Shamanism: taming fairies of the North
Bitan
When the King sensed the fear of an uncertain enemy or the excitement of a near-future celebration. The Shamans were summoned to the King’s court. Shamanism existed before the pre-Islamic era in Hunza. Shaman’s or Bitan (in Burushaski) were soothsayers, healers, and fortune-tellers. They played a huge role in fortune-telling for the king.
People who are chosen by the Pari (the fairy, plural “pariting”) for rituals are called dayal’s, not everyone can be a shaman. However, if a Bitan resists and refuses to become a shaman, he dies. It was a fate they couldn’t escape from or change. Every Bitan has a pari, and for every Bitan there are different Pari’s. bitan are not chosen at birth nor they are descendants of a Bitan but only a Pari could choose and give a Bitan all knowledge.
Origin
Pari usually translates into “fairies”. they are from the Upper World and form a whole society. The “Pariting” or fairies of the Upper World are connected with the Bitan’s. Pariting are also known as the mountain spirits. Bitan’s were quite famous in the past as the king enjoyed seeing them perform and predict the future. It was something cherished and a part of the festive. Bitan’s danced to the music during festivals like Ginani (crop harvesting festival in Hunza), Navroz and predicted the future of fertility and success in the region
Ritual
How the ritual works is, Bitan’s inhales the smoke of burning juniper branches, and dances to special music called Shireen zuban (sweet tongue), The melody of the Pari is played by the bericho (musicians), and upon listening to the music Bitan’s would fall into a trance and converse with the Pari in a language called “shina”, bitan’s drink blood from a freshly severed goat’s head, as the Pari’s devoured the fresh blood and it tastes like fresh milk from the pasture to the Bitan.
Juniper or Gal is a sacred tree and food for Pari. Gal is only found in pure places high up in the mountains. An interesting fact about the ritual is that the Bitan is supposed to be pure and clean before the ritual starts, and the people present in that ritual are also supposed to be pure and clean, or else the ritual won’t work out.
The red color triggers a Bitan. While in a state of daze, if the Bitan spots a person wearing red, he chases them. Gradually the shamanistic traditions started fading away as the Islamic era started growing in Hunza, people no longer have faith in the shaman’s magical powers. they have slowly disconnected from this concept of shamanism completely to such an extent that now we get to hear about it only in form of tales from elderly people.
In this era, people claim to be a Bitan, but not everyone can be one. So either they are self-proclaimed or fake. Despite shamanistic traditions fading away years back, it is still remembered as they greatly impacted Hunza and its people in the past. Shamanism is engraved in our culture, it is a huge part of our culture that is now slowly fading. These stories about fairies and shamans are turning into fables from cultural beliefs.
Read more about the traditions, culture of Hunza, and poetry stayed tuned with me. to connect with me catch me on Twitter @lostsoup101 or Instagram @_tales_of_thelost. bringing you indigenous stories straight from the mighty mountains of the north! along with my passion for writing, I love taking pictures too.
