The term, shaman, comes to us by way of the Russian language, from the Siberian Tungus, "Saman", and refers to the religious phenomenon of "sacred" medicine men who are found in all primitive societies except those in sub Sahara Africa. ( Primitive is used in its strict sense, meaning the first of its kind, and has no connection with backwards, uncivilized or savage.) The word originated in 1698, when christian anthropologists studying the culture of Siberia considered "shame" to be an appropriately similar pronunciation for this non christian religion. The pronunciation "shame-an" persists in "scientific" jargon to this day, despite the fact that there is no long "a" in the Russian language; and in its nativeculture the word is pronounced "Sah-mun".As a further insult to this religious form, social scientists spell Shaman without a capital S, "shaman".
Shaman, is, however, a proper noun and should be spelled Shaman.
As for its pronunciation, all the native American medicine men I have met pronounce the word, Shah-men.
Although Shaman are
"technically" only found in central and arctic Asia, where they are
called Shaman, the phenomenon, "Shamanism", is found throughout Asia,
the Pacific and the indigenous peoples of North American. Native
societies of South America retain some of the shamanistic features, but
the phenomena are significantly different. There are as many variations
of Shamanism as there are variations of christianity. Shamanism in
southern Asia is as different in outward form from that of Siberia as
Roman catholicism is from Greek or Russian Orthodoxcatholicism; while
Shamanism among the peoples of Oceania differs as much in form from the
Siberian practice as Protestants differ in form from Roman Catholics.
The Eskimo Shaman, of course, is not called Shaman, but Angakot, and
his practices are as markedly different from his brothers across the
Bearing Straits as they are from the practices in lower North America.
And all these practices are quite different from the Nordic, (Shaman)
Volva, who existed until 200 years ago. Thus, "Shaman" is not a
"universal order", but rather, a general religious phenomenon, which
differs in its outward forms, but retains certain common (key) elements
which make it the same wherever it is found. Like Hinduism, which was
never a religion, but the name the British gave to all the non Islamic
religions of India, Shaman is accepted by most Native Americans as a
term that best describes and represents their religiousph......
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When pop star Avril Lavigne and the late Pope John Paul II visited Indonesia, a Javanese mystic was called in to work his magic and ensure a rain-free event. INDONESIAN mystic Haryobintoro Tjakra enters a small hut and kneels before the tools of his trade: incense, a bowl of dirt, two black umbrellas and a ceramic burner on which he piles chunks of wood. Bowing his head, he lights the burner, sending fragrant fumes swirling up to the hut’s exhaust fan, and prays in Javanese: the rain must stayaw...'Voodoo-cursed' woman is jailed
A woman who produced human fingers in court in a bid to explain her involvement in a £925,000 tax credit fraud has been jailed for five years. Remi Fakorede, 46, from Hackney, east London, told Snaresbrook Crown Court, she had been forced into crime by a voodoo curse on her and her family. Fakorede claimed the same voodoo curse caused the fingers belonging to one of her six children to fall off. She was convicted of one count of fraud between 1 August 2002 and 26 June 2007. Her daughter, Denise ...Voodoo History
Voodoo is a religion that originated in Africa
and was brought to Haiti by slaves, where it is still widely practiced by most
inhabitants. Most aspects of this religion are positive and it affects all
aspects of the people's lives, such as morality, economics, safety,
relationships and health.There is a revered God, an assortment of
spirits, and many rituals. Worshippers communicate with their God through the "loa"
or spirits. This relationshiop is based on trust and mutu...'Spy' used voodoo to shield general from Taliban
A british army translator accused of spying for Iran was a voodoo priest who used black magic to protect the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan from the Taliban, a court heard. Iranian-born Daniel James, 45, who was the personal interpreter to General David Richards, told the Old Bailey that he used pictures, dust, candles and seashells to cast spells protect his boss. He also said he did Tarot card readings for other personnel at the Allied HQ in Kabul to predict the future. James is alleg...Voodoo Day celebrated in Benin
Thousands of followers have gathered in Benin in the seaside town of Ouidah to celebrate National Voodoo Day. They met at a beach called the point of no return, where slaves left on ships for the Americas centuries ago, taking their religion with them. Followers of the once-banned religion have been dancing, drumming, praying as animals are slaughtered in ceremonies. Of Benin's seven million citizens, 65% believe in Voodoo. The day has been a national holiday for a decade. "There islitt...Rainmaker ritual helps date ancient droughts
Charred remains of ancient rainmaking fires are helping to date droughts in Iron Age Africa to within 20 years. After a several years of little or no rainfall, the Bantu people near modern-day Zimbabwe would send a rainmaker tonearby hills. "They"d burn fires with dark smoke to call black rain clouds from the mountains," says Thomas Huffman at theUniversity of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. . Villagers were also made to burn grain bins if they had planted "unlucky" foreign seed...The mystical experience of shamanism
When michael harner, an American professor of anthropology, began teaching shamanism and shamanic healing in the early 1970s to Westerners, it was largely unknown outside of academia. Now modern-day shamans, typically referred to as “shamanic practitioners,” can be found throughout the US and Europe. Many thousands of them owe their education to Dr. Harner and the Foundation for Shamanic Studies (FSS), the non-profit organization he began in 1985 to study, restore, and teach shamanism and shaman...Peru shamans perform protective ritual
Peruvian shamans met at Lima"s highest point on Sunday to perform a ceremony which they believe will help protect the spirits of world leaders in 2009. Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez and Barack Obama were among those leaders chosen to receivespecial attention. It was predicted that President-elect Obama would have a good start to 2009, but that Venezuela"s leaderHugo Chavez would have a "quite a bit of desperation" this year. . Despite lacking world leader status, Michael Jackson also received specia...Children in voodoo's power
In the tiny West African country of Benin, voodoo has been practised for 10,000 years, but efforts to preserve its ancient oral traditions are exacting a harsh toll on its faithful, splitting families and pushing people deeper into poverty. Benin is unique in recognising voodoo as an official religion, followed by two-thirds of its 7.6 million people. It involves a pantheon of gods and spirits whose intercession is sought through animal blood sacrifice. But to survive, voodoo needs a new generat...Voodoo priest: "My exorcisms get results"
The nondescript red-brick block in north London barely warrants a second glance, but inside one of the flats is concealed a bizarre world barely comprehensible to most people. This is the home of Malcolm Poussaint, a self-styled "voodoo priest" who performs harrowing exorcism rituals on children as young as six whom their parents believe are possessed by demons.Mr Poussaint sees nothing wrong with what he does. It is, he insists, work that has to be carried out."If the child is no...
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The 'rain' man
'Voodoo-cursed' woman is jailed
Voodoo History
'Spy' used voodoo to shield general from Taliban
Voodoo Day celebrated in Benin
Rainmaker ritual helps date ancient droughts
The mystical experience of shamanism
Peru shamans perform protective ritual
Voodoo priest: "My exorcisms get results"
