anthropology assignment

Bottom of Form

According the Webster’s Dictionary Shaman is defined as “a person who acts as intermediary between the natural and supernatural worlds, using magic to cure illness, foretell the future, control spiritual forces, etc.” Shamans possess many important characteristics that contribute to the health and wellbeing of their communities and tribes. Of these many characteristics, their healing, teaching, and spiritual connection abilities are the most important in terms of health. Without shamans completing these three tasks their tribes would not be as strong or healthy.

One of the most important strengthens of Shamans are their unique ability to heal. Through creating remedies, treatment, and medication shamanism has been known to cure and sooth in exclusive ways. Although their role is very similar to what doctors do in our culture, they are very different. Shamanism requires natural remedies. These remedies keep many of the tribal and community members healthy and in a good wellbeing. Having any form of a healing system in communities is pivotal to the health of members. In the “Shamans in a Hmong American Community” article we learn that their data “suggests persistence of the need for the spiritual healing provided by the shamans” (2004).  It would be nearly impossible for a community to survive without a healer.   

Shamans and shamanism could definitely be utilized in contemporary society. I believe this because shamans have a different approach than doctors. Where doctors rely heavily on research and science, shamanism relies more on history, spiritual healings, and natural remedies. Shamanism also relies more on underlying issues, such as physiological issues, which creates different diagnostics and remedies for a community. They would make a great addition to our medical system because their mindset and beliefs also differ from doctors. Shamanism can contribute to our health because when we have more than one group of people working on the same issue with different tools and a different way of thinking we will get different results. Doctors and shamans could also learn from each other. Due to their differences, this would allow both groups to expand their knowledge. I believe that we as a society could find more cures. Patients, those who are sick, ill, and injured, are very different. Each individual reacts and takes differently to various treatments. What a doctor may be able to do for one patient to cure him/her may not work for another. This is another reason why shamanism can be used in contemporary society.

Shamans are very knowledgeable and educated in terms of traditions of their tribes. Shamans are often viewed as the backbone to many cultures because they are able to carry on customs, behaviors, and beliefs within a tribe. Many shamans pass down their knowledge of their tribes throughout their community through ceremonies. This is strength because shamans keep the original culture living regardless of outside influences. Without the culture being passed on the communities’ wellbeing would not be what it is. Since Shamans are so knowledgeable, they make for successful teachers. For example, in one of the articles assigned to read we learned about a girl who knew almost everything about the child birth process. This situation stuck out to me mainly because I am a twenty year-old woman and I would have no idea how to assist another woman while giving child birth. In my community our healers do not really pass down their knowledge, unless that is their job. Passing on knowledge betters individuals, which strengthens the community as a whole.

Many communities and tribes strive off of a connection with the spiritual world. The shamans are known to be the central part of religion through their strong connection with the spiritual world, proving another reason for their importance in the community. In some cultures Shamans/ Healers are the only ones who can communicate with the spiritual world. This is because the spirits are needed to assist them with their healings. An example of this connection can be seen through Maria Sabrina. She was able to communicate with the spiritual world through hallucinogenic mushrooms.  In another article it was mentioned how Shamans performed a healing through “covering their faces with a black cloth and going into a trance so that they could communicate with the spirit world.” (2004) Communicating with the spiritual world played a huge role in the Shamans way of work. As we learned in one of our lectures, shamans are known as the guardians of the spiritual equilibrium of his/her group, we also learned how they are “a healer with the ability to direct supernatural forces or powers and communicate with supernatural world.” The shamans keep hope alive in the community through their communication with the spiritual world. This plays a very important role within their population; religion gives many people a sense of meaning and importance.

Shamans’ ability to properly heal, teach, and connect with the spiritual world hold their tribes together. Shamans have proven to be the rock of the community through keeping them healthy. Shamans would also be a great addition to our contemporary world through giving the medical system a brand new outlook. Shamans’ importance does not stop after these three characteristics, their importance to their communities is irreplaceable.