What did the indigenous people of Siberia believe? What rites and rituals did they perform? How did they represent the universe? Who is the shaman and why is he dancing with a tambourine by the fire? How does he manage to penetrate into other worlds and maintain cosmic balance? These and other questions are answered by this book. Interest in shamanic practices arose from its author, historian and museum figure Andrei Shapovalov, since his student days, and at the turn of the century even brought him to the school of shamanism.