To install click the Add extension button. That's it.

The source code for the WIKI 2 extension is being checked by specialists of the Mozilla Foundation, Google, and Apple. You could also do it yourself at any point in time.

4,5
Kelly Slayton
Congratulations on this excellent venture… what a great idea!
Alexander Grigorievskiy
I use WIKI 2 every day and almost forgot how the original Wikipedia looks like.
Live Statistics
English Articles
Improved in 24 Hours
Added in 24 Hours
Languages
Recent
Show all languages
What we do. Every page goes through several hundred of perfecting techniques; in live mode. Quite the same Wikipedia. Just better.
.
Leo
Newton
Brights
Milds

Shamanism in Pakistan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hunza, Pakistan, has been famous for its practices in Shamanism. Shaman in the local language (Burushaski) are referred as 'Bitan'. Shamanism in the area has been linked to its dynamic history.[1]

YouTube Encyclopedic

  • 1/1
    Views:
    48 767
  • Myths, Shamans and Seers: Phil Borges at TEDxRainier

Transcription

Bitan

Bitan is the Burushaski equivalent of Shaman. Bitans are not like the Eurasian Shamans, as the Eurasian Shamans have some special physical qualities like extra teeth, a sixth finger, or other physical signs. Dayals are normal beings who are selected by the Pari (the fairy, plural pariting).

In Bitan culture, Pariting descend to the earth during the cherry and apricot blossoming seasons. The Pariting choose the Dayal from newborns by smelling their noses and mouths. It is not apparent who is a dayal during childhood. Bitans grow distinct characteristics when they reach their adolescent years. These characteristics includes becoming unconscious, going into a state of ecstasy, or sickness for days or sometimes weeks. A Bitan may die if he (his spirit) resists to be one during the period when the shamanist's characteristics start to appear.

The Dayal have craving for music (a special tune/composition); on listening to such music they can go into a state of trance where they meet with the pari. Bitans dance to the music during festivals like Ginani (crop harvesting festival). During the dance, dayal also foretell the next year's crop production.

Shamanic Practices

Shamans or the Dayals are believed to have foresight. This foresight is a result of the Dayal's interactions with spirits. These spirits are fairies, pari (plural pariting) as called in the local language. The paris tell the dayals about the future when they are in an ecstatic/trance state. Thus they foretell the future.[2]

The Ritual

The ritual to get the dayal into the shamanistic or the ecstatic state need music, smoke and blood of goat. Music is played by the musicians (dadag ustadi). The orchestra has three instruments, namely Dadang (Drum), Daamal (two hemi-spherical drums) and Surnai (Shenai) or Gabi (local variant of reed pipe). For the smoke, juniper leaves and Syrian rue (local name Supandur) are ignited, letting the dayal inhale this smoke. For blood, the dayal drinks it from the recently chopped head of a goat (Chati).

Dayal starts to dance to the music. While dancing dayal inhales the smoke of juniper leaves simultaneously. Then drinking the blood from Chati. Dayal gets into a higher state as he continues to dance to the music. Reaching the state the dayal starts to speak in Shina (language of Gilgit). Dayal converses/argues/ask the pari regarding the concern he has. During the process dayal may pass out. Dayal can go to such state for at most two or three times before he passes out.[2]

History

Historians like M.H. Sidky, have done extensive research on the topic of Shamanism. Sidky had published a paper on Shamanism in the Hunza region. The author had mentioned the famous Bitans (shamans) of the area, including Huk Mamu and Shon Gakur.[3]

Bitans of Hunza used to tell future by doing the shamanic practices. Bitans were summoned by the Thum/Mir to predict any calamity, famine or any disaster expected in near future.

References

  1. ^ "Shamanism: Spirits in the valley - The Express Tribune". 2010-10-14. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  2. ^ a b László, Csáji (2011). "Flying with the Vanishing Fairies:Typology of the ShamanisticTraditions of the Hunza". Anthropology of Consciousness. 22 (2).
  3. ^ Sidky, M.H. (1994). "Shamans and Mountain Spirits in Hunza". Asian Folklore Studies. 53.
This page was last edited on 16 November 2023, at 11:56
Basis of this page is in Wikipedia. Text is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported License. Non-text media are available under their specified licenses. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. WIKI 2 is an independent company and has no affiliation with Wikimedia Foundation.