Divine Messengers: The Untold Story of Bhutan’s Female Shamans

Journalist Guyer-Stevens and anthropologist Pommaret deliver a part-travelogue, part-ethnography centered on the deloms of Bhutan, historically recognized as women messengers from hell who return from the dead to serve as advisers, mediums, healers, and teachers. When the authors set out to research deloms—who they believed no longer existed—they uncovered a living tradition that complicated an academic narrative which assumed deloms were a thing of the past. Indeed, the authors write of encountering contemporary deloms throughout Bhutan, often showcasing the deloms’ experiences of learning of their reincarnated past, their service to their communities, and their contentions with the boundaries between the female shamanistic roles. For instance, the delom daughter of a village leader explained the 18 levels of hell she experienced during her reincarnation, as recounted in a speech “interrupted at unpredictable moments by some kind of possession that made her stomach growl in the most profound way.” Refreshingly, the authors forego stiff academic analysis and instead give the deloms they encountered space and the ability to speak for themselves. Those interested in the relationships between Buddhism and shamanism will relish this eye-opening account. (Dec.)