Overview

The word “Shaman” comes from the Tungus people of Siberia (šaman), meaning “one who knows.” Anthropologists borrowed it to describe a similar phenomenon found globally: a spiritual specialist who enters a trance to travel to other worlds. Unlike a priest (who leads rituals for the community), a shaman is a lonely traveler who confronts spirits directly.

Core Idea

The core idea is mediation. The universe is divided into three levels: the Sky (gods), the Earth (humans), and the Underworld (spirits/dead). The shaman is the only one who can travel between these zones. They are the bridge. They fly up to the sky to retrieve a lost soul or dive into the underworld to fight a disease spirit.

Formal Definition

A technique of ecstasy (Mircea Eliade) used to communicate with spirits. It typically involves:

  1. Call: The shaman is “chosen” by spirits (often through a severe illness or dream).
  2. Trance: Induced by drumming, dancing, fasting, or hallucinogens (entheogens).
  3. Flight: The soul leaves the body.
  4. Healing: Returning with a cure or answer.

Intuition

Imagine a village where someone falls sick. The doctor doesn’t give a pill; they say, “Your soul has been stolen by a demon.” The shaman puts on a costume (feathers, antlers), beats a drum until they collapse, and in their mind, they are flying on the back of an eagle to the spirit cave to negotiate for your soul. When they wake up, you are healed. It is spiritual warfare.

Examples

  • Siberian Shamans: The classic type. They use drums as “horses” to ride into the spirit world.
  • Amazonian Curanderos: Use Ayahuasca (a potent psychedelic brew) to enter the spirit world and gain knowledge from plant spirits.
  • Korean Mudang: Female shamans who perform kut rituals to appease ancestors and bring good fortune.

Common Misconceptions

  • It’s “New Age”: Modern “neoshamanism” (drum circles, crystal healing) is often a watered-down, commercialized version of indigenous practices. Traditional shamanism is often terrifying, dangerous, and physically exhausting.
  • They are “crazy”: While they hear voices and see visions, shamans are not schizophrenic. They can control their trance. They turn “madness” into a socially useful skill.
  • Animism: The worldview that makes shamanism possible—everything is alive and has a spirit.
  • Psychopomp: A guide of souls (like Charon or Hermes). The shaman acts as a psychopomp for the living and the dead.
  • Wounded Healer: The idea that you can only heal others if you have healed yourself. The shaman’s initiation is often a near-death experience.

Applications

  • Medical Anthropology: Understanding that for many cultures, healing is spiritual, not just biological. A hospital might need to allow a shaman to visit a patient to ensure “holistic” recovery.
  • Psychotherapy: Many shamanic techniques (visualization, drumming) are being integrated into trauma therapy.

Criticism / Limitations

  • Cultural Appropriation: Westerners taking Ayahuasca or claiming to be “shamans” without the cultural context or training is a major ethical issue.
  • Romanticization: We shouldn’t ignore that shamans can also use their power for “sorcery” (harming enemies), not just healing.

Further Reading

  • Eliade, Mircea. Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy. 1951. (The classic text).
  • Harner, Michael. The Way of the Shaman. 1980.
  • Vitebsky, Piers. The Shaman. 1995.