Vilmos Diószegi's audio recordings at the Museum of Ethnography

Vilmos Diószegi (1923–1972) focused his work on researching and collecting shamanic traditions of Siberian and Central Asian peoples. From 1947 to 1963, he worked at the Museum of Ethnography, managing the Asia collection. During this period, he went on five research trips to Asia. On these expeditions, he took thousands of photographs, made numerous audio recordings, and brought back shamanic artifacts.

Diószegi's scientific interest centered on the shamanism of the peoples who speak Altai and Uralic languages. In 1957 and 1958, he spent three months each among the Buryats and Siberian Turks. He conducted research in Mongolia in 1960, and in 1964, he collected materials in the Altai Mountains.

During this period, Siberian shamans had endured several decades of persecution and a complete ban on their activities. As a result, Diószegi was able to save for the museum primarily the clothing and tools found in shaman graves that had long been out of use. Nonetheless, he managed to meet elderly individuals who had previously worked as shamans. These individuals could explain in detail the creation, use, and symbolism of these items based on their memories.

The audio recordings made by Vilmos Diószegi include shamanic songs and interviews. Shamans used drumming and singing to summon their helper spirits and drive away harmful spirits. Different rhythms of drumming played specific roles in various shamanic ceremonies.

In recent years, these musical recordings have been digitized as part of the museum's tape digitization project. Surprisingly, some of the recordings include several hours of music and conversations.

Here you can find Vilmos Diószegi's sound recordings from the collection of the Museum of Ethnography: https://dioszegi.neprajz.hu/