Niematerialny świat Dul-dul at. O procesie zanurzania w świat Innych, o relacjach, ludziach i innych bytach

This essay is a non-linear record of memories from the author’s anthropological field- work in southern Kyrgyzstan. The research concerns a place called Dul-dul at, a site of petroglyphs with a dominant motif of animals interpreted as a pair of horses. The area at the foot of the rock with petroglyphs is also a pilgrimage and ritual site for healing and spiritual practices. The narrative of memories shows the transformation not only of the place of research, but also of the researcher: between the first stay (in 2006) to the last (in 2019). Subsequent studies reveal the dependencies of people involved in social rela- tions on the material and non-material world of Dul-dul at. Consecutive memories reveal layers of knowledge and ignorance, and how the researcher penetrates the community of the Others and the way they perceive the world.

Paleoanthropological study of a skull from a burial at the Chemurchek sanctuary Hulagash (Bayan-Ulgii aimag, Mongolia)

Recent studies show that, in the 3rd millennium BC, the highlands in the basin of the upper reaches of the Khovd (Kobdo) River constituted a ritual zone, which was of particular importance for the population inhabiting the western foothills of the Mongolian Altai Mountains. Its cultural singularity was due to the so-called Chemurchek cultural phenomenon — a set of characteristics of West European origin, which appeared there no later than 2700–2600 BC. Three large-scale ritual complexes-‘shrines’ attributed to this period were discovered in the area of Lake Dayan Nuur. Excavations conducted by the expedition of A.A. Kovalev and Ch. Munkhbayar revealed that these structures constituted fences consisting of vertical stone slabs, decorated all-over on the outside with the images of fantastic anthropomorphic creatures and animals. The excavation of Hulagash 1 (one of these sanctu-aries), radiocarbon dated to the middle of the 3rd millennium BC, revealed a single grave in the centre of the structure, synchronous with the time when the complex was used. The grave belonged to a man of advanced age, whose body was wrapped in a wide piece of cloth. The significance of this man being buried in the centre of the ritual site remains unclear. This person could have been sacrificed during construction or, conversely, he could have had a special status. Craniometrical measurement and dentological investigation of the scull from the Chemurchek sanctuary Hulagash were conducted; its graphic reconstruction was performed. Its anthropological type shows a significant Mongoloid component. Intergroup comparison revealed its significant morphological dif-ferences from markedly Caucasoid groups, including the Afanasievo culture of South Siberia and Central Asia. This excludes the morphogenetic continuity of the Chemurchek phenomenon from the antecedent Afanasievo popula-tion. The individual from Hulagash bears the greatest anthropological similarity to the Neolithic-Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age populations of the Circumbaikal region (Serovo and Glazkovo cultures) and the Barnaul-Biysk Ob area (Itkul and Firsovo XI burial grounds dating back to the pre-Bronze Age; Early Bronze Age burial grounds of the Elunino culture). This is obviously a manifestation of a shared anthropological substrate, since the anthropological component of the Baikal type (which the population of the Elunino culture included) was recorded in the Neolithic-Eneolithic materials from the northern foothills of the Altai Mountains. Remarkable morphological similarities between the individual from Hulagash and the bearers of the Elunino archaeological culture reinforce the assumption that there is a cultural affinity between the Chemurchek and Elunino populations of the Early Bronze Age.

Sibirskoye I: a Late Irmen Site in the Irtysh Steppe

This article describes the fi ndings at Sibirskoye I, a Late Bronze to Early Iron Age site in the steppe part of the Irtysh basin. The history of excavations is outlined. A detailed description of ceramics, including shard accumulations and fragments of 44 vessels, is provided. We analyze paste composition, provenance of clay, and temper. The principal raw material was high-quality western Siberian montmorillonite and hydromicaceous clay. The temper, preventing cracks and waste, consisted of grog, sand, and organic matter. Shaping techniques are described. On the basis of proportions, groups of vessels are established, and their decoration is analyzed. Decorative motifs combine those typical of the Late Irmen pottery and those marking the Irmen and Krasnozerskoye cultures. The Sibirskoye I ceramics are paralleled by those from Om-1 and Chicha-1. Certain categories of ware are imported. The planigraphy and the distribution of ceramics suggest that this was a ritual site. The ceramics and the site as a whole were associated with the Late Irmen culture, dating to the transitional stage from the Late Bronze to the Early Iron Age. Sibirskoye I is the westernmost Irmen site—the fi rst one discovered on the Irtysh. Judging from parallels with sites having a reliable chronology, we date it to 900–700/600 BC.

Prehistoric Monuments as Numinous Sites of Spiritual Tourism

Prehistoric monuments in Britain are sites that have "drawn" people throughout history, due to their impressive size, dramatic location in the landscape, and the sense of permanence and timelessness they convey. The religious attraction of such stones for modern Pagans has been studied in some detail, particularly in terms of renowned circles like Stonehenge and Avebury, but the appeal that Neolithic monuments have for "spiritual tourists" has not been assessed to date. This article focuses on the Rollright Stones near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, a relatively accessible group of monuments that has an established body of folklore attached to the site, a profile in popular culture, and a recent history of use by modern Pagans as a ritual site. The author's fieldwork at the Rollright Stones in 2014 produced three interrelated hypotheses: first, the primary appeal of prehistoric monuments for "spiritual tourists" is aesthetic; second, that responding aesthetically to such monuments is an experience that feels "special" and often involves an experience of the "numinous"; and third, this "specialness" is linked to ideas about what it means to be human, the relationship of the past to the present and future, and to the process of identity-construction and the search for wellbeing that spiritual tourists typically engage with in their travels.

Where places fold: The co-production of matter and meaning in an Aymara ritual setting

This article explores the enigmatic centrality of a seemingly unoccupied place located at the very heart of an Andean community in northern Chile. It investigates how the apparent emptiness of a ritual site paradoxically operates as an ineffable agent that articulates beings, things and landscapes. The author argues that the study of what happens in this place is of significance beyond regional studies. It goes beyond the usual cultural frameworks to consider theoretical concepts such as topology, materiality, vitality and relationality. In order to explore this, he investigates how the ‘empty’ heart of the ceremonial centre, Isluga Marka – the place that blurs borders and centres ( taypi) – emerges as a theoretically challenging topological phenomenon. The ethnography underlying this article is problematized in order to contribute to the general understanding of how matter, place and meaning can become entangled and mutually constituted.

The Magic Beyond Ritual”- Exploring Raaba Ritual and Ritualization Among Arsi Oromos of Ethiopia

The purpose of this (mega) research project is to investigate the Raabaa Ritual and ritualization, one of the indigenous beliefs and Gada system practices in Oromo culture, among the Arsi Oromo. The Raabaa ritual is indigenous ritual practices which exercised by Arsi Oromo according to their Baalli. To this end, the researchers observed the ritual sites where the Raabaa ritual takes place. Besides, an interview with 13 key informants and 5 FGDs were conducted to collect wider data on the subject matter. Methodological the researchers’ were employee qualitative approach. The study found out that the Raabaa is being popular in the study area due to various reasons like: firstly, the practicing and living under the shade of Gadaa and belief in the ritual manifestation. The Arsi Oromo are believed to have possessed supernatural powers of empowering and performing various ritual rites to full fill necessary criteria’s while passing in the Gadaa system. Secondly, the belief that taking part in ritual ceremonies at all ritual sites of Raabaa is one method of getting relief from these worldly problems such as physical and psychological disordered and to have blessing life. The practices at the Raabaa ritual site also prove the tolerance that exists among some adherents of different religious, Baallis, hookaa and political backgrounds in the study area. According to our finding Raabaa ritual is used to increase awareness of the values of tolerance and understanding. The involvement of the local people, awareness levitation through community serves or education on ritual and ritualization of Raabaa, the practice of ritual and its sites protected areas should be encouraged to sustain and keep the practice.