Thangmi Film Collection

Since 1997, Mark Turin and Sara Shneiderman have been using digital video to document the cultural complex of Thangmi shamanism and its related cosmology. Below are five short clips of Thangmi shamans conducting rituals which include cutting hair for purification before ritual practice, a narration of the Thangmi origin myth, a healing ritual in Damarang (Dolakha district, Nepal), and an exorcism ritual and subsequent healing ritual in Kodari (Sindhupalcok district, Nepal).

The film clips available here are in QuickTime format. They can take a long time to load. We recommend that you view them on a high speed internet connection ONLY. If you do not have QuickTime, click here to download it from Apple.

The shaman Rana Bahadur having his hair cut in preparation for a ritual

Rana Bahadur narrating a section of the Thangmi origin myth

Jit Bahadur, Rana Bahadur's son, going into trance to exorcise spirits causing illness

The Kodari guru preparing flour effigies of the spirit world for a ritual

The Kodari guru diagnosing an ill patient