Tuva - summer 2000
In the summer of 2000 I spent several weeks studying shamanic music in Tuva with several shamans.
My fellow K-Space member, Gendos
Chamzyryn was helping me, and translating from Tuvan and real-Russian into a kind of dog-Russian that I could just about understand.
I was studying so hard that I only used two tablets of Alka-Seltzer on the whole trip in spite of vodka being under one pound a half litre.
Deep thanks to Kungaa Buu, Kenin Lopsan, Kara-Ool and all the shamans at the Dungur centre Kyzyl; Gendos Chamzyryn, his family and colleagues at the leatherworkers' centre; and the extended family of Albert Kouvezin of Yat Kha who looked after me and fed me with healthy food.
And a general thank-you too, to the translators, the neighbours and taxi-drivers, the children playing in the streets, and the workers, and musicians of Tuva who were always ready to spend time making my trip all the more enjoyable - and valuable.
Here are a few pictures: -
Kungaa Buu is a shaman and a lama. He took me on an exorcism, and he also took me to a spring - an arjan - where he sanctified the whole area, playing his drum - dungur - and singing his own individual shaman's song - algysh.
He also asked me to help him get the fire going.
The area of the spring - like all shamanic sites - was festooned with ribbons.
The Dungur centre in the capital, Kyzyl, is where people can 
go to find a shaman to deal with their problems. There are a lot of different shamans there, with different styles and different
specialties.
The shamans were very helpful and we spent a lot of time in the yard talking about their work.
Above, some of the shamans at the centre, and below Kara-Ool with his dungur.
And finally, Hiarakan - bear mountain - the most important shamanic spot in Tuva, and Gendos proving that he also plays cello.