Gilgit-Baltistan: Shamanic Origins & The Indigenous Worldview | Daniyal Akbar Ft. Anayat Baig

This podcast explores the indigenous worldview of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, with a primary focus on the shamanic origins of the region and how these ancient ways of knowing continue to shape culture, identity, ecology, and mental wellbeing today. We discuss how early shamanic traditions — rooted in land, mountains, fire, dreams, healing, and altered states of consciousness — formed the philosophical foundation of Gilgit-Baltistan long before organised religions arrived. Rather than disappearing, these worldviews layered themselves into later religious and cultural practices, surviving as folk wisdom, ritual memory, language, and collective psychology. The conversation examines: • Shamanism as an indigenous system of knowledge • The role of landscape in shaping consciousness • Healing, trance, and folk psychology • Syncretism with Buddhism, Bon, and Islam • Why these worldviews remain relevant for ecology, mental health, and identity today This podcast is part of a broader effort to reclaim indigenous knowledge systems and understand their relevance in a modern world facing ecological and psychological crises. For more understanding on this you may refer to the work of Aziz Ali Dad. 🎙️ Podcast production by Daniyal Akbar. This episode is uploaded with his permission. You can find more of his work at ‪@daniyal_akbar‬ #GilgitBaltistan #Shamanism #MountainCultures #EcologyAndMentalHealth #FolkWisdom #CulturalMemory #SouthAsianAnthropology #DecolonialKnowledge #LandAndIdentity