SHAMANISM — CASANOWICZ 429 



teen lords of the jersu, and Merkyut, the bird of heaven, and offers 

 them a libation. Then he incenses with juniper nine garments hung 

 on a rope and offers them with a song on behalf of the head of the 

 house to Bai Ulgan. As the spirits are gathered the shaman beats 

 the tambourine more loudly. He circles several times the birch tree 

 in the yurta, tlien he Imeels in front of the door and asks the imagi- 

 nary porter spirit to grant him a guide. By touching the members 

 of the family with the drum on their chests and with the drumstick 

 their backs — the seat of the soul — he purifies and liberates them from 

 all evil, and by putting the tambourine close to the host's ears and 

 striking it he drives into him the spirit and power of his protecting 

 ancestors. At last begins the ascent to heaven. Jumping, shouting 

 with symbolical movements, accompanied by wild gestures, the sha- 

 man passes into ecstasy. Then he suddenly places himself on the 

 first step cut out in the trunk of the birch tree, raising the tambourine 

 and thumping it vfiih all his might. He is rising to the sky. From 

 heaven to heaven he passes, riding on the goose, accompanying the 

 ascent by songs and incantations and beating of the drum in vari- 

 ous tempos and scales, modulating and changing his voice in imita- 

 tion of the supposed answerers. At each stage he tells the audience 

 what he has seen and heard. And finally having reached the ninth 

 or even the twelfth heaven, he addresses a humble prayer to Bai 

 Ulgan and learns whether the sacrifice is accepted and receives in- 

 formation concerning the coming weather, the harvest, sickness or 

 other misfortunes, as well as the sacrifices which will be required in 

 the near future. After this interview with Ulgan the ecstasy or 

 delirium of the shaman reaches its climax, he collapses and lies 

 motionless. After a while he gradually rouses himself, rubs his eyes 

 and greets those present as if after a long absence. 



The third night is spent in libations and feasting, during which 

 enormous quantities of koumiss and strong drinks are consumed. 



THE PURIFICATION OF A YURTA" 



The highest art of the shaman is brought into play in the so- 

 called purification of a yurta. This takes place on the fortieth day 

 after the death of a member of the family. Only few shamans 

 are competent to carry out this conjuration in a successful manner; 

 rich people, therefore, call on a widely famous shaman for the 

 performance of this service, who is then richly rewarded. The 

 purification is usually performed with the aid of Yaryik Kan, to 

 whom the sacrifice is made for this assistance. According to the 

 belief of the Altaians (shared by many other peoples) the soul of 

 the dead remains for some time in the yurta and is reluctant to 



" Radloff, op. cit., pp. 52 ff. 



