Between the medicine wheel & Parliament seat

Valentin days are busier since Villagers eletcted him to the local Parliament. The shores of Lake Baikal, once mere beautiful scenery from his window, now represent a patchwork of electoral districts.

But then after work, Valentin Hagdayev, an ethnic Buryat, reverts back to his old self.

“We’re sometimes reproached for not having temples,” Valentin says.

"But then I say – the sky above is the dome of our temple, and our home is our land. Nature is the Universe. You lit the candles – and we make the fire”.

Valentin’s sessions attract a stream of foreign tourists to the village. They watch with curiosity as the shaman lures holy spirits with vodka and puts people into a trance. Richard Hamon, film director, is one of them:

“I like this sort of people who live very simply with nature and it’s very different, of course, from how we live when we’re in Paris, France”.

Supermodels trust shamans

The shaman’s list of clients even includes celebrities.

Representatives of Russian pop star Dima Bilan came over to the village shortly before the 2008 Eurovision song contest to ensure the singer’s victory. The Russian athletics team hired Valentin for the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

The most recent celebrity client was supermodel Natalya Vodyanova alongside her husband.

“As for fishing, Natasha is very lucky,” Valentin recalls.

“While all the others who accompanied her only caught four or five fish altogether, she got a whole bucket full. She’ll have luck throughout her life”.

The shaman attributes his popularity to good education: he has three diplomas, and he says he is no charlatan like many others, but a born shaman.

He also notes the financial crisis has given a boost to his client base.

Valentin’s village is half pagan, half Christian. But even Orthodox believers don’t seem to mind the shaman’s activities.

Thousands of years ago, shamans would carry out their rituals in an atmosphere of pagan ignorance. However, present day shamans may have several academic degrees and even sit in Parliament. They say that in the modern era, cherishing these ancient rituals seems to be the only way to keep the tradition going.