Summary

In the study of shamanism the question of structure (i. e. a series of permanent constituent elements forming a definite structural pattern) of shamanic séances has rarely been touched upon. The anthropological literature abounds in description and analysis of single shamanic ceremonies, but such descriptions – however detailed they might be – leave the question unanswered what is typical and what is unique, what is constant and what is accidental – making thus a generalisation impossible even on the level of the given ethnic group.

In his article the author, based on more than 30 shamanic séances he witnessed amongst the Bru, a Mon-Khmer speaking Montagnard tribal group in the Central Vietnamese Highlands, realises a processual analysis of Bru shamanic ceremonies. Bringing to light a highly structured schema the constituent elements of which are named emic categories, then comparing this schema with the one found amongst other South-east Asiatic Montagnard tribal groups (e.g. that of the Mnong Gar described by G. Condominas), he comes to the conclusion that the Bru yao (shamanic séance) is, from a structural point of view, much closer to Siberian shamanic séances than to these ones.

Back ->