BLY Travel Far. Live Well.
Spirit Catchers: Shamanism in Vietnam
September 12, 2014
The Hmong tribe believe that before the advent of human life there was a deity called Saub who lived somewhere on the moon. Presiding over the creation of the world, one day he noticed that Ntxwj Nyoog, the deity of death, was devouring the human race. Unable to take care of Ntxwj Nyoog himself, he bestowed special powers to one human being to fight off evil. He named him Siv Yis, the healer, or Shaman.
Years later, the Hmong’s form of Ua Neeb Shamanism remains a vital part of the tribe’s spiritual, healing and intellectual life in Northern Vietnam. The Shamans continue their role as intermediaries between humankind and the spirit world and have grown to become the community leaders.
Not thought to be a calling for the faint of heart, during religious ceremonies the Shamans use talismans, scrolls and books to enter a trance state and connect with the ‘other’ world of spirits and ancestors.
Once consecrated, scrolls like this one (top right) are believed to be inhabited by the Gods, a way for the shaman to communicate directly with the worshippers’ ancestors.
As the healers and knowledge-keepers of the community, Shamans have captured and passed on their wisdom through hand-copied books through the generations. These books are used for everything from marriage ceremonies to healing the sick, banishing evil spirits, predicting the future and even teaching the fundamentals of Feng Shui.
This silver charm-filled pendant (seen on the model’s waist and in the bottom of the basket) recalls the holy swords that the tribal shaman uses to protect himself when he travels to the spirit world. Hand-crafted by the men of Hmong tribe, charms like this would traditionally be worn hanging from a silver ring around the Shaman’s neck.
