life ] He wants to move to Moscow. 00:29:16 00:29:20 [ VO ] It’s considered that the reason that makes someone 'to walk the path of a shaman' is the so-called shaman disease. 00:29:21 00:29:27 [ VO ] And only by becoming a shaman, one can get rid of depressions, hallucinations, bad luck, and ailments. 00:29:30.01 --> 00:29:31.15 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Who are you? 00:29:31.22 --> 00:29:33.21 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Why are you standing? 00:29:33.22 --> 00:29:35.05 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Who are you? 00:29:35.06 --> 00:29:36.10 [ Life ] Should I bow? 00:29:41.00 --> 00:29:45.07 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] When I started having visual and auditory hallucinations, 00:29:45.08 --> 00:29:49.15 I went to see a psychiatrist in Chita. 00:29:50.01 --> 00:30:01.01 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] The doctor said my illness was most likely connected with some other factors, 00:30:01.02 --> 00:30:05.21 rather than classic schizophrenia. 00:30:06.06 --> 00:30:09.23 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] She said I should turn to… 00:30:13.04 --> 00:30:14.20 to religion, a shaman. 00:30:14.21 --> 00:30:18.18 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] After an ancestral rite was performed, 00:30:18.19 --> 00:30:20.13 I felt much better. 00:30:21.02 --> 00:30:22.16 [ Life ] It's wringing wet! 00:30:24.07 --> 00:30:25.17 [ Life ] It's soaking wet! 00:30:25.18 --> 00:30:29.11 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] That's how it really was in the past: 00:30:29.12 --> 00:30:33.14 a man haunted by spirits became a shaman out of necessity. 00:30:33.20 --> 00:30:38.24 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] He began to strongly experience psycho-physiological phenomena when… 00:30:39.00 --> 00:30:43.24 [ Valentina Kharitonova ] Well, let's say, in part, it might remind us of epileptic seizures, 00:30:44.02 --> 00:30:46.07 but in this cultural context, 00:30:46.08 --> 00:30:52.24 it was recognised as torment by spirits who were forcing them to become shamans. 00:30:57.14 --> 00:31:00.14 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] You can only speak Russian, eh? 00:31:00.15 --> 00:31:02.24 [ Woman ] I can introduce myself in Buryat. 00:31:04.05 --> 00:31:07.20 [ Woman ] I'm Buryat, 38 years old, 00:31:08.24 --> 00:31:10.24 born in the year of the dog. 00:31:11.15 --> 00:31:14.05 [ Man ] Dog is nokhoy, not nakhay. [ Woman ] Nokhoy. 00:31:22.02 --> 00:31:28.01 [ Woman ] I'm a white shaman, but now I'm going to take the black with a tambourine. 00:31:29.03 --> 00:31:32.23 [ Woman ] The white way is with a bell, the shaman with the bell. 00:31:51.09 --> 00:31:54.07 [ Life ] Come on, come on! You're losing the beat! 00:31:54.24 --> 00:31:56.10 [ Life ] Come on, come on! 00:32:01.07 --> 00:32:05.17 [ Radna ] When a person begins to suffer or fall ill, he goes to the doctor 00:32:06.08 --> 00:32:12.02 If the doctor can't help, he turns to a shaman. When my younger brother and I got sick, 00:32:12.03 --> 00:32:15.13 we had no idea where to go, 00:32:15.14 --> 00:32:20.02 and, before we came here, we even thought about getting baptized. 00:32:49.14 --> 00:32:53.05 [ Radna ] I remember when they consecrated me, I thought: 00:32:53.06 --> 00:32:57.22 'There's the door, now they've put the trappings on me and I can flee'. 00:32:57.23 --> 00:33:02.05 [ Radna ] I don't live far from here, so I thought I could still run away. 00:33:06.16 --> 00:33:09.23 [ Life ] Don't take the hat off! Keep going! Keep it on! 00:33:56.19 --> 00:34:00.13 [ Radna ] We get people who desperately want to become shamans. 00:34:00.14 --> 00:34:04.02 [ Radna ] I don't know exactly why, but they do. 00:34:05.07 --> 00:34:09.06 [ Radna ] They come from different regions with a strong desire, 00:34:09.07 --> 00:34:12.16 but as soon as they see our consecration rites… 00:34:13.19 --> 00:34:15.20 they take to their heels. 00:34:18.09 --> 00:34:21.09 [ Life ] Keep going, come on, come on, keep moving! 00:34:26.07 --> 00:34:27.19 [ Life ] Come on, come on! 00:34:28.07 --> 00:34:30.23 [ Life ] Soon the ongon will possess you! 00:35:08.09 --> 00:35:11.16 [ Life ] State your name, introduce yourself, please. 00:35:11.17 --> 00:35:15.02 [ Life ] We're glad you've come 00:35:15.03 --> 00:35:17.20 [ Life ] Please try our tarag. 00:35:20.07 --> 00:35:25.17 [ Life ] Oh, venerable Khatan-ezhy, your guide, whose body you've possessed, 00:35:25.18 --> 00:35:27.17 carries a painful tumour. 00:35:28.23 --> 00:35:31.22 [ Life ] We ask for your advice… Is it just a test? 00:35:31.23 --> 00:35:34.17 [ Life ] Oh, Khatan-ezhy, what should she do? 00:35:34.18 --> 00:35:39.10 [ Life ] Please, grant strength to your guide, so young and inexperienced. 00:35:39.11 --> 00:35:46.01 [ Life ] She's reaching out in her time of trouble and asking for your help and support. 00:36:22.13 --> 00:36:23.17 [ Man ] What is it? 00:36:23.19 --> 00:36:24.23 [ Man ] Relieved? 00:36:24.24 --> 00:36:27.24 [ Woman ] Let me catch my breath, yes, I feel lighter. 00:36:28.19 --> 00:36:30.19 [ Man ] Is it easier to breathe? 00:36:30.20 --> 00:36:32.17 [ Woman ] Yes, easier. 00:36:34.17 --> 00:36:38.05 [ Woman ] I can take a full breath now. 00:36:41.02 --> 00:36:43.06 [ Woman ] I couldn't before 00:37:02.05 --> 00:37:03.09 [ Woman ] I'm thirsty. 00:37:21.21 --> 00:37:24.12 [ Radna ] I resisted for a long time 00:37:24.20 --> 00:37:28.02 [ Radna ] How can I treat people? How do I become a shaman 00:37:28.03 --> 00:37:30.06 and explain it to my friends? 00:37:30.07 --> 00:37:35.00 [ Radna ] And how could it be that one day you're wearing heels, 00:37:35.01 --> 00:37:39.07 and living an ordinary life, 00:37:39.08 --> 00:37:45.24 and running your small business, and then suddenly, BANG, you're a shaman! 00:37:46.17 --> 00:37:50.05 [ Radna ] How will I explain that to people, to my friends? 00:37:50.06 --> 00:37:51.19 [ Author ] Are you happy now? 00:37:52.02 --> 00:37:53.08 [ Radna ] Well, I guess so. 00:37:54.19 --> 00:38:01.14 [ Radna ] If you take the state I was in before shamanism, 00:38:03.03 --> 00:38:07.16 I won't say before the disease, 00:38:08.03 --> 00:38:09.15 I was happier there. 00:38:11.12 --> 00:38:12.16 [ Radna ] Afterwards… 00:38:13.00 --> 00:38:15.00 [ Radna ] That's it, can I stop now... 00:38:48.23 --> 00:38:54.11 [ Radna ] When people began coming to thank me, I realised I could actually do something 00:38:54.13 --> 00:38:57.16 After I could do something, I was very happy. 00:38:58.22 --> 00:39:05.07 [ Radna ] I was so joyous when walking home from here, and somehow that all pulled me in this direction. 00:39:05.11 --> 00:39:08.13 [ Author ] People ask about everything? [ Radna ] Everything! 00:39:09.11 --> 00:39:10.19 [ Radna ] To get married, 00:39:11.02 --> 00:39:13.04 to open the way to marriage, 00:39:13.05 --> 00:39:17.01 to open financial avenues… 00:39:17.20 --> 00:39:20.23 [ Woman ] Will I be able to sell it? 00:39:20.24 --> 00:39:25.03 [ Woman ] The last time, we immediately sold a house with your help. 00:39:25.04 --> 00:39:29.04 [ Woman ] Last time, we sold it really fast with your assistance. 00:39:51 00:39:55 [ VO ] The island of Olkhon in Lake Baikal is considered a sacred place. 00:39:58 00:40:01 [ VO ] The Shaman Rock is the place where the spirits of the island go down to once a year. 00:40:09 00:40:14 [ VO ] That’s when shamans get together for a prayer meeting, taylgan, a ceremony where sacrifices are offered to these spirits, 00:40:15 00:40:19 and they’re asked to grant good health, happiness, and prosperity to everyone. 00:40:36 00:40:44 [ VO ] The taylgan is performed for the 17th time now. Back in 2003, when the rite was performed for the first time, it was… scientists who called for doing it. 00:40:45 00:40:52 [ VO ] And that taylgan was done as a part of the research and training conference 'Olkhon, the sacred heart of Siberia.' 00:40:53.16 --> 00:40:57.00 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] At the first taylgan, we only had three shamans. 00:40:57.07 --> 00:40:59.04 [ Author ] And how many scientists? 00:40:59.08 --> 00:41:01.11 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] About 30 researchers. 00:41:01.16 --> 00:41:04.17 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] That's how the first taylgan was launched. 00:41:05.00 --> 00:41:08.04 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] After that, it gradually changed. 00:41:08.06 --> 00:41:11.01 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] I guess the researchers got bored. 00:41:11.12 --> 00:41:13.07 [ Bair Tsyrendorzhiev ] After about 5 years, 00:41:13.08 --> 00:41:18.04 they'd stopped coming to the taylgans, and only shamans came. 00:41:22 00:41:26 [ VO ] The largest taylgan, one that was performed last year, brought together about 200 shamans. 00:41:26.22 --> 00:41:29.09 [ Life ] Comrade shamans, it's time! 00:41:31.08 --> 00:41:35.10 [ Life ] Pilgrims who've come for the prayer service, to that side. 00:41:47 00:41:49 [ VO ] Everything on the tables is an offering to the ancestors.  00:41:50 00:41:57 [ VO ] After the rites are over, shamans let ongons in en masse, or, simply put, get possessed by spirits.  00:42:10 00:42:14 [ VO ] The strongest shamans, the ones wearing crown hats, bring down location spirits. 00:42:17.04 --> 00:42:19.23 [ Life ] Is this your first time? [ Life ] What do you mean? 00:42:19.24 --> 00:42:22.07 [ Life ] I mean here! [ Life ] Oh, here, yes. 00:42:22.08 --> 00:42:25.24 [ Life ] This is like the apex. 00:42:26.11 --> 00:42:28.10 [ Life ] It's just incredible! 00:42:52 00:42:58 [ VO ] The high point of the rite is the moment when the high shaman Bair Tsyrendorzhiev brings down the main spirit of the island. 00:43:11.23 --> 00:43:14.03 [ Shaman ] I've come to your taylgan, 00:43:14.08 --> 00:43:18.13 where you've all gathered to honour your ancestors. 00:43:18.14 --> 00:43:20.02 [ Shaman ] Greetings! 00:43:23.10 --> 00:43:25.04 [ Shaman ] Accept the offering. 00:43:27.08 --> 00:43:28.16 [ Shaman ] Greetings! 00:43:30.16 --> 00:43:34.15 [ Shaman ] I'd like to introduce you to my teacher Bair, son of Zhamba. 00:43:34.16 --> 00:43:36.14 [ Shaman ] It's he that summoned you. 00:43:36.15 --> 00:43:41.05 [ Shaman ] He's a leader of shamans and is heading today's activity. 00:43:46 00:43:52 [ VO ] A spirit usually follows the same pattern: he’s giving everyone his blessing and answering the questions. 00:43:53.03 --> 00:43:56.18 [ Life ] Friends, shamans approach first, don't rush! 00:43:57.00 --> 00:43:58.20 [ Life ] Let's have no commotion. 00:44:00.23 --> 00:44:04.13 [ Life ] No cutting in front of the shamans, don't shove! 00:44:04.14 --> 00:44:09.04 [ Life ] I've got a tumour on my right kidney. 00:44:09.21 --> 00:44:12.14 [ Life ] Please rid me of it. 00:44:13.13 --> 00:44:15.02 [ Life ] Enough, step back. 00:44:15.19 --> 00:44:19.19 [ Shaman ] If you have sorrows or resentments, just let them all go! 00:44:20.00 --> 00:44:22.03 [ Shaman ] May gold and money come to you. 00:44:25.04 --> 00:44:33.15 [ Shaman ] May your dreams and wishes come true! 00:44:36 00:44:42 [ VO ] As the last part of the rite, shamans invoke luck for all who assembled at the main event of the year. 00:44:43.20 --> 00:44:47.07 [ Life ] Have grace and goodness descended upon you? [ Life ] Yes! 00:44:47.08 --> 00:44:50.00 [ Life ]Have your families found peace? [ Life ] Yes! 00:44:52.06 --> 00:44:54.24 [ Life ] Aakhray! Aakhray! Let it be so! 00:44:55.00 --> 00:44:58.04 [ Life ] Aakhray! Aakhray! 00:45:11.01 --> 00:45:12.16 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Zandan, hurry up! 00:45:19 00:45:23 [ VO ] The Shanar rite that Zandan passed in the Buryat village of Chelutay is over. 00:45:26 00:45:32 [ VO ] But the task wasn’t accomplished. They’ll have to perform the ritual again in a few years. 00:45:34.12 --> 00:45:40.19 [ Bair Rinchinov ] Until there's some movement up there with the ancestors on his status, we'll put him on hold. 00:45:41.19 --> 00:45:46.15 [ Author ]What can he do now? Treat people or…? [ Bair Rinchinov ] No! That's completely forbidden. 00:45:51 00:45:57 [ VO ] Now they will light a ceremonial fire, and, as they say, 'send a sheep, trees, and attributes.' 00:46:02 00:46:11 [ VO ] After that, the rite will finally be over, even though it hasn't brought a new shaman into the world.