article

Spirits as 'ready to hand': a phenomenological analysis of Yukaghir spiritual knowledge and dreaming

Anthropological theory4 (4)Published In 2004 • Pages: 395-418

By: Willerslev, Rane.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This study of the Yukaghir understanding of the spiritual world focuses on how spirits are believed to be encountered and embodied in the everyday experiences of hunters and trappers. The main argument is that there is no coherent body of spiritual knowledge shared by all members of society. Instead, individuals invoked the help of particular spirits based on their own varied experiences of them, including in dreams. The author underscores the absence of widely shared names for the many spirits, broadly asserting that concept of spirits can and does exist independent of language.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Hunting and trapping
Ethnozoology
Ethnopsychology
Drives and emotions
Animism
Spirits and gods
Prayers and sacrifices
General character of religion
Cosmology
Mythology
Transmission of beliefs
Religious experience
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Yukaghir
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Asia
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
North Asia
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
article
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Ethnologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Teferi Abate Adem ; 2019
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1993-2000
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1993-2000
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
northeastern Sakha Republic, Russia
NotesAdditional notes
Rane Willerslev
Includes bibliographical references (p. 415-418)
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
2001229436
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Yukaghir