Dominik Schröder (4 September 1910 – 25 December 1974) was anethnologist whose researches were focused mainly in the Moungor (Tu) people of Northwest China. He was born in Eiweiler, in theNohfelden municipality of theSaarland. He worked as amissionary in China from 1938 to 1949. He obtained an MA fromFujen University inBeijing in 1945.
He was active in the Anthropos-Institut inFribourg, and undertook research on theKham people, and the oral poetry of theMonguor people (蒙古尔). He translated the chapter onFolklore from theXīkāng Tújīng (西康圖經:1934), a work by the Chinese scholar Rén Nǎiqiáng (任乃強) who pioneered studies on theGesar epic. From 1946 to 1949 he resided among theHuzhu Monguor people. He returned to Europe in 1949 to pursue his studies in anthropology at bothFribourg andFrankfurt, and obtained a doctorate in 1951. His inaugural dissertation, "Zur Religion der Tujen des Sininggebietes (Kukunor)," published in 1953[1] was an important addition to a little-known field of ethnology.[2]
He was appointed professor ofethnology atNanzan University inNagoya in 1960, a position he held until 1969. While in Japan, he made several trips toTaiwan to conduct fieldwork among the shamanizing ‘poringao’ women of the aboriginalPuyuma people. His research notes were edited and published posthumously by Anton Quack.[3]
His particular area of research interest was the phenomenon ofshamanism among the peoples of East Asia. He collected invaluable materials on theGesar epic as conserved among the Monguor.[4]
'Zur Religion derTuen desSininggebietes (KuKunor)', inAnthropos: Internationale Zeitschrift für Völker- und Sprachenkunde, Sonderdruck, Band 47, 1952; Paulusdruckerei, Freiburg in der Schweiz.
'Zur Struktur des Schamanismus,' inAnthropos, Vol. 50, 1955, pp. 849–881.
Aus der Volksdichtung der Monguor. I. Teil: Das weiße Glücksschaf (Mythen, Märchen, Lieder), Asiatische Forschungen, Band 6, Wiesbaden, Otto Harrassowitz 1959.
Aus der Volksdichtung der Monguor. 2. Teil: In den Tagen der Urzeit. (Ein Mythus vom Licht und vom Leben), Aufgenommen und übersetzt von Dominik Schröder. Hrsg. Walther Heissig, Asiatische Forschungen, Band 31. Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1970.
With Anton Quack, 'Kopfjagdriten der Puyuma von Katipol (Taiwan) : eine Textdokumentation,' in Collectanea Instituti Anthropos; Bd. 11, St. Augustin : Anthropos-Institut : Haus Volker und Kulturen, 1979
Anton Quack,Priesterinnen, Heilerinnen, Schamainnen? Die Poringao der Puyuma von Katipol (Taiwan= dargestellt und analysiert nach Aufzeichnungen aus dem Nachless von D. Schröder, Dietrich Reimer Verlag, Berlin 1985 (Collectanea Instituti Anthropos 32)
^P.Dr.Dominik Schröder “Zur Religion der Tujen des Sininggebietes (Kukunor),” Anthropos, 47/48 (1952/53).
^Hartmut Walravens (hrsg.),Wilhelm Alexander Unkrig, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2003 p.53
^Anton Quack Priesterinnen, Heilerinnen, Schamainnen? Die Poringao der Puyuma von Katipol (Taiwan), dargestellt und analysiert nach Aufzeichnungen aus dem Nachless von D. Schröder, Dietrich Reimer Verlag, Berlin 1985 (Collectanea Instituti Anthropos 32)
