Toli (shamanism)

A toli is a round, ritual mirror used in Shamanism in some parts of Mongolia and in the Republic of
Buryatia.[1][2][3][4] The mirror, ornamented on one side and polished on the other, may be made
of bronze, brass or copper.[5][4]
Toli are traditionally worn as part of a shaman's attire around the shaman's neck or in quantity on the
shaman's kaftan or apron, to help ward off evil spirits and to signify the shaman's authority.[1][6][4] They
may have additional purposes as well. Among the Daur people, they were also used to purify water,
to collect spirits or spiritual manifestations like the magic of the sun or moon and
to divine the prognosis of a sick patient.[2] Walther Heissig, describing shamans and their incantations
in Hure Banner in the 1940s, remarks that one shamaness indicated that the toli contained "the
white horses of the shamans"; the mirror itself was seen as a vehicle for the shamans. [7]
Toli may be used in different sizes; among the Daur, the front and back of the shaman's costume
was covered with small toli placed like overlapping scales while the front might also feature eight
large mirrors and one medium-sized mirror to protect the heart, the neker-toli;[2] according to Heissig,
in Hure Banner shamans wore nine mirrors, nine being a particularly meaningful number in
Mongolian religion and mythology.[8] The neker-toli might be plated in nickel.[9] The number of toli
collected by the Daur shaman was an indicator of his or her level of power.[2]

See also[edit]

Mongolian shamanism

Notes[edit]
1.

^ Jump up to:a b DeMello 2012, p. 221.

2.

^ Jump up to:a b c d Edson 2009, p. 135.

3.

Jump up^ Hoppl 2000, p. 74.

4.

^ Jump up to:a b c Tedlock 2005, p. 48.

5.

Jump up^ Edson 2009, pp. 42, 135.

6.

Jump up^ Edson 2009, pp. 77, 135.

7.

Jump up^ Heissig 1944, p. 45-46.

8.

Jump up^ Heissig 1944, p. 45.

9.

Jump up^ Edson 2009, p. 117.

References[edit]

DeMello, Margo (14 February 2012). Faces Around the World: A Cultural Encyclopedia of
the Human Face. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-59884-617-1.

Edson, Gary (2009). Shamanism: A Cross-Cultural Study of Beliefs and Practices.

McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3409-1.

Heissig, Walther (1944). "Schamanen und Geisterbeschwrer im Kriye-Banner". Folklore

Studies. 3 (1): 3971.

Hoppl, Mihly; International Society for Shamanistic Research (2000). Shaman traditions in
transition. International Society for Shamanistic Research.

Barbara Tedlock (27 December 2005). The Woman in the Shaman's Body: Reclaiming the
Feminine in Religion and Medicine. Random House Digital, Inc. ISBN 978-0-553-37971-6.
Categories:

Mongolian shamanism

Religion in Mongolia

Mirrors

Mongol mythology