There is a long tradition in Hungarian academia of conducting field research among the Mongols, dating back to the 1870s. Since then, several students from a variety of research fields visited Mongolia, such as Vilmos Diószegi, who worked with Darkhat and Buryat shamans in the 1950s.

After the political turn in the early nineties, a joint expedition of Hungarian and Mongolian researchers initiated a long-term field research project among various Mongolian ethnic groups. The political turn in the early 90’s created the opportunity for free religious practice and the possibility to study it as well. The 90’s are particularly valuable, as shamans and other religious specialists could continue their traditional activities, which had to be practiced secretly during socialist times. 

Since participating in the expedition, Dr. Birtalan has focused her research interests on the oral tradition of various Mongolian ethnic groups, and she has recorded shamanic invocations, rituals and oral narratives. The traditions of “black” (non-Buddhicied) and “yellow” (Buddhicised) shamanic practices have preserved many authentic features, even as they have started to merge with other – sometimes foreign and even strange − new influences.

This presentation will include a brief historical overview of Mongolian shamanism and display Dr. Birtalan’s field experience about the belief system, ritual practice, textual corpus and the ritual objects of the black and yellow shamans of the Darkhat and Oirat territories.