Summoning the spirits of their ancestors: Shamans from around the world gather in Siberia for ceremony timed to coincide with cosmic cycles

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These stunning images show shamans from around the world performing a number of dramatic rituals in a remote part of the Siberian mountains. 

Spiritual leaders from different corners of the globe gathered for the 'Call of 13 Shamans', a four-day festival held near the village of Khorum-Dag in the Tyva Republic.

It is the centre point of the Asian continent and an area that is said to have high spiritual 'charge'. The timing of the event had been chosen to match natural cosmic cycles.

The group of shamans, who travelled from countries including Mexico, Mongolia, Greenland, Russia and Korea, began by trekking to isolated locations for three days of meditation before performing a number of ceremonies - many of which originated in prehistory.

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A shaman performs a ritual next to a fire in a remote part of the Siberian mountains.  It's part of the festival 'Call of 13 Shamans' held near the village of Khorum-Dag in Tyva Republic, the geographic centre of the Asian continent

Some of the rituals and appearances are similar to those of Native Americans. DNA evidence suggests that the indigenous American population originated from the Siberian mountains, before leaving Russia and passing over the frozen Bering Strait around 14,000 years ago 

They then slaughtered animals as a sacrifice before throat-singing, dancing and playing drums in different areas of the mountainous region. 

Photographer Alexander Nikolsky, who captured the incredible event, told The Siberian Times: 'We came to the site the day before all the shamans arrived. The locals were not very happy about this, because Khorum-Dag mountain is a sacred place and people should not disturb the spirits. As if to confirm their words, a great storm erupted on the first night. 

Shaman Irina Daryina from Belarus said: 'Tyva is a special land, with very powerful mountains and many ancient burial mounds'.

According to the festival's website: 'Under the auspices of Father Sky and Mother Earth, the strongest shamans from Russia, CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) and abroad, their followers and all the participants of the festival will make shamanic mysteries and create joint good wishes to open a White Road to the world of harmony for all the earth.

They also aim to: 'Subside feud and conflicts between nations and peoples, to do everything possible for the disappearance of the world’s orphanhood and poverty and so that our future would be bright and calm.' 

Their practices and appearances are similar to Native Americans, who are believed to have originated from Siberia.

A study of the mutations indicated a lineage shift between 13,000 and 14,000 years ago - when people are thought to have walked across the frozen Bering Strait from Russia to America.

This roughly coincides with the period when humans from Siberia are thought to have crossed what is now the Bering strait and entered America. 

Among the people who may have emerged from the Altai region are the predecessors of the first Native Americans. 

The practitioners often enter a trance-like state during the rituals while performing divination or healing. Many of the ceremonies originated in prehistory 

The shamans began the sacred festival by going to different locations in the mountains for three days of meditation and spiritual ceremonies

The shamans bang drums together as they walk around a campfire in southeastern Siberia. The area is believed to have been chosen because it's spiritually 'charged'

A member of the group throws what appears to be seeds into the air during one of the ceremonies while wearing colourful robes

When the photographer arrived, a group of locals brought out a cow to slaughter so they could feed them. He was not allowed to capture the aftermath  

They tied the animal's nose and mouth with a rope before killing it in a remote part of the Siberian mountains

One of the shamans bangs a drum with the mountains in the background. They, along with the disciples they brought to the festival, use different forms of percussion while they are meditating 

One of the shamans is Hivshu, an authentic storyteller and drum singer. He comes from a line of Inuit shamans in Greenland and his name means 'Voice of the Arctic'

He is one of 13 called to the international festival in the remote part of the Siberian mountains, and his saying is: 'All is life. Life is all'

In one of the more intimate rituals, one of the shamans places his hand around his counterpart and raises a bowl to his mouth

He then  rests his head on his left hand and closes his eyes while the pair continue embracing 

Three of the shamans, dressed in robes and elegant dresses, dance around the field while holding drums 

Three of the men huddle together while kneeling close to the ground. The baron landscape of Siberia stretches as far as the eye can see in the background