Michael Oppitz's documentary and photobook on Northern Magar shamanism reissued in expanded English edition

In the late 1970s, German ethnographer Michael Oppitz explored the Northern Magar community in Nepal, focusing on their animist healing traditions. This research culminated in his four-hour film 'Shamans of the Blind Country' (1980) and a photobook, which has now been published in an expanded English version by Galerie Buchholz for €30. The Northern Magar, who constitute seven percent of Nepal's population, are a seminomadic group residing in the Dhaulagiri Massif foothills and speak Kham while practicing shamanism. Oppitz documents the rituals of shaman Master Bal Bahādur and captures images of daily life. His accompanying essay provides insights into Northern Magar culture, drawing from oral traditions, creation myths, and folklore, blending the realms of myth, magic, and the mundane.