Siv Ellen Kraft

Religion and Spirituality in Lonely Planet's India

Abstract For years, the authors of the best-selling guide to India, Lonely Planet, has shaped the perspectives of many travellers. This article considers how religion is constructed as a category and how it is made relevant to travellers. I argue that ‘religion’ comes in two versions, one pertaining to the Indian hosts and one to travellers. Religion is based on tradition, faith and historical institutions, whose members, rituals and sacred sites are of interest to travellers. Spirituality has to do with the personal development of travellers and is exclusively referred to as philosophy.

The making of a sacred mountain. Meanings of nature and sacredness in Sápmi and northern Norway

Abstract A case study of sacred landscapes in the contemporary era, the article deals with a particular mountain and its rise to sacredness. Fuelled by plans of ski‐slope development, the fate of Tromsdalstind caused a lively debate in local newspapers, as well as a report issued by the Sami Parliament. The report connected sacredness to Sami traditions in the past and to current laws on the protection of Sami cultural memories. This, then, was a case of sacredness constructed outside the context of organized religions and ongoing religious traditions, as well as a case of using secular laws as the primary basis for definitions of sacredness. Through this process, love for the mountain appears to have grown deeper and more religious, both for the Sami as well as for other northern Norwegians. Neither more nor less authentic than those of the past, these concepts of sacredness belong to the late modern world of law culture, nature romanticism, and to pan‐indigenous spirituality as a ‘‘religion’’ in the making.

Handbook of Indigenous Religion(s)

Consisting of original scholarship at the intersection of indigenous studies and religious studies, the Handbook of Indigenous Religion(s) includes a programmatic introduction arguing for new ways of conceptualizing the field, numerous case study-based examples, and an Afterword by Thomas Tweed.

U.N.-Discourses on Indigenous Religion

Several scholars have commented on the ‘spiritual tone’ of U.N. discourses on indigenous peoples, but mostly in passing and never – to my knowledge – as a main focus. An attempt to address this gap and discuss in more detail U.N. discourses on indigenous religion, this chapter is concerned with references to religion and cognates, and with extent, patterns and usage. Anything resembling a complete account is ruled out by the size of the material, but digital availability allows for a survey of targeted concepts in central publications, substantial enough for an analysis of the main (spiritual) concerns: how is the term ‘indigenous religion’ used at this top-level of global governance? Are ‘indigeneous people’ spoken of in religious terms, and – if so – to what extent, in which contexts and for which reasons?

Shamanism and Indigenous Soundscapes: The Case of Mari Boine

Mari Boine (b. 1956) grew up in a tiny Sami village in the Norwegian high north, in a world ruled by the strict Christian god of her parents and the politics of assimilation on the part of the Norwegian state. She has later described a sin-oriented religion, an ever-present threat of doomsday, and a never-ending list of taboos and forbiddens—including music. All forms of music except hymns were forbidden. Joik—an ancient form of Sami music—was connected to the devil himself, due partly to its connection with the pre-Christian Sami religion. She has also described her shame in regard to all things Sami, and—as she grew older—her increasing rage, anger, and rebellion.

Introduction: Nordic Neoshamanisms

During the mid-1970s, Ailo Gaup, then a young Sami journalist from Oslo, traveled to Finnmark, the homeland of his ancestors, in search of a Sami shaman. Gaup had studied scholarly accounts of the pre-Christian Sami religion, commonly understood as a form of shamanism, but had not found descriptions of how — in practical terms — to initiate a trance and embark upon journeys. At the Tourist Hotel in Kautokeino, he met Ernesto, a Chilean refugee with the necessary qualifications from South American contexts. Gaup’s first visit to the spirit world of his ancestors took place with the help of Ernesto, Chilean traditions, and an African djembe-drum (Gaup 2005:86–98). Over the next decade, he further developed his skills, through training at Michael Harner’s Foundation for Shamanic Studies in Esalen, California. By the late 1980s, he was back in Oslo, established as a professional shaman and ready to take up the task of reviving the spiritual practices of his ancestors. There is, according to Harner’s perspective, a core content in the multitude of traditions that together constitute “world shamanism.” Each of these should be recovered and reconstructed, in order for their richness and complexity to come forth, and each of them offers unique contributions to the common source.