The Banjankri

The Banjankri

You have heard of the Yeti, the Abominable Snowman… that is of course not an animal or pre-human being… that is originally one of the shaman’s gods. The real name is Banjankri, that means the shaman of the forest… So there for nobody will ever find the Yeti in nature because you have to go in trance and then you can find the Yeti easily…

… The Yeti loves to drink schnapps too, so he is like a real shaman and if you want to contact him, you have to put some alcoholic offerings in front of the forest.

- Mystery of The Yeti: Herb Garden


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- The Mystery of The Yeti

…The ban jhankri (forest shaman) is both spirit and deity, as well as an accepted reality for most indigenous Nepali ethnic groups. The ban jhankri are said by many to be small creatures, hairy and golden, master healers and teachers of shamans. Those whom are "chosen" by the ban jhankri to be future shamans, are abducted and often taken to caves where the initiates receive shamanic training and instruction. The novice, who is typically young but may be an adult, is later returned to his/her community, several hours, days, or (rarely) weeks after being abducted. At this point, sometimes the initiate finds a human guru (teacher) from whom to continue to learn ritual methods and techniques of accessing spirit (i.e. ecstasy, trance, possession), but sometimes their training continues only through the agency of spirits, including contact with the initiating ban jhankri. Culturally, such experiences of "spontaneous election" are regarded as proof of being "chosen by spirits," and hence, endow these jhankri with special status; those shamans so chosen are themselves referred to as ban jhankri, distinguishing them from other kinds of jhankri. Representative oral texts of the shamans describe individual experiences of consciousness transformation through these encounters with ban jhankri.

- Encounters with Ban Jhankri: Shamanic Initiation


Five Jhankri’s with their Guru Ban Jhankri
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Ban-Jhankri is believed to be the first Shaman who was taught the knowledge of mastering the spirits by god himself with a promise to teach and pass the technique to the human beings for their welfare. Since then, Ban-Jhankri has been teaching technique to selected persons…

According to a myth, a Ban-Jhankri lives in a deep forest. He is short like a dwarf with long profuse hair jingling like tiny bells, covering almost his entire body. He likes clean and neat places and also chokho (pure/holy) persons to be his disciples. He selects young boys of any ethnic group who do not have any scratches or cut marks over their body and takes them to his cave house deep in the jungle. There he teaches them all the techniques; he offers them earthworms and the eggs of the ants to eat. After imparting his knowledge, he leaves them unharmed at the same place from where he had earlier lifted them. At the time of parting he presents Dhyangro ( A traditional drum used by Shamans), hairs , etc. to his disciples. While at confinement, Ban-Jhankri keeps the boys hidden from his wife, as it is believed that she devours human beings, if found. Such boys consequently become jhankris who can solemnize ceremonies to ward off evil spirits.

- Jhankri Cult (Shamanism in Gorkha Society)

The Ban Jhankri (forest shaman) is the primordial shaman
and mentor to all shamans.

Here's some more information on shamans which I found interesting.

The Path of the Shaman

The Newari shamans (jhankri) say that "the way of the shaman is the way of love". They seek to bring love, harmony and peace to those who suffer from diseases of a spiritual nature since, like most shamans, they recognize that disease can be caused by other, more physical, mechanisms and leave such cases to medical doctors. As in other cultures, the shaman’s role is recognized by the community, not claimed by the individual: he is a jhankari only because others are healed by him, not because he says he can heal them.

The primary duties of a Kirati shaman (mangpa) are invoking spirits, remembering his own roots in nature, and putting his actions to the service of the good; this is mundum, the path of the shaman. Both groups believe that the Path of the Shaman was brought to the world by Shiva, and that people are called, rather than choose, to be shamans. The chosen person may try to avoid the call because he knows it will mean a difficult life; the jhankri have everyday occupations like everyone else, but must make themselves available for healing work at the "transition times" of the day: at daybreak, or just after sundown.

- Nepalese Shamanism

Through this research it is interesting to note the possibility that bigfoot is some sort of transient non physical intelligent entity like most paranormal creatures. Perhaps even a manifestation of a part of our primal selvs. The culmination of all aboriginal and tribal cultures, the "super shaman" represented in the form of a sentient human-like creature with mastered abilities in the magical arts and a powerful relationship with nature. The diety which calls out to us from the trees in our yearning to thrive butt naked in the woods, speak to spirits, communicate with the forest and flow with all the other creatures on Earth. Truly bigfoot in this sense is the primordial shaman and the greatest shaman of all.

[edit on 3-3-2010 by Crapsghetti]