Welcome to the Tuesday Coffee Hour here on Street Prophets. This is an open thread where we can hang out and talk about what’s going on in our worlds. Today I thought we’d start by talking about shamans.
There is no agreed upon definition of a shaman, and within anthropology there is some controversy over the use of the word. Some anthropologists feel that the term shaman should be restricted to the Siberian cultures, while others use it in a more general sense. Among the Tungus people of Siberia, the concept of the shaman refers to a kind of healer who uses a trance state to communicate with spirit helpers.
In general, a shaman is a person who has acquired an ability to communicate with the spirit world. The ability is acquired through mystical experience and/or formal training with another shaman. Furthermore, while this ability may be initially self-proclaimed, it must be recognized by others in the society. Following this definition, we find that shamans are found in all societies.
Shamans often do much of their work in a trance. In the trance state, they can communicate with the spirits. This trance state can be achieved in a number of different ways, including the use of hallucinogenic substances.
One of the important instruments used by many shamans, such as the 1908 Russian shaman shown above, is the drum. Drumming helps induce the trance state.
Shamans are often involved in healing: they travel into the spirit world to diagnosis the cause of illness and to find cures for it. Shamans often have knowledge of herbal healing as well as body manipulation (such as massage).
One concern for many people is being able to see or understand the future. In many societies, shamans are associated with astrology, tarot cards, and other forms of divination.
In hunting societies, the shaman was important in being able to locate game and/or to call game in to the hunters.
In many societies, shamans will go into a trance state to help people locate lost items.
Without going into a trance, I think I see some people out there who are willing to let us know what’s happening. So, what are you thinking about? What do you think about the future? And, most important, what’s for dinner?