The shaman's coat: A native history of Siberia

Steeped in history, ethnography and reportage, THE SHAMAN'S COAT tells the story of the indigenous people of Siberia. This vast expanse of land, much of it barely populated jungle and forest, has a population of just one million. Medieval Russians thought the people who lived amidst these unnerving wastes froze to the ground in winter, spent the summers at sea lest their skins split, and had mouths on top of their heads, eating by placing their hats and shrugging their shoulders. One of the world’s great unexplored peoples, they have a colonial history as shocking as that of the American Indians or the Aboriginies, and live in some of the world’s harshest conditions. Until the 1950s they had no written language; the little we know about them is gleaned from outsiders’ accounts. Split between 30 different nationalities including the Buryats, Tatars, Inuits, and Chukchi, Siberians had a special closeness to the land. They believed nature possesses animating spirits to be worshipped, placated or guarded against and Shamans performed appropriate ceremonies. There has been an extraordinary revival in shamanism, with many communities again carrying out dog sacrifices, imbibing hallucinogenic drugs, corpses of bears being offered food to bring good luck. Siberians are also realising how rich the land in which they live is and have embarked on a dangerous battle with Russia, not paying taxes and refusing them access to their precious minerals. This is a story rich in romance, magic, tragedy, and a fascinating neglected piece of history.