Tigers and the Internet: Story, Shamans, History

Kira Van Deusen's book, Tigers and the Internet, is a collection of folktales from the Udege, a small Indigenous group in Russia, that explores their animism and shamanism. Through interviews with storytellers, Van Deusen preserves these stories in English for future generations and provides insight into their contemporary lives and connections with other Indigenous groups.

Format: Hardback
Publication date: 20 July 2022
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press

The Udege, a small Indigenous group residing in the Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai regions of Russia, possesses a rich oral storytelling tradition. They communicate in the Udege language and incorporate animism and shamanism into their religious beliefs. Over a span of two decades, Kira Van Deusen embarked on a journey across Russia, conducting interviews with Udege storytellers to document their folktales.

Tigers and the Internet vividly recounts the lives of individual storytellers and the stories they shared with Van Deusen. By combining translated stories with extensive commentary, background information on the storytellers, and historical context to the themes they explore, Van Deusen crafts a rich and captivating text that transports the reader through time and space. She respectfully shares the stories with a broader audience, ensuring their preservation in English for future generations. Readers will gain insights into the folktales of the Udege, but also explore their contemporary lives and connections with other Indigenous groups.

It is worth noting that the Udege are not widely recognized beyond the borders of Russia. Tigers and the Internet serves as a valuable collection of firsthand stories, offering a glimpse into this fascinating culture to those interested in folklore, Indigenous histories, and cultural studies.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780228011149