Shaman

Native Americans and Shamanism

Westerners often wrongly use the word shaman interchangeably with “medicine man”, whose roles within a tribe were different. Many Native Americans take exception to the word shaman, as it is a Western term not used by the tribes, who instead use words from their native language to describe their spiritual leaders. Although shamanism is a set of spiritual practices common to many Native American tribes, it should not be considered solely a Native American religion.

Many Native Americans believe that to use these practices—which are thousands of years old—one must be born and raised in the tradition; it is not something that can be appropriated or learned from a book. These spiritual teachings are tied to the long history of a tribe and passed down by their ancestors. As such, they should be considered sacred—both a privilege and a responsibility.

Predisposed Calling

Shamans are thought to possess certain psychic, emotional, or physical characteristics that predispose them to their vocation or that demonstrate that they have the potential for such work. Like many spiritual leaders in other traditions, shamans typically receive a “calling,” which often comes to them by means of a dream, sign, or crisis. For the shaman, it is a summons that is difficult to resist and is fraught with challenge.

Shamans are thought to be selected against their will by otherworld spirits who take them unawares. After they are called, many shamans go through periods of initiation or transformation, which are often physically and psychologically arduous and involve entering into trances. During these initiations, neophyte shamans may be required to fast, endure hardship, or curse or combat an enemy in order to make contact with the spiritual world. In some cases, initiation is marked by the onset of an illness or a near-death experience. To survive and return from such an ecstatic journey or trance experience was to be remade as a shaman, perhaps accompanied by a new talent for foresight and healing.

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