Shamanism's Role in the Indengenous Tribe

Shamanism is the belief by societies where there is one person who has ties to the spiritual world. Shaman were religious leaders who connected the real world with the spiritual world through altered states of consciousness. In this altered state they would seek spirits they could bring into the physical world for healing, prophecies, or to help the tribe in some way. Their functions were to be healers, intermediaries, protecters of the community from sorcery, guides, diviners, and ceremonies of religious origins.

• As a healer, Shaman were sought to heal sickness.
• Shaman were intermediaries given the ability to connect to the spiritual world. They were able to leave the physical world to retrieve lost souls and lead them to the other side.
• As Shaman were protectors, they were able to protect their community from sorcery.
• Shaman were diviners who predicted the future.
• *Shaman were sorcerers who could transform into animals to work against enemies.

Shamanism has been of great interest in many disciplines. These include anthropology, archeology, religion, and psychology. Many books have been written on the topic. The word Shaman, to some, means ‘to know’. Other scholars argue it means ‘holy figure. The 16th century Christian settlers the title meant ‘devil’ because the indigenous spiritual beliefs and practices were different from Christianity's.

Sometimes the Shaman would be versed in all of their functions while some communities had multiple Shaman that specialize in a specific function or two. Shaman was given respect. The community stood behind them. Shamanism’s ideology is three-way: Altering consciousness is possible, the tribe respects the altered state, and practitioners of altered consciousness were careful about who learned this ability.

Shaman was known as the ones who knew. They were women, men, and children, sometimes as young as middle school. You would find Shamans in the Indigenous tribes, American Indians, and Australian Aborigines. They stuck with their cultural traditions into modern days. Shamanism started in the hunt-and-gather societies then moved into the agricultural societies. Shaman believed the world was filled with many different spirits that were both good and bad.

Oxford English Dictionary describes a shaman as a person regarded as having access to, and influence with benevolent and malevolent spirits. both of which enters the shaman’s body during the ritual, divination, and healing. There are many different forms of shamanism in the world but all share common beliefs.

• Spirits exist and have influence on the individual and their society.
• The shaman talks to the spirits.
• Both benevolent and malevolent spirits exist.
• The shaman can heal sicknesses caused by malevolent spirits.

Shamanism believes that invisible spirits affect the lives of each person. The purpose and cause of sickness and disease is found in the spiritual realm, perpetrated by the malevolent. The shaman can use spiritual or real-world techniques to heal. An example of the spiritual technique would be the shaman entering the body of their patient to confront the malevolent spirit and banish them from the body.

• Shaman use trance like states to bring visionary quests.
• The shaman’s spirit can leave his body and transcend the spirit word on a quest for answers.
• Animal spirits are used as spirit guides, omens, and tidings of good or bad.

See my online store to view, learn, and purchase rocks like these. www.bonesoftheearth.net