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‘The one who rules the force of nature’. Rain shifting as a miracle in Indonesia

https://doi.org/10.28995/2658-4158-2020-3-141-159

Abstract

Perceptions of a miracle are extremely diverse and, in many ways, culturally determined. The article discusses a local example of a miracle – the ritual of rain management, which is widespread in Indonesia. In the article, the author inquires, where is the boundary between the shaman’s actions perceived by the participants of the rite as a craft or a practical skill, and at what point in that rite the public has the feeling of witnessing a miracle. In addition, the rain shamans who belong to the Sundanese ethnic group are faithful Muslims and convinced that all miracles come from Allah. The power to move or hold the rain is not the ability of the shaman himself.

About the Author

A. A. Idrus
RUDN University
Russian Federation

Asrinda A. Idrus, postgraduate student, bld. 6, Mikluho-Maklaya Str., Moscow, Russia, 177198



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Review

For citations:


Idrus A.A. ‘The one who rules the force of nature’. Rain shifting as a miracle in Indonesia. Studia Religiosa Rossica: Russian Journal of Religion. 2020;(3):141-159. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.28995/2658-4158-2020-3-141-159

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ISSN 2658-4158 (Print)