During the Mongolian Bankhar Dog Project and Overland Experts trip, we were lucky enough to meet up with a local Shaman while we were near Khara-khorum. Shamanism was the preliminary religious/spiritual path of Mongolia, and though Buddhism later became the main practice, Shamanism is still practiced today and is still an important part of Mongolian culture. This shaman and his wife were kind enough to perform a ceremony giving us good luck on our travels.

The Shaman’s shrine was set up in the back seat of his car, featuring beautiful prayer scarves and horse statues representing the important spirits that he worked with. As you can see from these photos, their traditional clothing was stunning. Eagle feathers decorated their headdresses, and fabric snakes, a very important animal in shamanism, were sown onto their coats.