The Nomads' Labyrinth

Publisher Marketing: Part discourse, part meditation, The Nomads' Labyrinth maps out an epic quest of ideas, theories, and personal reflection in a journey of philosophical investigation seeking the meaning of the shamanic drum. Author Larry Gomez's ambitious book offers a unique perspective on our understanding of both ancient traditions and contemporary scholarship, as he explores current theories on the shamanic drum and shamanism in light of postmodern philosophy. Carefully annotated and meticulously researched, Gomez employs a highly interdisciplinary approach that takes the reader on a path that ranges from philosophy to paleontology, from psychology to musicology, and from technology to ecology. Starting with a consideration of the nomadic reindeer herders of Siberia, and advancing to reassess Mircea Eliade's Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy, this revelatory study moves past New Age cliches and Universalist syncretism to consider the shamanic tradition and the role of the shamanic drum as a way of accessing a true and enduring knowledge of the world. The Nomads' Labyrinth is organized in a nonlinear structure, which allows it to function as a map, subject to several possible readings. Divided into four parts with each part exploring a certain path of inquiry, the parts can be read in any order, either individually or as a whole, with cross-referenced chapters creating alternative routes through the book. The Nomads' Labyrinth is a refreshing, at times startling, new book that will open a dialogue of nomadic thought and frame the meaning of nomadism in light of the shamanic drum and assess the relevance of the shaman as mediator between society and environment. With growing and renewed interest in shamanism and earth-based religions, The Nomads' Labyrinth is an important new contribution to this field of interest that seeks to fill a gap in understanding and to provide a new way of thinking about shamanism and the shamanic drum in the 21st century.