The Living Tradition of Shamanism: Lived experience and socio-economic roles of Shamans in the Kirati Khambu Rai Community

Abstract

Shamanism is often regarded as an ancient indigenous religious belief system, yet it continues to exist as a living and meaningful tradition in many communities today. This paper examines shamanism among the Kirati Khambu Rai community as a dynamic social and spiritual practice closely connected to everyday life. Using a qualitative research approach, the study draws on in-depth and semi-structured interviews with practising shamans and employs Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to understand their lived experiences, beliefs, and meanings associated with shamanic practice. The findings reveal that shamanism remains relevant through ritual performance, faith-based healing, and strong community belief systems. Despite challenges posed by modernization, formal education, and the spread of biomedical healthcare, shamanism has not declined but has adapted to changing social, economic, and cultural conditions while preserving its core beliefs and rituals. The study argues that shamanism survives as an evolving indigenous tradition that continues to sustain cultural identity, social cohesion, and indigenous knowledge in contemporary society.

Aim

This study aims to deliver the importance of shamanism as a phenomenon.  Shamanism as an ancient form of religious practice successfully continues to play a dominant role in many contemporary societies. Studying shamanism as a phenomenon can provide perceptions of how traditional practices advance and persist in the modern world. By far shamanism has been studied from a psychological perspective but this paper highlights the existence of shamanism as a phenomenon through the Sociological lens. It focuses on the relevance of shamanism, the status and role of shamans within the Kirati Khambu Rai community in the Hills of Darjeeling.