M. What is similar or different about healers in the area of Buryat to other healers about whom you have read?
What I have derived from the article ‘Traditional Medicine and folk medicine of Buryats’ by Sodnompilova, concerning the healers is that they seem to be more ‘lay’ people. It seems to me that there are traditional methods and medicinal herbs and foods with which they remedy their illnesses, which, because of their healthy lifestyles, food and occupations in the past, there were few. (Toward the end of the article, the elders lamented that the younger people were not following the traditional lifestyles and thus not as healthy.) In describing the healing procedure khatkhalaa for pneumonia, which was considered a magical method of healing, it was said that the ‘main condition of the procedure was the dexterity and quick action of the people who skinned the animal, and the woman who wrapped the patient in the hide.’ What seemed most important in the person conducting this healing was not his/her professional status or previous experience or that he/she even be a healer, but have a ‘light’ hand. Also the healer must be joyful and healthy with a reputation of good fortune. So while it must be that there are local healers to have knowledge of all these complex rituals from the different areas of Buryat, the article doesn’t stress that the healers were of a particularly elevated ranking. Nor does it seem that the healing methods, herbs and rituals were relatively hidden as compared to the stories of the Canadian Aboriginal women healers. Another distinct element that I noticed in the Buryats article, which may just be that it was not pointed out, was there did not seem to be as much focus on prayer ceremonies as there were in other cultures for healing – an example being the Lakota Sweat Lodge ceremony. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CulturalandTraditionalHealthandHealing" group. To post to this group, send email to culturalandtraditionalhealthandhealing@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to culturalandtraditionalhealthandhealing+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.ca/group/culturalandtraditionalhealthandhealing?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
