The Flying Tiger: Women Shamans and Storytellers of the Amur Volume 26

by Kira Van Deusen

Outsiders to the culture have long focused on the physical artifacts of shamanism - like the costume and drum - and on ritual healing practices, but far less is known about the images shamans and storytellers use to entertain, heal, and educate. Van Deusen describes the lives of the people of the Amur during a period of dramatic transition, as they attempt to find some way to relate ancient traditions to an uncertain future. She emphasizes the contributions...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0773521569
• ISBN13: 9780773521568
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

More than fifty traditional stories

In The Flying Tiger: Women Shamans And Storytellers Of The Amur, storyteller/folklorist Kira Van Deusen draws upon her expertise and experience in the oral traditions of the peoples of Siberia (especially in the Amur region) to present more than fifty traditional stories she recorded from the people of the taiga forest in the Russian Far East. The stories bridge culture, history, and spirituality to reveal the lives of the storytellers, their adaptation to the environment, relationships with animals, and even their sense of humor. Readers are also provided with descriptions of the lives of the people of the Amur in the 1990s, a period of rapid and dramatic transition. The Flying Tiger is an impressive work that is especially recommended to students of shamanism, storytelling, folklore, Russia, indigenous cultures, women's studies, and ancient traditions.