ANTH 222 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Ann Lee, Zoomorphism, Gautama Buddha
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Lecture 4.1
Religious Specialists
● Intermediaries between individual or community and the divine
● All religions have specialists’ but
● They are more important in some religions than in others
● The more complex a society; the more likely it is to have religions specialists.
Religious Specialists vs. Magicians
● Some attributes that define religious specialists to one category or another
○ Part-time vs. Full-time specialization
○ Regular rituals vs specific rituals as needed
○ Method of communication with the supernatural
○ Use of personal vs. impersonal supernatural
Magicians vs. Priests/Shamans
SUPERNATURAL
Impersonal: forces or
energies
Personal: spirits, gods, or
ghosts
WE CALL THIS
magic
Religion
PRACTITIONER
magician
Priest or Shaman
Shaman:
- Part-time religious figure who mediates between people and supernatural beings and
forces and whose position is based on direct relationship with the supernatural.
- Evenk
- Medicine man
- Mediates between human world and spirit world
● Defining feature of shaman:
○ Communicates with the spirit world through “soul journey” or “spirit flight”
○ In a trance state, experiences visions in which they believe communicates
directly with the spirit world
○ Shaman gets power directly from the spirits
○ Requires a certain amount of charisma, forcefulness or personality, becuase their
power is personal
- Shamanism and Gender
- Shamans may be male or female, depending on the culture
- As mediators, shamans can more easily shift from one gender role to the other,
or embody elements of both
- Shamans are sometimes said to be able to embody multiple souls
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The Life-Pattern of the Shaman: Birth and Childhood
● Birth - sometimes characterized by special signs:
○ Breech presentation
○ Caul (amniotic sac)
○ Birth marks or other distinguishing signs
● Childhood - may be marked by difference:
○ Frequent illnesses
○ Child seems dreamy, reports contact with spirits
● Can also be ordinary and unremarkable
CRISIS
CURE
RESISTANCE
Usually in adolescence or
young adulthood
Cured by another shaman
Shaman-to-be often resists
the call from the spirits
Health crisis or incurable
illness
This shaman tells the
patient that recovery will
require him/her to become
a shaman
Acceptance
Nearly dies
How Do Shamans Heal?
● Illness usually seen as caused by spirits or spiritual factors:
○ Soul loss or damage
○ Intrusion of foreign spirit matter into body
○ Loss of guardian spirits
○ Little distraction made between physical and psychological illness
○ Illness viewed holistically
● Shamans heal through ritual
○ Divination
○ Symbolic action
○ Drumming, music, chantine, dance
○ Trance
○ Spirit possession
○ Herbs
The Shaman’s Apprenticeship
● New shaman enter period of study and apprenticeship with more experienced healer
● Must learn cultural healing conventions, including
○ Spirit names and characteristics
○ Use of shamanic tools
○ Divination
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com