Dr. Sasaki asked that this be forwarded to SAHALIYAN:

Begin forwarded message:

> From: ssasaki <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: July 25, 2006 4:30:53 AM EDT
> To: Pamela Crossley <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: folk knowledge
>
> Dear Professor Crossley
>
> As far as I know, the "Sewe" is used as a general term of gods or  
> spirits in
> all the Tungus languages except the Manchurian. If one of the  
> dialects of
> the Machurian language has this term, it is very intersting for me,  
> because
> it clarifies a fact that the manchurians share a common concpt of  
> spirits
> with other Tungus peoples.
> Though the term and belief of the Sewe is widely seen among the  
> northern
> Tungus peoples like, Evenki and Even, they are especially obvious  
> among the
> peoples on the Lower Amur basins and Sakhalin, i.e., the Nanais,  
> Ul'ches,
> Udehes, Oroches and Uiltas. They have various Sewes of desease,  
> animals,
> natural phenomena, and so on. Some are human enemies, while some  
> can be
> assistants of a shaman. So this belief is related to the shamanism.  
> Sewes
> are often represented by idols made of wood or grass that look like  
> human
> beings or animals. Idols are often made by the shaman for his  
> rituals. One
> can see many wooden idols that represent Sewes in a museum in  
> Khabarovsk.
> Even today, the Nanai and Ul'ch people keep some idols and worship  
> them in
> their house.
>
> Best wishes
> Shiro Sasaki
> Narional Museum of  Ethnology, Osaka, Japan