THE SHAMAN'S COAT: A Native History of Siberia

Reasoning that the state of Siberian shamanism "would be an indicator of the extent to which the indigenous peoples had preserved their identities under Russian rule," Reid (Borderland: A Journey Through the History of the Ukraine) traveled east across Siberia, chronicling the region's history from the first Russian invasion in the late 16th century to the present day, talking to nonindigenous as well as indigenous people and looking for modern shamans. There are many ethnic groups in Siberia, and in her engrossing book, Reid concentrates on a few of them, such as the Tartars, a Mongol-Turkic mix who inhabit Sibir; the Khant, related to the Finns and Estonians; the Buryat, a Mongol people on the Russian-Mongolian borderland; the Tuvans, Turkic-speaking people; and the Chukchi, a fierce people in the northeastern extremity of Asia who managed to avoid conquest until the 20th century. Each of these ethnic groups has its own complex, often confusing history, but Reid presents a clear picture of each, describing forcefully the bloody battles in which they were subjugated, their sufferings under Russia's brutal rule, their treatment at the hands of the various colonists and the hardships of Stalinism. She met several shamans, but they are few and far between in modern Siberia, where shamanism has been greatly watered down and is now a "rag-bag of vague, disconnected beliefs and rituals." The author acknowledges that her study is limited and subjective, but she concludes optimistically that a native identity is again emerging. Her book presents a rich and detailed history of a fascinating region often thought of as merely a frosty outpost for exiled convicts and political dissidents. Illus. not seen by PW. (Oct.)