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The Anthropology of Religion
The Anthropology of Religion
A shaman is a religious specialist that receives his or her power directly from the spiritual world.
He or she acquires status and abilities (such as healing) through several ways:
Personal communication with the supernatural during trances.
Altered states of consciousness.
The Anthropology of Religion
The term shaman has been used in many different ways by different people.
The actual term, however, comes from the Tungus language of Central Siberia.
It refers to the religious specialists who use handheld drums and spirit helpers to help the members of their community.
The Anthropology of Religion
Image: http://intercontinentalcry.org
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The Anthropology of Religion
Shamans help members of their community by:
Healing the sick
Divining the future
Ensuring success in the hunt
For people who understand shamanism in a broader way, it is characterized by:
Direct contact and communication with the supernatural through trance
The use of spirit helpers
A socially recognized social position for the shaman.
The Anthropology of Religion
Shamans are usually part-time independent contractors.
Their authority lies in their charisma and ability to heal.
Successful shamans amass a significant degree of social authority.
A shaman, however, is often regarded with some suspicion by members of his or her community.
The Anthropology of Religion
Image: http://www.macalester.edu
The Anthropology of Religion
Shamans receive their power and authority directly from a supernatural entity (and are often chosen by spirits to become a shaman).
The call may come in a dream or trance, or happen during the recovery of an illness.
In some societies, a person may deliberately seek a call by inducing an altered state of consciousness.
Usually, he or she does not seek a call because being it is a difficult, demanding, and marginalizing role.
Shamans have been called “wounded healers.”
The Anthropology of Religion
The shaman initiation often includes the ideas that the spirits (1) eat, (2) dismember, (3) or kill the person before the person can be reborn as a shaman.
The spirits test the initiate--throughout this ordeal the symbolism of (1) death, (2) transformation, (3) and rebirth are very common.
The Anthropology of Religion
Video:
"Tatiana Explains the Mushrooms"
The Anthropology of Religion
The success of a shaman lies not in her ability to perform rituals, but to establish contact and control over the supernatural.
The (1) control of spirit helpers and (2) the ability to enter altered states of consciousness are central to the role of a shaman.
These spirits help the shaman fight hostile spirits and also help the shaman diagnose and treat illnesses.
The shaman may be called to recapture a person’s lost soul by means of a mystical flight.
Video:
"An Impression of Ayahuasca Effects"
The Anthropology of Religion
The shamanic ritual may be a simple affair or a major public ritual.
A shaman may use various, almost theatrical, techniques like (1) drumming, (2) singing, (3) dancing, (4) elaborate costumes, (5) and sleight of hand.
The Anthropology of Religion
Axis Mundi
Image: http://dreamingconex.us
The Anthropology of Religion
Shamans move between the realms of the natural and supernatural.
This movement is often related to a worldview that sees humans living in a middle zone between an upper and lower world.
These three worlds are seen as linked by a central vertical axis, often referred to as an Axis Mundi, or Axis of the World.
The Anthropology of Religion
A shaman is able to travel between these worlds, usually along the central axis.
In shamanic rituals, a ladder, pole, or tree is often used to represent the axis.
The Anthropology of Religion
Shamans of Central Siberia use hand-held drums and spirit helpers (or animal helpers) to help members of their community.
Their job is to dispel a disease causing spirit or retrieve a lost soul.
The Anthropology of Religion
Image: http://donsmaps.com
The Anthropology of Religion
Siberian shamans perform rituals to heal the sick, divine the future, and ensure success in the hunt.
It is the shaman’s role, while in an altered state of consciousness, to communicate with various spirits.
These spirits give the shaman particular qualities or powers.
Image: http://holeinthedonut.com
The Anthropology of Religion
The Anthropology of Religion
Animal spirits must be appeased with human flesh and blood to supply humans with food.
This can be a cause of sickness and death, so shamans must minimize human sickness while maximizing the number of animals that will be successfully hunted.
Video:
"Ancient Mysticism: Spirits talk to shamans in Russia's Far East”
The Anthropology of Religion
The Anthropology of Religion
Shamans also exist in many industrial societies.
In Korea, shamans used to be mostly men and had considerable political influence.
Overtime, shamanism moved from a prominent, public institution to being a more private, secretive activity.
Today, most shamans are women (providing them with a degree of income and influence over the community).
The Anthropology of Religion
Shamanism is now being recognized as an important part of Korean culture.
Shamans are chosen by the spirits.
Women who have experienced some type of psychological stress in their lives are especially vulnerable.
The society believes that spirits tend toward individuals whose soul has already been fractured, and therefore been made vulnerable.
The Anthropology of Religion
An individual is often ill with possession sickness until she accepts the call of the spirits.
As previously mentioned, many individuals chosen by the spirits are reluctant to become shamans.
Finally, the woman will apprentice herself to an experienced shaman who eventually performs an initiation ritual.
The Anthropology of Religion
Image: http://culturepotion.blogspot.com
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The Anthropology of Religion
Korean shamans are called to perform shamanic rituals for several reasons.
For instance, (1) they may guide the dead to the otherworld, or (2) take the role of the deceased who is then able to communicate with the family.
Shamanic rituals are also performed to cure illnesses, for divination, and to ensure the good fortune of the family and the community.
The Anthropology of Religion
The last several decades have seen a growing interest in shamanism, primarily in the U.S. and Europe.
This has lead to the idea and practice of neoshamanism, which draws upon some of the concepts and practices of traditional shamanism, but is usually more about self-help.
Neoshamanism has been criticized for presenting shamanic beliefs and practices out of their cultural context.
The Anthropology of Religion
A single practitioner may choose bits and pieces from many different cultures.
Harsher criticisms accuse neoshamanism of…
Cultural imperialism
Neocolonial attitudes
Perpetuating racist stereotypes of indigenous people.
The Anthropology of Religion
Video:
"Traditional vs neo Shamanism. Whats the Difference?”
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