A Hospital of Ritual Healing: Creativity, Empowerment, and Discipleship

Abstract

Abstract: This paper features a case study of the rituals of a Mường shaman (known as a thầy Mo or ông Mo) practicing in a community of over 2,000 followers. This Mo master has combined the religious rituals of his ethnic group with those related to the Mother Goddess Religion of the Việt people. This study involves intensive interviews and participant observation in Mường communities in Hòa Bình province. The results demonstrate that the Mường shaman has engaged in a complex process of synthesis, smoothly integrating ritual practices and ontologies derived from the religious system of the majority Việt people into those of his own Mường community. Thus borrowings are a product of conscious efforts on the part of the Mường shaman. That is to say, the shaman took it upon himself to achieve this aggregation of spirits from the two systems of the pantheon to increase the efficacy of his religious rituals. In his words, he made a “general hospital” to cure all sorts of illnesses. This broadening of practices aims to meet a range of client demands and to achieve a distinction that will help the shaman attract more followers.