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How did the Sakha people classify shamans by their spiritual power?
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Shamanism
Korean shamans, or mudang, performing a ritual dance in South Korea.
The Sakha (Yakut) people of northeastern Siberia classify shamans into three groupsāgreat, intermediate, and leastābased on their spiritual power and proficiency.1
This classification is rooted in the belief that the souls of future shamans are reared in nests upon an immensely high tree in the Upper World. The level of a shaman's power is determined by the height at which their soul was raised:1
- Great shamans: Those whose souls were reared near the top of the tree.1
- Intermediate shamans: Those whose souls were reared toward the middle of the tree.1
- Least shamans: Those whose souls were reared on the lower branches.1
While this hierarchy reflects the spiritual origin of the shaman, the actual level of professional expertise and the quality of their performance also depend on the individual's personal abilities, including their mental capacity, dramatic talent, and the effectiveness of their will.2