"Die Bibel der Schamanen"

Zur Aneignung und Transformation "fremder" spiritueller Praktiken bei den Kölner Stämmen

Abstract

The Cologne Tribes (Kölner Stämme) are an association of around eighty societies from Cologne, Germany, whose members re-enact 'foreign' or ancient cultures - notably the Huns and Mongolians - as a leisure-time activity. I explore how the Cologne Tribes appropriate and transform 'foreign' spiritual practices and provide them with new meanings in the local context. Of crucial importance for these mimetic practices are various forms of globally circulating media representations of cultural difference, such as popular feature films and adventure novels, as well as historical travelogues or ethnographic resources. Following the assumption that the concept of shamanism was constructed and appropriated not least by anthropology itself, I try to investigate how it is adapted and interpreted by the Cologne Tribes. In debates on neo-shamanism (as well as urban, western or modern shamanism) non-indigenous practitioners are often criticised with regard to the possible 'authenticity' of their performances. This holds especially true for the Cologne Tribes, since their practices show a clear connection with local carnival customs. From another perspective I therefore investigate how the shamans negotiate their own scepticism and perform the transition from carnivalesque role-playing to serious ritual that also takes effect in the everyday lives of the club members.