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Paper short abstract:

Among Tuvans (Southern Siberia) ritual treatment of atypical animals, trees and humans involve a particular understanding of the connection between individuality and species norm. Cognitive researches on folkbiology bring light on the foundations of these mental schemes.

Paper long abstract:

In Tuva (Southern Siberia), atypical individuals among vegetal and animal species are submitted to specific ritual treatment and are the object of rich expectations. Domestic reindeer with an uncommon coat are consecrated and expected to protect the herd and the herders family. Albinos squirrel are not killed by hunters. Abnormal trees are called "shaman-tree" and are worshipped. In these treatments, what kind of connection is established between species morphological norm, atypical visible features, individuality and hidden special powers? To resolve this problem the evidences of cognitive science about the understanding of biological species, norms and collective and individual "essences" is enlightening. In these different cases of the treatment of singularity among Tuvans, a stable inferential schema can be identified. A counterintuitive connection between individuality and species seems to be established. This mode of reasoning appears to be applied not only to animals but also to humans in the understanding of the process of how atypical individuals become shamans.

Cognitive science helps to identify common mental procedures in domains usually considered as separate (shamanism, reindeer herding, hunting…) and brings light on mental procedures that would otherwise seem puzzling and contradictory. On the other hand, this ethnography brings new evidence on the complexity of counterintuitive uses of basic notions of folkbiology.