An American in Mongolia: Part XVII

May 16-26: In the countryside

At the onset of my fieldwork in Khentii and Dornod aimags, it became clear to me that my research (and my traveling companion Lea’s as well) was blessed (which in fact, was true, Zorigtbaatar had sent me blessings before my departure). With little to no planning going into the field in the countryside, and with few expectations except to try and meet with and interview as many shamans as I could find, and if permitted, to observe some ritual, I landed myself in the right place at the right time right in the thick of things, repeatedly.

Lea and I had been conducting joint interviews in Onderkhan, Khentii aimag for a week with the help of our translator Zulaa, and every single anthropologically qualified shaman51 (4/4) that we met there made mention of a summer-long chanar ritual in our next scheduled location, Bayan Uul, Dornod aimag (Interview transcripts with Tsetseg, Erdentorch, and Bayermaa, May 16-20.) Not only had we been unknowingly traveling to the right place, it was also the correct timing! This particular chanar ritual was for the shamans of an ethical shamans organization52 that I learned was called Tengereen Suld53, and it was to begin exactly two days after our projected arrival date. I was really excited to discover the existence of Tengereen Suld. We went to Bayan Uul soum in Dornod aimag for the second week of our countryside research on May 20th and discovered that we were headed to the chanar ceremony54 with the largest attendance55 in the country (and possibly in the world!) It was as if we had followed a straight shooting arrow right into the focal point of contemporary Mongolian shamanism.56 Then, we were told by Zulaa, (who is an excellent diplomat and negotiator on our behalf) that we were not only allowed to observe the ceremony for three days at the Harhira ritual grounds, but that we would also be granted a ger accommodation right on them by Oyunbaatar, the current leader of the countryside satellite location of Tengereen Suld. The NGO also has a headquarters in Ulaanbaatar lead in title by a professor of shamanism at the Mongolian National University named G. Gantogtokheen.57

Tengereen Suld was founded in 2003 by a well-renowned shaman named Tseren Bo with his students from Mongolia, Russia, Italy, China, the pamphlet from their registered NGO states, because every shaman must “make” chanar every year, develop into qualified shamans, and because the shaman’s social position in society is high and they must protect people. It continues, now that shamans are out in the open since the restoration of freedom of religion, there are many. The existence of Tengereen Suld helps people to pick out the good shamans from the bad. According to Tengereen Suld’s rules, one cannot shamanize until the end of the 4th chanar, and then one must lead a healthy, simple life in order to be able to help others. Shamans should be polite, and follow the words of Tseren Bo channeled through Oyunbaatar. Tengereen Suld is for shamans and nature, and the natural balance ONLY. All shamans in the organization must follow the rules.58 Some of the projects at hand are: Teaching young shamans traditional Mongolian so that young shamans can read ancient books. Another future purpose is to establish a white shamans’ hospital59, to create an archive of shamanic songs, and to facilitate a foreign shaman’s information exchange.60

During the opening ritual of chanar, when all thirteen of the male and eight of the female shamans in full shamanic regalia prayed and chanted “Om Mane Padme Hum”61 and called their ongod, I had the opportunity to witness my first shamanic possession. This is what it was like according to Lea’s field notes (mine are mysteriously missing)

Inside again, drumming. Getting dark and cold. Oyunbaatar starts calling his father's spirit in a chant that is low and strong, wavering. He chants for a long time drumming louder and louder everyone together thrum thrum thrum and suddenly he lurched forward eyes half-open? So fast I can't remember. The crowd poured like a river to see, we were behind, couldn't see anything. Rumors, Tseren [Zaarin] had come to Oyunbaatar, he was crawling. And then it was over just like that. Oyunbaatar sitting and laughing and smoking and discussing the message. But Zulaa couldnt hear. What did he say? What did he say?

[We] found out later from Zulaa that Tseren Zaarin (in Oyunbaatar’s body) said that he sent the rainbows because the students were so good.

[Then, again the] shamans [were] chanting, no one else [went] into trance, Oyunbaatar was laughing at us for still being awake, the drums in the candlelight.

Oyunbaatar was possessed by the spirit of his father, Tseren Zaarin, and he crawled on the ground as the ongod entered his body. Lea and I were not privy to the information that Tseren Zaarin shared with the group of shamans, because we are laypeople and outsiders, but it was quite a thing to behold. While the shamans were shamanizing a rain storm had begun. When the shamans took a break and we left the prayer house where the shamanizing of the evening had been taking place, the rain stopped, and two rainbows stretched directly over the grounds (and I was able to run to the end of one!62), a supposed manifestation of Tseren Zaarin’s spirit.

Chanar in Bayan Uul amongst the members of Tengereen Suld was very interesting because it was both a Khalk and Buryat event, but while there were shamans of all three color identifications present and varying ethnicities, a great deal of the costume and most of the ritualistic practices varied very little.

Figure 10.

This was because all of the shamans in attendance were students of only a few teachers, who all learned their practices from Tseren Zaarin. For example, I only encountered three kinds of shamans del and headdress while observing chanar, although there were many participants. Most shamans appeared to have two dels, a black and white shaman’s del in Khalk style, (see figure #?...) however I did inspect one del that deviated from the norm somewhat, worn by a new shamaness or udgan during her initiation ceremony.

While in a small, enclosed space full of shamans calling their ongods in full regalia, it’s very difficult at times to remember that you are awake. Indeed, the headdress63 alone has a surreal affectation, it seems otherworldly, and indeed, that is the purpose it is designed for, as the headdress is what confuses potential unfamiliar or malevolent spirits from finding the shamans’ face during spirit travel. The Buriyat headdress is “Abagaldei, a monstrous mask of hide, wood, or metal, on which is painted an enormous beard.”64

Each individual “shaman’s chanar” ritual was a total of three days in length. The commencement ceremony acknowledging the opening of the sky door was an evening’s length, so Lea, Zulaa and I got to witness the magic that takes place during the first two days and nights of chanar for two shamans, a male shaman or zairan and a female shaman or ugdan. For three whole days and nights shamans “doing” chanar are continually chased by children65 around the a ritual fire66 and the trees that they use to climb while possessed by their ongod67 (this occurs on the third evening, so I didn’t get to see it myself) calling on their ongod.

On the second evening, after a whole day and night of sporadic partial possession, the shamans are usually successful in prolonging possession extensively enough to dance on broken glass barefoot, and then climb half-way up the ladder to the platform on which an offering of boiled sheep’s back is placed. 68 There are two platforms69, one for each shaman “making” chanar, the male shaman dancing on the easterly side, and the women on the west.70 After the possessed shaman has ecstatically been dancing on glass for some time (I saw a shaman dancing on glass for approximately 10 minutes) she climbs the ladder and then the ongod usually leaves the shaman’s body and the shaman blacks out. It was a frightening sight watching unconscious shamans falling off of ladders, but both times they landed in a specially prepared felt-blankets held by three strong men. The shaman is grabbed in the blanket, and three men carry her running between the trees71, until arriving back at a spot in close proximity to the original platform, where the shaman is dropped, and returning to consciousness, exhaustedly hobbles to a congregation area to have her feet inspected. I was told that both of shamans’ feet were unharmed, but I didn’t get to see them myself, as there was a crowd of family members and high ranking shamans whose examination took precedent over mine.

I didn’t get to talk to that many shamans while I was actually observing the ritual (they were mostly too busy participating), and it was important for me to return to the city to conduct further interviews with urban shamans so that I would have a basis for comparison after witnessing chanar and speaking with them informally and formally there. Unfortunately because of this I was unable to view the final evening of one set of shaman’s chanar, but I had material from observations (although I didn’t always understand what I was seeing, and Zulaa didn’t always know what was going on either, nor feel comfortable talking about what was going on during the rituals when she did at times) over a meager three days at Harhira to proceed.