1. Characteristics of shamans

The word shaman comes from the Siberian Tungus tribe and means “he or she who knows” (ancient-wisdom.com). Shamans are individuals who are in charge of specialized, sacred knowledge which they pass from generation to generation. The purpose of their lives is to understand the sacred world and to maintain a balance between the People and the natural world (The Sacred, 96). Often Native American shamans are individuals who have been exposed to difficult circumstances in their lives. Shamans share a few main characteristics:
1). They are able to deliberately induce altered states of consciousness, called “ecstasy” or “trance”. Shamans only do this when required to perform certain tasks, such as seeing the future or seeing into illnesses. They are able to enter and leave the state of ecstasy at will (Journal of Analytical Psychology). There are a few ways in which shamans enter a state of ecstasy: • Fasting • Drumming • Dancing • Using psychedelic drugs (ancient-wisdom.com)
2.) Shamans are masters of spirits. When they enter an alternative state of mind, shamans can communicate with spirits. The purpose is to control the spirits and to make them perform a specific task for the shaman. Examples of such tasks are healing an individual, or making enemies ill (Journal of Analytical Psychology). Each shaman has their own spirit helpers which they can control (The Sacred, 100).
3.) Shamans are able to go on “shamanic journeys” when they are in a state of trance. The purpose of the journeys is to obtain information about the world. Usually, shamans are believed to take trips to the middle, upper and lower worlds (Journal of Analytical Psychology). These mental journeys allow shamans to obtain different perspectives of the world and to learn about the nature of things. Examples are seeing over large geographical areas, or seeing the movement of the wind (The Sacred, 100).
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References
Beck, P., Walters, A.L., & Francisco, N. (2001). The Sacred Ways of Knowledge, Sources of Life. Tsaile, AZ: Dine College Press
Noll, R. Comment on “Individuation and Shamanism”. Journal of Analytical Psychology, Apr90, Vol. 35 Issue 2, p213-217, 5p. Retrived from http://librpa.dist.maricopa.edu:2097/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rlh&AN=12234118& loginpage=Login.asp&site=ehost-live
Shamanism: Prehistoric Religion. Retrieved on 03/06/10 from http://www.ancient-wisdom.co.uk/shamanism.htm 2. Functions of shamans Shamans play many important roles in their indigenous societies. They are the “mystics, doctors, diagnosticians, hunters, dancers, storytellers, and the people of knowledge” in a tribe (The Sacred, 100). One of the main purposes of obtaining their knowledge is to use it to heal the bodies and souls of their people (101). There are three main healing techniques that shamans use: restoration of lost power, extraction of harmful energies from the body, and soul retrieval (spiritweavers.net). Most of the shamans use a drum or other rhythm instrument, as well as dancing and singing during the healing ceremonies. Two examples of healing ceremonies that shamans perform are the Pima tribe kulanmoda and duajida practices. The main purpose of the rituals is to diagnose an illness. During the process, the shaman blows smoke and sings songs directed to spirit helpers. The purpose is to “breathe up, separate, and draw the sickness out of the patient” (The Sacred, 132). Another function that shamans perform is to connect and work with the souls of the dying (spiritweavers.net). Another very important role that shamans play in indigenous societies is as the society’s memory holders. In a way, shamans are the scholars of their tribes. They are responsible for passing the traditional knowledge they have obtained. They are the link between the past (knowledge they obtained from their ancestors) and the present and future. Just as scholars in western societies, shamans are the intellectuals of their tribes. They are the ones that extract and retrieve the information about the world (Scholars and Shamans: The Questing Self as Archetype). 262 References Beck, P., Walters, A.L., & Francisco, N. (2001). The Sacred Ways of Knowledge, Sources of Life. Tsaile, AZ: Dine College Press Gade, Daniel. Scholars and Shamans: The Questing Self as Archetype. Retrieved from http://librpa.dist.maricopa.edu:2097/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rlh&AN=6539265&l oginpage=Login.asp&site=ehost-live Tighe, S. and Durda, K. The Role of Shamanism in Contemporary Culture. Jan, 1998. Retrieved on 03/06/10 from http://www.spiritweavers.net/role_of_shamanism.htm Becoming a shaman There seem to be two factors that affect a person to become a shaman: inheritance of the powers and hardships, such as illnesses and loneliness. Becoming a shaman is usually not a voluntary act. Individuals who become shamans are forced by some kind of illness, need or vision to seek this alternative way of life (The Sacred, 97). Usually, such people suddenly get very sick or start hearing the voices of spirits talking to them. This may be accompanied by strange dreams that cause the person pain and anxiety. Years may pass before the individual realizes that there is meaning in what the voices say and that he/she is supposed to understand the purpose of such visions. The future shaman may seek help from existing shamans to learn how to “gain control over the forces that are making life miserable for him/her” (The Sacred, 97). Often the person undertakes trips to various isolated locations to connect with the spirits and receive a strong dream or vision that will clarify what his/her future path will be. In the article Personal Mythology of a Shamanic Healer, Marilyn Terhune-Young describes the experience that made a Native American woman of Mandan and Shawnee descent to become a shaman. The woman’s name is Journeyhawk. According to her, her shamanic powers were inherited from her grandmother who was also a medicine woman. After having a few visions, Journeyhawk was sent into the wilderness for 1 year to develop her medicine powers in isolation. There, images started appearing to her. The turning point in her life was when she was visited by a spirit who told her exactly what to do. She was instructed to go and start a life in the desert where there were many things she would learn. She moved to Arizona and started practicing shamanism (Personal Mythology of a Shamanic Healer). Because all the hardships shamans go through, they are often called “the wounded healers” (shamanscave.com). They don’t just choose to follow a shamanic path- they are driven, even forced to it. Not everyone can become a shaman, even after going through an excessive learning course. 353 References Beck, P., Walters, A.L., & Francisco, N. (2001). The Sacred Ways of Knowledge, Sources of Life. Tsaile, AZ: Dine College Press Terhune-Young, M. The Personal Mythology of a Shamanic Healer. Summer2003, Vol. 26 Issue 1, p34-39, 6p, 2 bw. Retrived from http://librpa.dist.maricopa.edu:2097/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rlh&AN=11627863& loginpage=Login.asp&site=ehost-live Contemporary Shamanism. Retrieved from on 03/08/10 from http://www.shamanscave.com/contemporary_shamanism

Are shamans allowed to perform healing ceremonies for non-indigenous people? Shamanic healing practices are performed for both indigenous and non-indigenous people. Even though originally Indian shamans helped only people from their tribe, they do not limit their patients any more. Claus Chee Sony of Tsaile shares that he often helps the physicians at several United States Health centers to assist Western medicine with his indigenous knowledge. He says that “this is how he spends his life and makes his living-by helping other people” (The Sacred, 112). Another example was one of the most famous indigenous shamans – Essie Parrish. She was a Pomo shaman that was known for healing many people regardless of their cultural backgrounds. She explained that she received a vision that allowed her to practice and apply her knowledge to both non-Indians and Indians. She spent her life traveling to different states upon requests from different people. The two examples show that although Indian shamans are often isolated from the Western world, they may perform healing ceremonies for people of non-indigenous origins. 164 References
Beck, P., Walters, A.L., & Francisco, N. (2001). The Sacred Ways of Knowledge, Sources of Life. Tsaile, AZ: Dine College Press
Harner, Michael. The Way of the Shaman, A Guide to Power and Healing. New York, NY: Bantam Books