The present dissertation deals with the religio-philosophical doctrine of shamanism. More precisely, it deals with the Ssitgimgut (씻김굿) purification ritual. In the initial chapters we aim to formulate the characteristics of the Korean wave of shamanism, which we then connect to the already established insights on the general tradition of shamanism. Primarily, this is done with the writings of the philosophers Mircea Eliade and Li Zehou. The latter functions as a pathway back into the Asian philosophical trajectory. The central chapter then deals with the main focus of the dissertation that is the purification ritual. Within it lays a thorough analysis of the separate aspects of the ritual such as the historical placement of the ritual tradition, its structure and general course of action, the time and place in which it is performed, its musicality and finally the clothes and the general artistry of it. The final key aspect that we analyze is the shamanic song which we note as extremely rich in content. We finish off with an attempt at a modern framing of the ritual as a practice that turns away from the purely scientific understanding of the world and focuses on the mystical nature of death and its consequence.
|
