Rane Willerslev & the Animism of Hunting

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#1

I’ve been reading “Soul Hunters” by Rane Willerslev over the last week. Overall, the book offers a lot of great insight about animism and some approaches to understanding animism that, I think, are often overlooked or excluded from the discussions I have seen by other authors. Here’s an article by Rane on the same topic (roughly) --> http://www.e-flux.com/journal/laughing-at-the-spirits-in-north-siberia-is-animism-being-taken-too-seriously/.

I was curious if anyone here had read anything of Willerslev’s or had any other books pertinent to anism that were especially influential and worthwhile? For myself in particular, the interest comes from wanting to expose myself to as many ideas as possible in order to synthesize an informal and unfixed worldview that doesn’t depend on or propagate some of the lethal ideas found in modern Western thought.

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#2

I’m sure you’re probably aware of Derrick Jensen? His book Dreams is a great starting point for thinking about animism and how to tap into the ideas and history. I’ve also found Dancing on our Turtle’s Back by Leanne Simpson amazing as well - although perhaps more political than others.

This:

http://anarchistnews.org/content/rust-metallic-gods-anarcho-primitivist-critique-paganism

Great article about throwing away some of the agro/pagan spirituality and a critique of Bronze Age/Iron Age gods. Esp important for European primitivist types who often lean toward Celtic/Viking mythology as a counterpoint to Christianity. Europeans should instead be looking at our own paleolithic cultures: Lascoux, Cheddar, Paviland and the exisiting Saami peoples for inspiration.

#3

I’d check out Tim Ingold’s Perception of the Environment. The chapter that really works for me is “A Circumpolar Night’s Dream.”

#4

A.P. Elkin’s book “Aboriginal Men of High Degree” is worth the read.