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Recently exhibited at The Mongolian Museum of Fine Arts..... |  |
 Exhibition held at Mongolian Museum of Fine Arts |
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Reindeer people of Mongolia. |
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‘Spirit, Faces and Culture of the Mongolian Shaman’ This series of photographs was taken in 2002. There are about 50 pictures in the entire collection. Music is an essential part of the shamanic ritual, it is an essential vehicle of influence. Singing and playing the frame drum leads to the condition of trance. |
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"Shamans-whom we in the 'civilized' world have called 'medicine men' and 'witch doctors'- are the keepers of a remarkable body of ancient techniques that they use to achieve and maintain well-being and healing for themselves and members of their communities. These shamanic methods are strikingly similar the world over, even for peoples whose cultures are quite different in other respects, and who have been separated by oceans and continents for tens of thousands of years."Shamanism is a great mental and emotional adventure, one in which the patient as well as the shaman-healer are involved. Through his heroic journey and efforts, the shaman helps his patients transcend their normal, ordinary definition of reality, including the definition of themselves as ill. The shaman shows his patients that they are not emotionally and spiritually alone in their struggles against illness and death. The shaman shares his special powers and convinces this patients, on a deep level of consciousness, that another human is willing to offer up his own self to help them The shaman's self-sacrifice calls forth a commensurate emotional commitment from his patients, a sense of obligation to struggle alongside the shaman to save one's self. Caring and curing go hand in hand." |
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Zaarin Shaman Byambadorj DondogDondogiin Byambadorj was born in 1947 in Darvi sum of Hovd aimag in western Mongolia. He is descended from the ancient noble Olkhon clan, to which Hoelun, mother of Chinggis Khan belonged. He learned shamanism from his maternal uncle Vanchindorj. The spirits of his shamanic lineage started calling him in 1967, and suffered much illness until his shaman uncle empowered a jews harp and gave it to him to use for shamanizing. As he received his training from his uncle near his home, as soon as he started his studies he was able to do work to heal disease and spiritual ailments. When he was presented as a shaman to his own clan, the chief of the water spirits appeared in the form of a yellow snake, an omen that he was to become a great shaman (zaarin). Byambadorj zaarin works with 7 shamanic spirits passed down from his ancestors, and does shamanic work at the sacred sites "Avgai Mod" in Selenge aimag and "Eej Khad" in Tuv aimag, which are places for shamanizing in honor of the water spirits (lus). He is a very famous and honored shaman among the Mongolian people. A statement by Byambadorj zaarin on Earth Changes:At this present time the human race is out of touch with Mother Earth, Father Heaven, and the natural world. By relating to them wrongly, by defacing and polluting nature, it is a great offense to Mother Earth, Father Heaven, and the nature spirits. There is great danger of fire, snowstorms, floods, and earthquakes. For this reason the shamans of the earth need to work together to bring cleansing and healing to the earth, to do ritual together to restore balance. Because this cleansing and healing has not been done the present state of the earth is the root cause of many problems and illnesses. This is the great work that shamans are now required to do. |
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