ISBN: 9789994672028 - the ancestral forest: memory, space and ritual among the kulunge rai of eastern nepal (1 Ergebnisse)

Paperback. Zustand: As New. New. Contents Introduction. 1. The Kulunge Rai in the framework of the Kirati Ethnic Koine. 2. From the Primaeval waters to the first dwelling from the wild to the domestic the Kulunge mythological complex. 3. The Kulunge dwelling structure functions and symbolic organisation. 4. Anatomy and physiology of a ritual Dedam Mayam the major Kulunge rite in honour of the ophidiomorphic ancestor spirits. 5. From the dead who fecundate the crops to the Monkey ancestor spirits who destroy the harvests aspects of Kulunge village rituality. 6. In the shadow of the forest hunting rites and shamanism in the Kulunge world. Conclusion. Bibliography. Visual appendix. Index. Lost among the high hills of Eastern Nepal which has meant centuries of cultural isolation the Kulunge Rai ethnic group have tenaciously maintained their religious tradition ever since their ancient origins. Bearing witness to a far off past of hunting and nomadic life their myths and legends form a plot and scenario that comprise a multitude of invisible entities the hunter spirits and the monkey spirits the undisputed sovereigns of the forest world Laladum the deity who resembles a little girl the initiator of Young Shamans from the villages of the area the Nagi or ophidiomorphic spirits dwelling in the waters the totem ancestors of the Kulunge Rai Group Molu a mythical forefather lost in the woods and transformed into a deity. A fascinating journey through the oral memory the sacred geography and religious imaginary of this people. An ideal itinerary that progressively abandons the inhabited world and enters the abysses of the mythical woodlands the silent witnesses of the group's ancient life style only to lose itself in the thick of the immense forests that even today surround the settlements of the Kulunge Rai. Starting from the cults of domestic deities the research goes on to analyse the rituals that accompany the souls of the dead and the village farming cults as a necessary step before dealing with the hunting cults and the hidden paths beaten by Kulunge Rai Shamans. 303 pp.…