UPPER WORLDS

Among theother worldsof many shamaniccosmologies, the existence of realms above the earth are significant. Shamanicinitiationsandjourneysmay entail a visit to these places. Among the ascent routes noted byPiers Vitebskyare the use of a branch lowered from the sky to aid Khanty shamans, the crossing of a bridge made of smoke by Nenets shamans, and the Chukchi shaman’s riding onreindeer. He also notes that in addition to being aided by birds or flyinganimalsin their ascents, shamans sometimes become their own vehicles for dramatic locomotion. Some even draw on nontraditional vehicles such as airplanes and trains to aid their journeys.MirceaEliade’s construction of shamanic cosmology privileges the upper world and ascent journeys to the extent that he twists anAboriginal Australian“Dreaming” narrative and denigratesunderworldand this-worldly journeys as “degenerate.”