Siberian Shamanistic Traditions Among The Kham-Magars of Nepal
The article discusses the Kham-Magars, who are a people of ancient Mongolian descent inhabiting the upper tributaries of the Sani Bheri, Bari Gad, and Mari Khola on the southwestern flank of the Dhaulagiri massif in Nepal. They constitute a specific ethno-linguistic community within the four northern sub-tribes of the Magar people - the Bhuda, Gharti, Pun and Rokha. The Kham-Magars follow a transhumant pattern of life, maintaining permanent villages and a few fields for small scale cultivation but traveling extensively most of the year with flocks of sheep and goats. The article discusses the Siberian Shamanistic traditions among the Kham-Magars of Nepal. Shamanism is preeminently a magico-religious phenomenon of Siberia and Central Asia. The article includes details of rituals practiced among Kham-Magars. It includes 7 leaves of plates and a sketched map. (Rajeev Ranjan Singh 2007-01-03)