Mentally ill or chosen by spirits? ‘Shamanic illness’ and the revival of Kazakh traditional medicine in post-Soviet Kazakhstan

Penkala–Gawęcka, Danuta

doi:10.1080/02634937.2013.771872

Cited by 13 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Very often this resulted in the lack of time for plant collection: −women had to both work and take care of household chores [ 40 ]. With the fall of the Soviet Union, various discourses about nature and naturalness appeared and became widespread [ 33 , 41 ]. Programs on healthy lifestyles, traditional medicine, etc.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The social context of wild leafy vegetables uses in Shiri, Daghestan

Kaliszewska

Kołodziejska-Degórska

2015

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

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BackgroundShiri is a small mountainous village in the Republic of Daghestan, in the North Caucasus. Daghestan is Russia’s southernmost and most ethnically and linguistically diverse republic, a considerable part of which belongs to the Caucasus Biodiversity Hotspot.Various species of wild leafy vegetables are collected in Shiri and there are still many social and cultural practices connected with plant collection in the village. Yet due to migration processes, local knowledge about wild greens and their uses is being slowly forgotten or not passed on. The Shiri language is highly endangered and so are the local plant terminologies and classifications. The unstable political situation hinders local and international research, therefore we find it highly important to explore both what wild leafy vegetables are collected in this mountainous part of Daghestan and how the relation between plants and people is shaped in this linguistically and culturally diverse context. We answer the following questions: what wild leafy vegetables are collected in Shiri? Why are they important to the local people? What is the social aspect of wild leafy vegetable uses?MethodsThe methods applied were as follows: forest walks and semi-structured interviews with adult inhabitants of Shiri village, participant and non-participant observation. During the walks herbarium specimens were collected, and visual recording of plant collecting process was conducted. This article is based on fieldwork done in Shiri, Daghestan, between 2012 and 2014, over the course of 3 field trips that took place in 3 seasons.ResultsWe collected and identified twenty-two local (24 botanical) species of wild leafy vegetables. Fourteen local species were used as snacks, eight for cooked dishes and three of them were also dried in order to be transported to kin living in the lowlands. It is significant that 70 % of taxa collected in Shiri are used as snacks. While snacks were collected by both sexes, greens for cooking and drying were part of the women’s knowledge.The analysis of people-plant relations showed that care practices constitute an important part of these relations. Through the giving of wild greens, Shiri people express care for co-villagers and migrants and show their respect for elders. In the narratives about wild greens, their nutritional and taste value as well as perceived exceptionality were emphasized.Conclusions1) Wild leafy vegetables are a significant element of everyday social life in Shiri in regard to mutual care, respect for elders and local identity. 2) Gender has a greater influence on practical skills than on declarative plant knowledge. 3) Names of plants are publicly discussed with elders and are not always fixed. 4) The moral value ascribed to giving in the local culture is expressed through wild leafy vegetables. 5) Care expressed through sending wild leafy vegetables helps to sustain social ties between migrants and Shiri inhabitants. 6) Identity, health and naturalness discourses are adding value to the local knowledge about wild l...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The social context of wild leafy vegetables uses in Shiri, Daghestan

Kaliszewska

Kołodziejska-Degórska

2015

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

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“…It included strange dreams and visions, unusual behaviors, and persistent suffering of the afflicted. It should be stressed that those symptoms were differentiated from madness or other mental disorders that, in local perceptions, required the intervention of the healer (Penkala-Gawęcka, 2013).…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spirit possession, mental suffering, and treatment by theurgic flight anthropological study of a culture-bound syndrome among the Turkmens of Iran

Saki

Ahmadi

2022

Culture & Psychology

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Although shamanism dates back to the prehistoric era, reminiscence of its beliefs and representation of them could still be seen in Central Asian communities and the Turkmens of Iran. Spirit possession, fairy possession and Porkhani are all terms used to describe a severe psychotic disorder; this mental disorder can be found in the Turkmen culture in Iran and Central Asia and is commonly explained as possession of the spirit by forces of evil. In this culture-bound syndrome, the patient experiences severe psychosis and shows resistance towards psychiatric treatments but finds relief through specific cultural rituals. This article, which is the outcome of 2 years of field research, aims to explain a phenomenon that is not yet considered a culture-bound syndrome through ethnography using observation techniques, interviewing patients and healers, attending healing rituals, and taking photos and filming. The author believes that without considering the patient’s cultural background, lifeworld, description of the symptoms, and cultural treatment methods, we cannot come to an accurate understanding of this phenomenon.

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“…With the medicalization of womanhood during the Soviet Union, we can observe the victimization of women because of "harmful traditions" and, at the same time, the celebration of "the liberated woman" in the context of the Soviet nation. The idea of dangerous traditions that were harmful to mothers' health found support as much among the religious authorities of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Central Asia and Kazakhstan (SADUM)2 as they did among ethnographers and politicians (Bushkov and Mikul'skiy 1996, 16;DeWeese 2011;Northrop 2004, 60-61;Penkala-Gawecka 2013;Poliakov 1992, 62). While medical pluralism continued to exist in some domains more than in others, control over women's bodies in the capacity of reproduction considerably affected the traditional ways of giving birth.…”

Section: From the Woman Question To Motherhoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

A sound family for a healthy nation: Motherhood in Tajik national politics and society

Roche

2016

Natl. pap.

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Since independence in 1991, Central Asian countries have put great effort into creating their respective national narratives, which are often based on an ethnic imagination. In Tajikistan this included the idea of shaping society via the family unit. Increasingly, motherhood became the focus of attention, which was made possible by merging two concepts. On the one hand, women are considered as “cultured” and educated people who the Soviet Union freed from “backward” traditions. On the other hand, traditions were reinvented such that the woman is considered the ultimate mother of the nation and the backbone of tradition. This article examines the changing status of motherhood in society and politics through efforts to create a sound family and a healthy nation.

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Mentally ill or chosen by spirits? ‘Shamanic illness’ and the revival of Kazakh traditional medicine in post-Soviet Kazakhstan

Cited by 13 publications

References 14 publications

The social context of wild leafy vegetables uses in Shiri, Daghestan

The social context of wild leafy vegetables uses in Shiri, Daghestan

Spirit possession, mental suffering, and treatment by theurgic flight anthropological study of a culture-bound syndrome among the Turkmens of Iran

A sound family for a healthy nation: Motherhood in Tajik national politics and society

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